My Trails into the Past

I have completed one hundred forty-two (142) weeks of semi-lockdown due to Covid-19. I volunteered at the History Center on Tuesday and was sick with a non-Covid illness the rest of the week. Genealogy Blog Writing : I posted a few extra posts this week while I was still feeling well. Wrong Side of the Law: Finding Those Surprising Reports in Newspapers . I wrote about how locating newspaper articles pointed me to court records. Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: My Thanksgiving Day We were to share our Thanksgiving Day this year. Davey Family: Sorting Through Some Deaths in Indiana . I wrote about a couple of death certificates I found in a new-to-me database on Ancestry. Happy Thanksgiving! I shared an old-time postcard depicting Thanksgiving greetings. Happy Thanksgiving! On my Mam-ma’s Southern Family blog, I posted a copy of the turkey and stuffing recipe my mother shared with me. It is what we cooked for Thanksgiving. Meetings/Discussion Groups Because of the Than...

It's Saturday Night -   Time For More Genealogy Fun! Our mission from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings is to: A)  We all need to document some of the special moments in our lives so we can recall them, or our descendants can learn more about us.  Today's question is "What was your Thanksgiving Day like this year?" Here's mine: This year, Thanksgiving was uneventful for me. I woke in the morning with a sore throat, though I tested negative for Covid. Our plan was to spend the day with our daughter, Elizabeth. We had most of the fixings: the turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, and gingerbread muffins. We prepared the muffins the day before from a recipe adapted from a Southern Pacific Railroad chef that served the muffins aboard the Sunset Limited in the 1940s and 50s. They tasted pretty good. I also baked a batch of gluten-free cornbread for the dressing. On Thanksgiving, I prepared cornbread dressing with oversized bread cubes, cornbread, onions, cel...

Often, we do not know about a family member’s brush with the law until we find a notice about their arrest or report of a court case in the newspaper. Early newspapers are full of articles listing upcoming court cases and the results of court cases. One example in my husband’s line is the case of Ludwig Wilhelm “Louis W.” Wollenweber. He lived in Louisville, Kentucky, and Jeffersonville, Indiana, which was just across the Ohio River from Louisville. [1] He owned a saloon at 90 Market Street in Louisville selling liquor and wines. [2] One way to be on the wrong side of the law with a saloon is to not pay for the business license. In May 1865, L.W. Wollenweber petitioned for a license for his tavern on Market Street between Third and Fourth Streets. [3] When a list of successful petitions for licenses was printed in the newspaper for taverns and groceries of the Western District, L. W. Wollenweber’s name was on the list. [4] So far, so good. Later, in June 1866, Louis appeared i...

This year, we're spending it with our daughter in California, but likely will video chat with our daughter in New York. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, kale, and ginger muffins. Copyright © 2022 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.

This database at Ancestry , “Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011,” is new to me and I have found a few death certificates for my husband’s Davey family in Indiana. The first I searched for was Edward N. Flynn , who died in 1916 in Jeffersonville, Clark County. He did not appear under his full name but rather his initials, E. N. Flynn. [1] I had previously found two obituaries for him. [2] He served as mayor of Jeffersonville from 1905 to 1909. He never married and his sister, Mayme Wooley, was the informant on his certificate. Edward was the son of John L. Flynn and Elizabeth Davey. Next, I found Edward’s father, John L. Flynn, who died on 26 October 1907 in Jeffersonville, Clark County. [3] The age and date of birth on the certificate were 78 years, 5 months, and 11 days old, and born on 15 May 1829. His tombstone reads 15 May 1830. The informant for his death certificate was his second wife, Carrie Flynn. It is quite possible that she got the information about his pare...

I have completed one hundred forty-one (141) weeks of semi-lockdown due to Covid-19. I volunteered at the History Center on Tuesday and worked at the train club during the weekend show running trains. Genealogy Blog Writing : Tombstones: May Reveal Place of Origin . I wrote about two examples of how a tombstone can reveal the place of birth in a foreign country. Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Early Childhood Memories I shared the start of the autobiography I am writing which I wrote about an early memory in kindergarten. Meetings/Discussion Groups I attended the Kinseekers military SIG meeting while we drove back from Truckee. Jacqueline and I each had our computers using a hotspot and Stewart did the driving. This month was about World War I and next month she will cover World War II. Volunteer I volunteered at the History Center on Tuesday and later took the minutes at the Contra Costa County Historical Society’s board of directors meeting on Thursday. This week I vo...

Many tombstones have information besides names and birth and death dates. They might reveal the place of origin. My 2x-great-grandfather’s tombstone states he was a native of County Cork.   My husband’s 2x-great-grandfather’s brother’s tombstone states he was a native of County Cornwall. Neither tombstone gives the town or village, but they do help narrow down the search to the county of origin. #52Ancestors-Week 46: Tombstones 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 about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways Copyright © 2022 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.

It's  Saturday Night  - Time For More  Genealogy Fun! Our mission from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musing is to: A)  What is one of your most vivid childhood memories? Was it family, friends, places, events, or just plain fun?  Your first memory?  Your most fun memory? B)  Please share it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a Facebook post. Here's mine: I have started working on the story of my life and this is how I started it: Early memories of our lives are hard to define. Do I really remember that event or are the photos in a photo album defining my memory? My earliest memories are from my fifth year. I had scarlet fever while in kindergarten. Bits and pieces of memory about that time are the doctor coming to our house and nearly gagging me with that tongue depressor. I have hated that part of doctor’s appointments since. I’m thinking that our house was quarantined with a paper at the front door. I also r...

I have completed one hundred forty (140) weeks of semi-lockdown due to Covid-19. I volunteered at the History Center on Tuesday and met Jacqueline for lunch on Monday. Then spent four days with three friends in a cabin in Truckee. Genealogy Blog Writing : Ghost Story . I shared a photo of myself dressed as a ghost for a Halloween party. Saturday Night Genealogy Fun:   A Favorite Photo of Your Father I chose a photo of him when he was about 14. Meetings/Discussion Groups I attended no discussion groups this week. Volunteer/Client Work I took the minutes at the Sonoma County Genealogical Society’s board of directors meeting. I also hosted the California Genealogical Society’s Roundtable meeting. I taught the last AppGen Foundations 2 course on Thursday. I think everyone was sad to have the class end. I'll still have some homework to comment on and then send out the evaluations for the class. My next class will be on probate records. Own Work I have spent the past...

It's Saturday Night - Time For More Genealogy Fun! Our mission from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musing is to: A)  Do you have a favorite photograph of your father? B)  Please share it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a Facebook post. Here's mine: Here is a photo of my father, William Joseph Hork. This photo has so much character. I love his smile and the way his hands are on his hips. He looks about thirteen or fourteen. Most likely the photo was taken in Napa where they were living in 1944 or 1945. Look at the style! Rolled-up blue jeans. I looked on Google Maps on street view for the address in Napa where they lived: 1259 Eggleston. The house across the street is gone and an apartment is in its place. I also looked at 554 Randolph Street in Pomona, where his aunt, Loretta Patterson lived. There, a new modern house stands. Copyright © 2022 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.

I have not yet found a ghost story in my family, though I imagine there is. They just haven't been passed down to me. However, I found a ghost in the family in the form of a Halloween costume. This is me with a very makeshift costume. I probably had to patch those holes later. Notes on the photo say it was a costume for a Hork Halloween party. The background is the living room of my parent's house. Likely, I was still living at home, which would make the photo dated in the 1970s. #52Ancestors-Week 45: Ghost Story 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 about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways. Copyright © 2022 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.

I have completed one hundred thirty-nine (139) weeks of semi-lockdown due to Covid-19. I volunteered at the History Center three times and the Oakland FamilySearch Library once. I visited the Concord Historical Society’s open house and had a dentist appointment.   Genealogy Blog Writing : Shadows: Great-Grandfather George Warren Lancaster . I wrote about a photo of Warren taken at a Walnut Creek residence of my grandparents. I attempted to locate the residence. Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: “Friendly Fill-ins” for Thanksgiving We had four questions about Thanksgiving days of the past to answer. My post, Organized: How I Hope to Leave My Genealogy to My Heirs was highlighted on three blogs this past week: Gail Dever’s Genealogy  à  la carte , Linda Stufflebean’s Friday’s Family History Finds , and Randy Seaver’s Genea-Musings . I appreciate the added exposure these bloggers have. Meetings/Discussion Groups I attended no meetings or discussion groups this we...

It's  Saturday Night  - Time For More  Genealogy Fun ! Our mission from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musing is to: A)  This is a fun meme from 2016, thanks to Suzanne McClendon on the  P.S. Annie  blog for the links. B)  Fill in the blanks for these four statements:       1. One Thanksgiving tradition I have is __________________________.       2. Black Friday ______________________________________________.       3. The best part about Thanksgiving Day is _______________________.       4. One Thanksgiving, _________________________________________. C)  Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a Facebook post. Here’s mine: Well, it’s not Saturday night, but Sunday morning, after being up super early due to the end of Daylight Savings Time. 1. One Thanksgiving tradition I have is fixing stuffing/dressing made of cornbread and bread c...