My Trails into the Past

This is my third year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow. I will write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or at My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways. Sometimes, it’s difficult to get a physical description of our ancestors. If men filled out draft registrations or pension applications, we might get some physical descriptions. With a photograph of the person, we might be able to describe their physical appearance. When we can get first-hand accounts of someone’s physical appearance and even some sense of their personality from remembrances that family members write, that is a bonus. Such is the case with Matilda “Tillie” Wollenweber, who married Frederick Henry Davey. [1] In a letter written from Marie (Davey) Korn to her first cousin, once removed, Ada May (Gorrell) Thomason, is such a description: “As I remember, the appearance of Aunt Tillie, she had

Genealogists are great at documenting our ancestors’ lives but not so great documenting our own. I’ll write about what I’ve been doing the past week. This idea came from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musing, who started this meme. I have completed nineteen weeks of semi- “lock down” due to Covid-19. I left the house this past week do phenology at the meadow, go for a walk to the mailbox, and ride to Oakland to check out a grocery store in Piedmont that had the brand of mustard my husband liked. I was going to stay in the car, but the produce stand outside caught my attention—fresh peaches and apricots! This is only the third time in a store for me. Genealogy Blog Writing : Blogs posted this past week: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 30: Old Country—Thomas Davey Family in Cornwall.   I wrote about trip to St. Agnes in Cornwall where my husband’s 2x-great-grandfather was married. Saturday Night Genealogy Fun—Major News Events During Your Life.   I wrote about where I was and what

It's  Saturday Night  - Time for more  Genealogy Fun! Our mission (from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musing ), should you decide to accept it (cue the Mission Impossible! music) is to: 1) What are the major news events that happened during your life that you remember where you were when you heard about them? 2) Tell us in your own blog post, or in comments to this post, or in comments on Facebook.  As always, please leave a link to your work in Comments. When John F. Kennedy was assassinated on 22 November 1963, I was in the fourth grade at Parkmead Elementary School in Walnut Creek, California. The principal, I think it was Mr. Sloan, announced it over the loud speaker. We all sat there in the class in silence, not believing it. I do not believe we went home early. I do remember classmates talking about it in the lunch line. The T.V. was on all weekend at home—I think that was the only programming that was on. As I think back on it now, I wonder why the principal an

This is my third year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow. I will write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or at My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways. The old country for the Davey family was County Cornwall, England.  Thomas Davey , my husband’s second-great-grandfather, was born in County Cornwall, England on 3 September 1807. [1] He was baptized in Camborne, Cornwall on 7 November 1807 and his parents were James & Elizabeth Davey. [2] Thomas Davey married Mary Nicholas on 23 May 1832 at St. Agnes, Cornwall after the banns were read for three weeks. [3] Mary Nicholas was born in County Cornwall on 24 August 1811 and baptized at St. Agnes, Cornwall, on 19 September 1811 to parents, Edward and Susanna Nicholas. [4] Here is a map of the area of St. Agnes. The Davey family was living in the area of Mount Hawke (at the lower edge of the ph

Genealogists are great at documenting our ancestors’ lives but not so great documenting our own. I’ll write about what I’ve been doing the past week. This idea came from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musing, who started this meme. I have completed eighteen weeks of semi- “lock down” due to Covid-19. This week, the governor closed everything down again (so all that previous shelter-in-place was wasted), so no volunteering at the History Center was allowed. I left the house this past week do phenology at the meadow and go for a walk to the mailbox and check out some old houses in the neighborhood. Otherwise, I met people on Zoom. Genealogy Blog Writing : Blogs posted this past week: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 29: Newsworthy—Amos Gorrell was Injured in the Civil War.   I wrote about my husband’s great-grandfather who was listed in the newspaper as injured. Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: The Day Your Paternal Grandmother was Born I wrote about my grandmother, Anna Marie Sul

It's  Saturday Night  -  Time for more  Genealogy Fun!   Randy Seaver of Genea-Musing ’s mission today is: 1) What happened in the world on the day your maternal grandmother was born?  Tell us the date, the place, and find a newspaper page for that date, ideally from the place she was born.  What are some of the headlines?  What was the weather?   2) Tell us in your own blog post, or in comments to this post, or in comments on Facebook.  As always, please leave a link to your work in Comments. My response: Well, on 30 June 2018, we had the choice of doing this for either grandmother, and I had done my maternal grandmother at that time here . So, this week, I will do the same for my paternal grandmother. Anna Marie Sullivan was born on 15 October 1892 in Anaconda, Deer Lodge Co, Montana. Her parents were John H. Sullivan and Anna Marie Gleeson. [1] I found The Anaconda Standard on Newspapers.com and there was an issue on 15 October 1892. [2] It was

This is my third year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow. I will write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or at My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways. A newspaper article in the Athens Messenger, dated 8 October 1863 reported a list of casualties and those soldiers who were wounded. My husband’s great-grandfather, Amos Gorrell, was listed in this one article. The newspaper article was specific about the 18 th Ohio volunteer infantry. Wounded in Company A were Captain P.G. Brown, Sergeant W.S. Brown, Sergeant D.F. Shotts, Corporal A.S. Toops, Corporal Robert Irvin, Corporal H. Hays, Private Amos Gordell [should be Gorrell], Private Thomas Harmon, Private BF Maddox, and Private H.V. Rittenhouse. All were injured severely except Rittenhouse. [1] Amos Gorrell entered the war on the 1 August 1861 with Company A of the 18 th Ohio Infantry Regiment. He

Genealogists are great at documenting our ancestors’ lives but not so great documenting our own. I’ll write about what I’ve been doing the past week. This idea came from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musing, who started this meme. I have completed seventeen weeks of semi- “lock down” due to Covid-19. I left the house this past week to work twice at the CCCHS History Center, do phenology at the meadow, and get blood work, mammogram, and two shots for tetanus and shingles at Kaiser. Otherwise, I met people on Zoom. Genealogy Blog Writing : Blogs posted this past week: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 28: Multiple—Four Nilsen Siblings Emigrate to the United States .   I wrote about my husband’s Swedish family, Nilsen, who came separately to the U.S. Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: How Many Ancestors Have You Met? I wrote about the six ancestors I have met in my lifetime. Why I’m Studying About African American Research . I wrote about my experience taking the three-day class