My Trails into the Past

I have completed one hundred thirty-eight (138) weeks of semi-lockdown due to Covid-19. I have been more careful around people and have stayed home more this week. I volunteered at the History Center & met with the 21 st Century committee to dissolve our corporation. Genealogy Blog Writing : My post last week on how I got around the 1890 census was highlighted on Empty Branches on the Family Tree "Fridays Family History Finds" and on Genealogie a la carte "This week's creme  de la crème — October 29, 2022." Organized: How I Hope to Leave My Genealogy to My Heirs . I wrote about how I organize both my digital and analog worlds of genealogy. Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Your Surname Line with Longest Stay in a Locality I wrote about two lines: Horks in Westphalia, Germany, and Nilssons in Jonkoping, Sweden. Meetings/Discussion Groups I was very busy with meetings this week. On Monday, I hosted the CCCGS Zoom meeting and met later with Jacqueline...

As I get older, I begin to realize that time is against me and although most of us don’t know how much time we have left on this earth, it is not as long as the time I have had already. It’s the downslope of the bell curve. It is time to assess the status of the “genealogy stuff” as my children say. Digital My digital genealogy is well organized. I have four folders labeled for my maternal and paternal sides and my husband’s maternal and paternal sides. I like to say I’m researching my children’s ancestors. At this point, they don’t really care and are not likely to take up the hobby. My genealogy folder I also have folders for other smaller topics such as DNA, photo permissions, and software backup. Within the four family folders, I have organized the folders by surname, numbering them so they appear on the top of the list. Below that, I have Research folders by state because many of the localities have more than one surname who lived there. My Research-Texas probably has the most ...

  It's  Saturday Night  -  Time For More  Genealogy Fun!   Our mission from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings is to: 1)  Which family surname line (of identified ancestors) of yours stayed the longest in one U.S. state or other country, province/shire since, say, 1600?  *  List the generations for one or two of your long-staying-in-one-locality surname lines.  (Yes, I know that some countries used patronymics - follow the father's line back in time). *  Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a Facebook post. Here's mine: My husband’s great-grandfather, Nils Malkom Nilsen , born Nils Malkom Jonasson, paternal ancestors go back five generations in Jonkoping, Sweden. Nils (1865-1937) is the immigrant. father Jonas Nilsson (1839-1915) grandfather Nils Jonasson (1808-1869) great-grandfather Jonas Nilsson (1769-1834) 2x-great-grandfather Nils Jonsson (1733-1782) 3x-great-grandfa...

I have completed one hundred thirty-seven (137) weeks of semi-lockdown due to Covid-19. I have been more careful around people and have stayed home more, except for volunteering at the History Center & Oakland FamilySearch Library. I hiked with some friends at Valle Vista and dined with Norman’s cousins, Eric and Melissa. Genealogy Blog Writing : Lost: How I Got Around the Loss of the 1890 Census . I wrote about the records I used to find addresses of family. Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Your Genealogy Highlights for Last Month . I wrote about my vacation and genealogy activities. Meetings/Discussion Groups I had no meetings or discussion group meetings this past week. Volunteer/Client Work I volunteered this week at the History Center where I helped a researcher with court records. At the Oakland Family History Center, I worked the front desk. On Saturday, I co-hosted the CGS webinar. Webinars Viewed : Making the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center Yo...

It's Saturday Night - time for more Genealogy Fun! Our mission from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings is to: 1) What genealogy fun have you had this past month?  What is your genealogy highlight of the past month?  It could be attending or watching a webinar or local genealogy society meeting, finding a new ancestor, reading a new genealogy book, or anything else that you have enjoyed. 2)  Tell us about it in a blog post on your own blog, in a comment to this post, or in a Facebook post. Here's mine: Most of the past month (since September 22) involved a vacation to the East Coast, but once I returned, I worked on some genealogy projects. The vacation involved several days of traveling by train to New York City, where we spent one week with both of our daughters. Spending time with the daughters and creating new memories is a genealogy highlight. Later, we visited Maine and New Hampshire to see fall colors and ride some tourist railroads. My husband and I created...

The United States federal census records are a goldmine of information about our ancestral families. Every ten years, the US government enumerated the residents of the country in order to count the people for allocating representatives to the US Congress House of Representatives. Besides counting the residents, the government also asked additional questions. It’s these questions that really help us learn more about our families. Currently, we have access to census records from the first census in 1790 to the most current census of 1950, which came out for our use this past April 1. However, the 1890 census records were involved in a fire in 1921 in the Commerce Department Building in Washington, DC, and were later destroyed. [1] There are only a few examples remaining. If you are lucky, you may find your family on one of those pages. The search page for these fragment pages on Ancestry is here: 1890 United States Federal Census Fragment.   Other Sources I have no family in ...

I have completed one hundred thirty-six (136) weeks of semi-lockdown due to Covid-19. We finished our vacation this week and returned on Tuesday. I tested negative for Covid on Monday but I still get tired by the afternoon and have taken some naps this week. I am doing some shorter walks to begin to rebuild the walking strength I had while in New York City where I was walking 15K steps each day. Genealogy Blog Writing : Passed Down: Nana's Cast Iron Pans  . I wrote about the cast iron frying pans that belonged to my paternal grandmother. Highlighted on 52 Ancestor's email this week. Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: What Date Was Your Grandmother Born ? I wrote about my paternal grandmother, whose birthday was on this day. Meetings/Discussion Groups I was busy on Wednesday, my first day back, with three meetings. I attended the Certification Discussion Group, Amigos, and hosted the Roundtable meeting. With the Amigos, we discussed our upcoming retreat by choosing which...

It's  Saturday Night  - time for more  Genealogy Fun! Our mission from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musing is to: 1)  What is the day, month and year was your grandfather born (either one)? [Use a grandmother if you want!] What was the day of the week for this event?  Tell us how you found out. 2) What has happened in recorded history on your grandfather’s birth date (day and month)? Tell us how you found out, and list five events. 3) What famous people have been born on your grandfather’s birth date?  Tell us how you found out, and list five of them. 4) Put your responses in your own blog post, in a comment on this blog post, or in a status or comment on Facebook . Here's mine: After being gone on vacation for the past four weeks, I’m ready to do a SNGF post. Today is the birthday of my paternal grandmother, Anna Maria Sullivan, who was born on this day, 15 October 1892 in Anaconda, Deer Lodge County, Montana...

We don't have many heirlooms from my ancestors. My family did not have a lot of money but the few items that have been passed down are cherished. I especially love the black cast iron frying pans from Nana, my grandmother, Anne M Hork. These pans are so well-seasoned, that I can cook anything in them without sticking. Plus they can be washed gently without worrying about losing the seasoning. In these pans, I have cooked French Toast, salmon patties, fried chicken, scrambled eggs, baked cornbread, and many other treats. They have also been on many camping trips with our Girl Scout Troop where the girls cooked burritos, tacos, and spaghetti sauce. Nana's cast iron pans #52Ancestors-Week 41: Passed Down This is my fifth year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow ( https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/ ) at Generations Cafe. I write each week on one of my two blogs, either  Mam-ma’s Southern Family  or  My Trails into the Past . I have enjoyed writing...

I have completed one hundred thirty-five (135) weeks of semi-lockdown due to Covid-19. We were on vacation this past week, traveling from New Hampshire to Chicago on our way to Los Angeles. However hard we tried to avoid crowds, I still tested positive for Covid on Tuesday. I am not sure where. It could have been in shops in Portland or the restaurant in Plymouth, New Hampshire the group had lunch at. Genealogy Blog Writing : Preservation: Writing the Story Preserves it for the Future . I gave reasons for writing about our family history to preserve it. It’s Been Nine Years . I wrote about the anniversary of my grandmother’s (Mam-ma) death. Webinars Viewed : None. Vacation : On Monday, the Special Interest Tour took us to North Conway, NH, where we had two train rides. The first one was short to Conway and back. The second one was much longer. We had a box lunch and traveled through the Crawford Notch where the fall color on both sides was spectacular. I took lots of photo...

The best way to preserve your genealogy is to write about your family. There are many ways to accomplish this: Writing vignettes on a blog. Having a private Facebook group. Creating photo scrapbooks, especially if stories are added. Putting together full-length books on a family. I have done all three and the more that is done, the more I am ensured my research results will live on. I write weekly on either of my two blogs, this one and Mam-ma’s Southern Family. Some posts are due to memes that others have thought up, such as this 52 Ancestors theme. Other posts I write when I have made an interesting discovery I have created family photo scrapbooks and calendars that I have given to the family for Christmas. These are fun to make and are well-received. Finally, I have created book-length works on portions of my family. My first work was in 2004 and I created a book about my Gleeson family, as I had these wonderful photos I wanted to share. I wrote paragraphs about each p...

I have completed one hundred thirty-four (134) weeks of semi-lock down due to Covid-19. We were on vacation in New York City, Portland, Maine, and New Hampshire this week, so we were not on any lockdown, but whenever we were in crowds, on the subway, or indoors, we wore our masks. By Wednesday, we began our week-long tour with Special Interest Tours. Genealogy Blog Writing : Last week, my New to Me post was highlighted. Road Trip—Taking Mam-ma to Stephenville, Texas . I wrote about my first road trip for genealogy: learning about where my mother and grandmother were from. Webinars Viewed : "Fair Use and Foul Balls" by Judy G. Russell. Vacation : Monday : We went to Governor’s Island on a ferry and rode bikes and walked around. Had great tacos from a stand. Afterward, we ate dinner in Brooklyn, taking a Lyft there but riding the subway back. Tuesday : We had brunch at Tea & Sympathy, an English café, and then walked around the Little Island at Pier 55. Din...