My Trails into the Past

In the past year, I wrote 143 posts on this blog and 20 posts on Mam-ma’s Southern Family. The blog post fell in four categories: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (37 MTTP) & (15 MSF) Genea-pourri (50) Saturday Night Genealogy Fun (44) Family Stories:  10 (MTTP) 3 (MSF) The seven top-viewed post this past year were: From 52 Ancestors meme: Week 26: Conflict – Learning More About Amos Gorrell’s Experience I Battle at Chickamauga During the Civil War (233 views) Week 31: Favorite Name – When Hazel Was a Man’s Name (MSF - 223 views) Week 34: Character – McFall Daughters Both Actresses (170 views) Week 37: On the Farm – Amos’ Diaries Gives Us a Taste of Farm Life (156 views) Week 44: Voting – Records of My Grandmother, Anna M. Sullivan Hork Voting (135 views) Week 14: Great – How Many Great-grandchildren Did Warren Lancaster Really Have? (MSF - 129 views) Week 50: Lines – Joseph Norman Gorrell Was a Telephone Lineman (126 views) Several of these posts were highlighted in the weekly ...

Before setting goals for this coming year, let’s look to see how well I had accomplished of my goals for 2021. 2021 Goals I had six goals. I only accomplished one and a third of them. I definitely had too many goals and will make fewer goals for 2022. Continue teaching two classes per quarter at the adult school, Winter, Spring and Fall. Completed & ongoing. Create 3 new talks for genealogy societies. Completed one on farming Write 1 new KDP of one of my mother’s southern families. Not done Write at least 2 articles for journals Not done Work on processing the photo collection Not done Create an heirloom book. Not done In 2021, I started a new business venture called Applied Genealogy Institute with two partners, Jill and Mary. This took up quite a lot of time as we worked on creating the business. Instead of creating new talks for societies, I created content for twelve hours of instruction on using land records in genealogy research. Also in my 2021 goals post...

I have completed ninety-three (93) weeks of semi-lock down due to Covid-19. I went out five times. Monday for a lab test and German Class Christmas party, Tuesday to Napa to meet daughter for lunch and have our booster shot at Napa Kaiser, Friday to the Meadow for phenology (because on Thursday it was pouring), and on Christmas to our daughter’s house. Genealogy Blog Writing : My post last week about my husband’s grandfather working as a telephone lineman was spotlighted in the 52 Ancestors weekly email. 52 Ancestors—Week 51: Holidays Celebrated by my Grandparents I posted some shots of my grandparents celebrating Christmas with their dog or with our family. Merry Christmas! I posted an image of one of the old German postcards I bought from a Dutch seller with the words fröhliche Weihnachten !. O nline Study Groups & Meetings Attended: Jacqueline and I met on Monday. The rest of the groups are on holiday. ClientWork/Presentations : None. I started outlining my Found...

Copyright © 2021 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.

I have completed ninety-two (92) weeks of semi-lock down due to Covid-19. I went out twice to the History Center, to the Meadow for phenology, and to the Campbell Theater for a winter concert, where we had a vax card and ID checked as well as our temperature. Everyone wore masks (except the performers, of course). Genealogy Blog Writing : 52 Ancestors—Week 50: Lines—Joseph Norman Gorrell Was a Telephone Lineman I wrote about the records that document Joe’s work as a lineman. Saturday Night Genealogy Fun – Your Most Vivid Memories of Christmas Time I picked one theme of Christmas trees and wrote about my childhood and adult trees I have had. O nline Study Groups & Meetings Attended: Jacqueline and I met on Monday. I also attended Amigos and the Peer Group this week. The Certification Discussion Group had three people describe their organization method and I wrote up mine and uploaded the file to the group. ClientWork/Presentations : I presented my farming talk to the...

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: It's  Saturday Night  again - Time for some more  Genealogy Fun!! Randy Seaver of Genea-Musing has our assignment for this weekend: 1) What are your most vivid memories of Christmas times past?  People, Church, Presents, Santa Claus, Shopping, whatever. 2) Tell us about them in your own blog post, in a comment on this post, or in a Facebook Status post.  Please leave a link on this post if you write your own post. Here's mine: There are lots of memories of past Christmases, but this post will focus on the Christmas Tree. As a Child Growing up, my mother liked artificial trees. When we lived in Pittsburg in the early 1960s, our fake tree was silver. She had coordinated colored balls. I think one year they were blue and another year gold. There was a colored spot light to shine on the tree, too. That house had a large picture window where this tree stood. Sadly, I have no photos of those trees. When we ...

My husband’s grandfather, Joseph Norman Gorrell, was a telephone lineman in Kansas City, Missouri; Wichita, Kansas; Des Moines, Iowa; and lastly in Joplin, Missouri, beginning at the start of the twentieth century. The earliest record found was a city directory in St. Joseph, Missouri, where he worked for the Missouri & Kansas Telephone Company. [1] In Wichita, Kansas, he was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local No. 144. Joe is sitting on the wagon in the second row on the far right (this photo has been colorized). He worked for the Edison Light and Power Company. [2] In 1911, he was listed as foreman for the Kansas Gas and Electric Company, which was either a new name for the same company or two companies merged. [3] The address was the same. [4] In Des Moines around 1915 he worked as a lineman for the D. M. Electric Company. [5] This stood for Des Moines Electric Company. [6] By 1920, he and his family were living in Webb City, Missouri...

I have completed ninety-one (91) weeks of semi-lock down due to Covid-19. It’s beginning to feel like the pandemic will never end. I left the house for a hearing doctor’s appointment, for my volunteer shift at the History Center on Tuesday and Thursday, for a haircut, and for the phenology at the Meadow.    Genealogy Blog Writing : 52 Ancestors—Week 49: Homemade—The Seamstress I wrote about the different ways my grandmother was creative with sewing, crocheting, and embroidering. Saturday Night Genealogy Fun – Your 2021 Dear Genea-Santa Letter I made a short list of some genealogy gifts I would like. O nline Study Groups & Meetings Attended: Jacqueline and I met on Monday. I attended Amigos on Tuesday, led the CGS Roundtable on Wednesday, and participated in the Peer Group on Friday. ClientWork/Presentations : I did a record pull for my regular client. I also signed paperwork for two upcoming presentations, one next week, and the other in January. Voluntee...

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: It's  Saturday Night  again - Time for some more  Genealogy Fun!! Our assignment from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musing : Come on, everybody, join in and accept the mission and execute it with precision. Here's your chance to sit on Genea-Santa's lap (virtually) and tell him your Christmas genealogy-oriented wish list: 1) Write your 2021 Genea-Santa letter. Have you been a good genealogy girl or boy? What genealogy-oriented items are on your Christmas wish list? They could be family history items, technology items, or things that you want to pursue in your ancestral quest. 2) Tell us about them in your own blog post, in a comment on this post, or in a Facebook Status post.  Please leave a link on this post if you write your own post. Here's mine: I have had a great genealogy year. Once the FamilySearch Library in Oakland reopened, I have volunteered twice a month. I also volunteer once a week (sometimes twice) at t...

I have completed ninety (90) weeks of semi-lock down due to Covid-19. This past week I left the house a little more often than usual. On Tuesday, I visited the eye doctor, a department store for new belts, and volunteered at the History Center. Wednesday, I visited the optician, cleaned vehicles at the Train Club, and had my volunteer stint at the Oakland FHC.  Thursday, I did phenology at the Meadow. Saturday, our niece from London flew in and we had dinner with her and her father. With the new variant around, I’m a little worried and will try to cut my outside activities.    Genealogy Blog Writing : 52 Ancestors—Week 48: Strength—Tom Johnston’s Recommendation Letters I wrote about the letters that spoke about his work abilities and strength in character. Saturday Night Genealogy Fun – Which Ancestor(s) Are at the Top of Your Research List? I made a short list of some of the research tangles I have. O nline Study Groups & Meetings Attended: I attended A...

It's Saturday Night - Time for more Genealogy Fun! Our mission from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musing is to: 1)  Which ancestor(s) are at the top of your research list, and why? 2)  Share your answer in a blog post of your own, in a comment to this blog post, or in a Facebook comment. [Hat tip to Linda Stufflebean who suggested the question 6 months ago.  Thank you, Linda!] Here’s Mine: My side of the family: The parents of Susanna Raduntz , wife of Vincent Siewert. They lived in Schneidemühl, Prussia. The church records are not online and I don’t think they go back very far. We found the parents of Vincent, but not Susanna. The parents of both Jeremiah Sullivan and his wife, Mary Sheehan , who lived in County Cork before coming to the U.S. sometime in the 1860s. Their names are so common. On my mother’s side, I have Samuel Johnston and his wife, Elizabeth McCormack . The family was first found in Yalobusha County, Mississippi. The children were born somewh...

In papers I received from my grandmother, there were several letters of recommendation written for my grandfather. [1] These letters date in April 1944, just shortly after he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. [2] Likely, he was trying for a specialization in carpentry and needed these recommendations. Reading about what these important people wrote about my grandfather’s character and abilities is very interesting and also helpful in filling in his timeline. R. Y. Anderson, manager of the Clay Building Material Company of Stephenville, Texas, wrote on 8 April 1944:

I have completed eighty-nine (89) weeks of semi-lock down due to Covid-19. I am still trying to be careful by wearing the mask and not getting too close to people. This past week I left the house to volunteer at the CCCHS History Center on Tuesday, the Meadow on Thursday, and spent three full days at the Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society operating trains for our annual holiday show.    Genealogy Blog Writing : Last week’s post on voting records in California was one of the post highlighted in the 52 Ancestors weekly email. 52 Ancestors—Week 47: Thankful: Family I wrote about being thankful for my family. Saturday Night Genealogy Fun – Your Genealogy Database Statistics. We checked out the statistics from our genealogy software program. I use RootsMagic. O nline Study Groups & Meetings Attended: I attended the AppGen meeting, visited with Jacqueline twice, and with Annette in the Friday Peer group. Volunteer Work At the History Center, I continued with up...

It's  Saturday Night  - Time for more  Genealogy Fun!     Our mission from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings is to:   1)  If you have your family tree research in a Genealogy Management Program (GMP), whether a computer software program or an online family tree, figure out how to find how many persons, places, sources, etc. are in your database (hint:  the Help button is your friend!) 2)  Tell us which GMP you use, and how many persons, places, sources, etc. are in your database(s) today in a blog post of your own, in a comment to this blog post, or in a Facebook comment. NOTE:  WE last did this in August 2017. Here's mine: Well, I checked but did not do this post from Aug 2017 because I was on a genealogy road trip. I wish I had, because then I could compare 2017 to today. I use the same genealogy software program as Randy, RootsMagic, and it is easy to find the pr...

As I think about what I am thankful for, it is certain I am thankful for my family. I have five brothers and sisters and we all get along so well. We may not get together as often as we used to when our parents were alive and hosted most of the family get-togethers, but my sister, Sabrina is good about arranging at least one or two luncheons at the Spaghetti Factory where we all can eat together. We all live within a few hours of each other, so it is nice when we can get together. I am thankful that when our father died and I dealt with the settling of the trust, no one gave me any grief. There was no in-fighting. We divvied up his items amicably and everyone was a help in cleaning out his place. The women in the family also get along so well. We have “sister” celebrations for our birthdays and include now our nieces and daughters. Covid has put a kink in that celebration but I sure hope it can be revived soon, now that we’ve been vaccinated. I am thankful for our daughters, who thou...