My Trails into the Past

Christmas music is my favorite part of the Christmas Season.  I always remember Christmas records being played on the stereo at home as we trimmed the tree and Christmas music played on the radio from Christmas eve through Christmas Day.  At school we sang Christmas songs, though I don't remember any exact titles.  In 7th and 8th grade, I was in Girls & Boys Chorus and we once went to Rossmoor (the local senior community) and sang Christmas songs.  One of the songs I remember singing was "O Come, All Ye Faithful" because we sang a verse or two in Latin.  So I guess we sang both religious and secular songs in those days. I had fond memories of one particular record by Burl Ives that had "The Twelve Days of Christmas" on it.  My work partner found the record for me on eBay and it is very nice to now listen to it again at Christmas.  My daughters took piano lessons and played Christmas songs through the New Year. My favorite Christmas songs are (n...

Lisa with daughters, Elizabeth (age 8) & Margaret (age 6), 1997 When scanning photos for the Christmas Cookies post, I found this photo taken of my daughters and me with matching Holiday dresses.  I'm pretty sure I ordered them from a catalog, though I don't remember which one.  In order to get the most out of the dresses, we wore them everywhere we could: a Christmas party at my friend, Beth; church on Christmas eve, and then to my parents on Christmas Day.  The girls might have worn them to school on the final day before winter break. Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, My Trails into the Past

I have fond memories of Christmas Cookies, both baking and eating!  My mother always had us make sugar cookies we rolled out onto the large kitchen table and cut using the many different shapes.  I was very fond of the tree, Santa & sleigh, and star shapes.  Once baked, we then decorated them with colored frosting and sprinkles.  I remember the old silver and gold sprinkles made with traces of real metal! When I had children, we cut cookies at our kitchen table, too.  I collected many different cookie cutters and my daughters enjoyed rolling, cutting, and frosting the cookies.  The photos here show my daughters with friends at a friend's house having a Christmas Cookie party. Elizabeth, Mike, Aaron & Margaret Adam & Margaret As you can see, there was always lots of flour around--on the table, in their clothes, and hair!  But they had such a wonderful time creating their masterpieces--each cookie carefully deco...

Anna Marie Sullivan 1892-1979      My grandmother, Anna Marie Sullivan was born 15 Oct 1892 in Anaconda, Deer Lodge Co, Montana to John H. Sullivan and Anna Marie Gleeson.  She was the last of six children (four girls and one boy).      She was baptized 19 Oct 1892 at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Anaconda.  I have a copy of her baptism certificate but it is not the original.  This certificate is dated 1953.  I don't know why my grandmother obtained a new copy of her baptismal certificate but she must have done so while on a trip to Montana in 1953. Baptismal Certificate for Anna Marie Sullivan dated 1953 The transcription reads: Certificate of Baptism St. Paul's Church Anaconda, Montana This is to Certify The Baptismal Register records the following: That   Anna Marie Sullivan                           Child of      John S...

c. 1973 Walnut Creek, CA    Christmas tree ornaments changed throughout my life.  Early on, my mother had an aluminum artifical tree that had only blue balls on it.  She had a blue spot light pointing down on the tree.  The next year, she'd buy green or red balls and a new spotlight color.  Our house in Pittsburg had a large picture window in the front and it was put on display.    Later, when we lived in Walnut Creek, she switched to evergreen colored artificial trees.  We still had colored glass balls but now they were of many colors.  The tree also spotted colored lights and once the tree was completely filled with balls, my mother meticulously laid strands of tinsel on each branch.    As we children grew older, we demanded more part of dressing the tree.  Now homemade ornaments and paper or popcorn strands adorned the tree.  Artificial trees made the way for aromatic Scotch pine trees--still m...

West End Cemetery Section 6 Stephenville, Erath Co, Texas Photo taken by the author Thomas N. Johnston is my great-grandfather.  He was born July 25, 1885 in Texas to Reuben M. Johnston and Olivia Jane Jones.  He married Nell Hutson, daughter of Peter H. Hutson and Helena H. Selman June 6, 1907 in Comanche Co.  They had five children live to adulthood.  He worked for many years as a manager at Higgenbotham's Lumber Yard.  He died Feb 20, 1951 and is buried at the West End Cemetery. Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, My Trails into the Past

Thomas MacEntee asked bloggers to list their surnames and ancestor they most wanted to find. So I decided to write about my mother's side of the family. I have several roadblocks that I'd love to get past and maybe someone will find my blog post and help me. How The Meme Works To participate, do the following at your own blog and post a link back here in the comments: 1. List your surnames in alphabetical order as follows: [SURNAME]: State/Province (county/subdivision), date range 2. At the end, list your Most Wanted Ancestor with details! 1. My Entries COOR; Texas (Erath Co) 1880-present, Mississippi (Lawrence Co, Copiah Co) 1820-1880, North Carolina (Wayne Co, Sampson Co) pre-1800  HALEY; Mississippi (Rankin Co), 1820-1870, North Carolina 1770’s-1820.  HUTSON; Texas (Comanche Co, Hood Co) 1880 to present, Georgia (Cherokee Co, Chattooga Co) 1800-1880, Virginia prior to 1800.  JOHNSTON; Texas (Titus Co, Comanche Co), 1870-present; Mississippi (Yalob...

This is John Cyril Sullivan, my grandmother's brother.  We called him "Uncle Jack." He was born 9 Feb 1887 in Mitchell, Davison Co, Dakota Territory [1] .  The family later moved to Anaconda, Montana sometime in the 1890's.  He served during World War I.  His niece, Margaret Patterson, told me he was injured in France when hit by scrapnal in his leg and was in and out of Veteran's Hospitals most of his life because of the injury [2] . Jack lived in Los Angeles and later married Effa LaVerne Wilson.  He died 9 Aug 1978 in Claremont, Los Angeles Co, California, and is buried at the Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles next to his wife [3] . Thank you, Uncle Jack, for serving our country! [1] Baptism of John Cyril Sullivan, Holy Family Catholic Church, 321 E 3rd, Mitchell, SD 57301. [2] Letter from Margaret Patterson, dated 27 Feb 1998. [3] Calvary Cemetery, 4201 Whittier Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90023-2017; Section R, L634, grave 8. Copyright ...

Lela N. Johnston & William J. Hork 19 April 1953 Queen of All Saints Church Concord, CA Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, My Trails into the Past

Anna Marie (Gleeson) Sullivan born 13 Feb 1860 in Carleton Co, Ontario, Canada died 3 Jan 1912, Anaconda, Deer Lodge Co, Montana, USA buried Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Anaconda, Montana Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, My Trails into the Past

John H Sullivan with granddaughters, Lorene Hork & Mary Patterson Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, My Trails into the Past

Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Portland, Oregon John Gleeson 1832 - 1915 Margaret His Wife 1835 - 1920 GLEESON These are my great-great grandparents on my paternal grandmother's side.  They both were born in Ontario, Canada.  By 1880, they were living in Mitchell, South Dakota and John was both a farmer and a hotel keeper.  They moved to Portland, Oregon around 1910.  John and Margaret (Tierney) had ten children, five boys and five girls, all who lived to adulthood.  They also had fourteen grandchildren.  John and Margaret are buried at Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Portland. Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, My Trails into the Past

Seaman Cyril W. Hork My grandfather, William Cyril Hork (1899-1967) served in the United States Navy.   His active service in the Navy was between January 5, 1918, where he enlisted at Salt Lake City, Utah, and June 14, 1919 where he was discharged, again at Salt Lake City.[1] I have his Service Record and learned he used another variation of his name: Cyril Willis Hork.  You can see his signature here: I also learned where he trained and served.  His training took place in San Diego and at Mare Island, California.  He then was stationed at the U.S. Sub Base in San Pedro, California.  From March 31, 1919 to Jun 12, 1919 he served on the U.S.S. Alert. So what was this USS Alert ?  I found information on the website California Center for Military History and there was a photo of the USS Alert . It was a submarine tender, used to refuel and supply submarines. USS Alert with four submarines in San Pedro, California [1] National Personnel R...

Author with grandmother, Anne Hork at airport before trip to Los Angeles, Summer 1969 Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, My Trails into the Past

"Father John Sullivan 1854 - 1932" That is what the tombstone of my great-grandfather, John H. Sullivan, reads.  I received this photo from one of my father's cousins, who lives in Southern California.  The photo does not say which cemetery he is buried in.  His death certificate states "burial Catholic Cemetery Pomona." So I visited the Catholic Cemetery in Pomona last June when I attended Jamboree.  This cemetery is Holy Cross Cemetery on 444 E. Lexington Avenue in Pomona.  I checked in with the office staff.  I had other Sullivan and Patterson family members to locate but they were unable to locate any record of John Sullivan, even checking the old ledgers.  There is another cemetery in Pomona, adjacent to Holy Cross called Pomona Cemetery.  John Sullivan was Roman Catholic and was not buried in Pomona Cemetery. So where is John located?  I wandered around the tombstones of his children who were buried there but did not f...

This is my first post for the Carnival of Genealogy.  The theme is Autumn Weddings. The first generation of Gorrells who married on October 6 were my husband's parents, George J. Gorrell and Thelma M. Nilsen.  They married in Sacramento, California on October 6, 1951.  They were married at the Westminster Presbyterian Church. The second marriage was their son, Brian E. Gorrell.  He married Patricia A. Lacki on October 6, 1984 in Watsonville, California. The third marriage was their granddaughter, Melanie L. Marmon.  She married Austin Hanzlik on October 6, 2006 in Idaho. How many families have three consecutive generations of marriages on the same day of the year? Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, My Trails into the Past

Ethel Sullivan, Helen Gleeson & Margaret Gleeson Sorry, I can't post a photo without some explanation.  Margaret (Tierney) Gleeson [1835-1920] is my great-great grandmother.  Helen Gleeson [1867-1950] is her daughter.  Ethel Sullivan [1891-1927] is her granddaughter, the daughter of her oldest child, Anna Marie Gleeson [1860-1912], who married John H. Sullivan [1854-1932].  Ethel married John Vir Quigley [1889-1959] but died during the childbirth of their second child. *corrected Helen Gleeson's birthdate. Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, My Trails into the Past

Yesterday I posted the obituary of James Quigley (1846-1944) from the Napa Journal . [1]   The obituary mentioned his Civil War service and stated he was the last living Civil War veteran living in Napa, California.   I decided to do some investigating on his Civil War service. I checked first on the internet and found several websites devoted to regiment histories.   I found a James Quigley in a roster for the 11 th Wisconsin Infantry, Co. B. which stated he enlisted 28 Dec 1863, transferred in, and mustered out 4 Sep 1865. [2] Quigley, James B 12/28/63 Transfered 09/04/65 Mustered out So far the roster matches the obituary.   But what is this about being transferred in?   On another website about the Co B. Mendotta Guard, I found this information: [3] Quigley, James Boscobel Dec 28, 1863 From 33rd Wis. Inf.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. So he possibly transferred in from the 33 rd Wis...

I  found the obituary for James Quigley and other Quigleys of Napa, California on Friday at the California State Library.  James Quigley was the father of my great-great-aunt, Ethel E. Sullivan’s husband, John Vir Quigley.  I found this obituary interesting because he was the last surviving Civil War veteran in Napa.  I am interested in finding out more about James Quigley’s service in the Civil War.             Funeral Tomorrow for James Quigley, Napa's Last Veteran of the Civil War Napa's last Civil War veteran is dead.         Funeral services will be held at the Treadway Chapel at 10:30 o'clock tomorrow morning for James Quigley, 98, who accompanied General Sherman on his famous march through Georgia.  The aged veteran, who would have been 98 on November 9, died Tuesday at the Veteran's Home Hospital after a long period of failing health.     ...

I do not have a marriage record for John Gleeson & Margaret Tierney, however, I have this newspaper article from the Portland newspaper,   Oregonian. [1] It tells of the 50 th Anniversary party held for John and Margaret Gleeson on 15 Feb 1908.   The caption reads:           Mr. and Mrs. John Gleeson, Who Celebrated Their Golden Wedding on Saturday. On Saturday, a week ago, Mr. and Mrs. John Gleeson celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of their wedding, which occurred at Nepean, Canada, February 15, 1858, with a reception to their friends at their residence, 486 Burnside street.   Among the many who came to extend their congratulations were old friends and neighbors to the number of about 50 from Mitchell, S.D., the former residence of Mr. and Mrs. Gleeson.   These remained after the hours of the reception and spent a pleasant evening recalling old pioneer days on the prairies.   When the hour of d...

For "Saturday Night Genealogy Fun," Randy Seaver asked us to write a poem based on a template from http://www.swva.net/fred1st/wif.htm .   Here is my poem: WHERE I'M FROM   I am from a small town that has since grown up into a small city. I am from the city limit side of Las Trampas Creek.   I grew up hunting tadpoles in the creek or swiping slightly ripe fruit from neighbor’s trees.   I grew up playing softball but wishing I could have played baseball. I am from Irish & German ancestors on my Father’s side and from English & Scottish ancestors on my Mother’s side (at least I think—haven’t found an ancestor across the pond yet even though I’ve gone back into the 1700’s). I am from shy parents and I am still shy, though more outgoing than they were. I was born into the Catholic faith and though I don’t attend Mass often, I still have faith.   I do have fond memories of parochial school years and know that their teachings hel...

Ah, Genea-folks, it's   Saturday Night   again - are you ready for more   Genealogy Fun? Your mission tonight, should you decide to accept it, is to: 1)  List your 16 great-great-grandparents with their birth, death and marriage data (dates and places).  [Hint - you might use an Ancestral Name List from your software for this.] 2)  Determine the countries (or states) that these ancestors lived in at their birth and at their death. 3)  For extra credit, go make a "Heritage Pie" chart for the country of origin (birth place) for these 16 ancestors. [Hint: you could use the    chart generator   from   Kid Zone  for this.] [Note: Thank you to Sheri Fenley for the   "Heritage Pie" chart idea.] 4.  Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a post on Facebook or google+. Here's mine: My 16 Great-great grandparents are: 16.    Joseph Heinrich Horoch , born 2 Feb ...