My Trails into the Past

I have completed one hundred fifty-one (151) weeks of semi-lockdown due to Covid-19. We had clear weather with some warming toward the end of the week. I stayed home most of the week, attending SLIG via Zoom. I went to the meadow for phenology, and on Saturday, Elaine and I went to the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden to view California native plants and an art show. We also purchased plants at Native Here. Genealogy Blog Writing : We have a new schedule for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and I ended up with two this week. Oops! Paying Attention to Details is Vital in Genealogy Research For week 5, I wrote about the mistakes I found in my RootsMagic database and online at the FamilySearch Family Tree for Joseph Heinrich Horoch. Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: What Genealogy Resources Are You Currently Using? I ended up writing about my research process and the tools I use. Meetings/Discussion Groups I attended no meetings or discussion groups this week. I was at SLIG (virtually). Vo...

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: It's  Saturday Night  again - Time for some more  Genealogy Fun!! Come on, everybody, join in and accept the mission from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musing, and execute it with precision. He asked us to: 1)  What genealogy resources are you currently using? Books, periodicals, manuscripts, ephemera, websites, software, or ??? Thanks to Linda Stufflebean for suggesting this topic. Here's mine: I thought I would tackle this question as I would a new genealogy project. I start first with Microsoft Word where I open a new document and create research goals or a single question I want to answer. Next, I check both my RootsMagic database and my computer file system to see what information I already know about the research subject. I make a list or timeline of that person’s activities that are relevant to the research question. I then make a list of possible record types that might help me answer the research goal. If ...

At first, I couldn’t think of any mistakes I have made in the last thirty years of genealogy research. I’m not saying I haven’t made any mistakes—I just cannot remember them. In reviewing the database that I keep in RootsMagic, I thought to compare my records with the FamilySearch Family Tree for my Hork/Horoch line, who lived in Westphalia, Germany before my great-grandfather, Johann Anton Hork emigrated to the United States. His brother, Albert, and sister, Clementine, also emigrated. Perhaps more Horks have come, but I haven’t located them yet. I located John Anton Hork in the FamilySearch Family Tree as the son of Joseph Heinrich Horoch and Maria Katharine Trösster. [1] Most of the entries have been made by myself or my second cousin’s wife. We are probably the only ones researching this family. I found a major mistake in my own database as I compared the death date of Joseph Heinrich Horoch in the FamilySearch tree and my database. The tree listed his death date as 5 Oct 1847 in...

I have completed one hundred fifty (150) weeks of semi-lockdown due to Covid-19. We had clear weather this week though it was cold. I was out of the house more: besides visiting the History Center twice this week, I volunteered at the Oakland FamilySearch Center and gave a live in-person presentation to the Mt. Diablo Genealogical Society. On Saturday, I traveled to Oakland for a day of birding with two others as part of the Mt. Diablo Audubon trip. I went twice to the meadow, first to do phenology and again with Elaine to do some pruning to make our path safer. Genealogy Blog Writing : We have a new schedule for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and I ended up with two this week. Out of Place: Why Can’t I find John H Sullivan with His Family? For week 3, I wrote about how I cannot find my great-grandfather with his parents. It took a complicated case study to prove his parentage. Education: Mississippi’s Enumeration of Educable Children – James M. Coor’s Children are Listed For week...

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans:  It's Saturday Night again - Time for some more Genealogy Fun!! Here is our mission this week from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musing . “Come on, everybody, join in and accept the mission and execute it with precision.” 1) Judy Russell wrote Those spreading genes two weeks ago, highlighting the countries that her close DNA matches (with 20 cM or more) are currently residing, based on her Ancestry DNA matches.  2)   On the AncestryDNA Match List page, you can select "Close Matches" in the "Shared DNA" button.  Then click on the "Location" link to see a world map with that set of matches.  You will have to count some or all of them by hand.  3)  Can you work with your "Close DNA Matches" and find the countries that your close matches are residing in? Here’s mine: I have never looked at my matches this way and it is interesting that I have matches in countries on three continents: Great Britain and Germany; US...

It took a convoluted case study to prove that the parents of John H. Sullivan were Jerry Sullivan and Mary Sheehan. [1] I have found no records showing him living with his family. He was born in Ireland—maybe County Cork, maybe a neighboring county. His father was a miner, who perhaps moved a lot following the jobs. I hired a researcher in County Cork and he found only two of the children’s baptisms, but not John’s. The family came to the U.S. in the 1860s, but no ship record has been found of Jerry and Mary with any of the children. Of course, I have no idea when they came. Their children give conflicting dates. John stated he arrived in October 1865. [2] His older brother, Eugene’s obituary stated he arrived when twelve, making it about 1863 or so. [3] His oldest sister, Mary’s obit stated she came at age twelve, making the date 1865. [4] The younger brother, Jerry, stated he arrived when five, making it about 1861. [5] His father’s obituary in 1888 stated he came to America t...

I have completed one hundred forty-nine (149) weeks of semi-lockdown due to Covid-19. Still raining this week, so I only got in a couple of walks between rain showers. Besides the History Center and phenology at the meadow, I ran trains at the train club for our January show over the weekend. Genealogy Blog Writing : Favorite Photo . I posted about two photos depicting my husband and my daughter sitting on top of a tractor, about 35 years apart. Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Your Ten Genea-Happy Moments I wrote about the things that make genealogy happy moments. Happy 12 Blogiversary! I started my first blog in January 15, 2011, two weeks after retiring from my job at BART. I took a class at the California Genealogical Society and the rest is history. I don’t write in this one often, as the theme is restrictive: just the ancestors of my maternal grandmother. Meetings/Discussion Groups This week, I met with Jacqueline and we discussed a possibility of a research trip to n...

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: It's  Saturday Night  again - Time for some more  Genealogy Fun! Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings , says “Come on, everybody, join in and accept the mission and execute it with precision.” 1) When you are performing genealogy research or writing, what makes you happy?  List ten genealogy moments that make you happy.  Here’s mine: My happy moments when doing genealogy are: Finding records that help break open a tough problem Getting a good outline together to state my proof argument Being able to research online using digital images at FamilySearch (when they are not locked) Being able to do the same at a FamilySearch Center when the films are locked Locating great articles that mention ancestors’ names at ChroniclingAmerica , Newspapers.com , GenealogyBank , and NewspaperArchive Discovering ancestor’s gravestone photos at Find A Grave Presenting how-to talks to genealogy societies Teaching skill-building courses at...

I have two photos in my collection that are similar but taken many years apart. The black and white photo is of my husband and little brother sitting on a tractor, perhaps at their grandfather's home in Webb City, but maybe at the farm of their uncle's in Hilmar. I cannot be sure. The second photo is my oldest daughter on this little tractor we used to own when we would rototill the whole backyard. Aren't they adorable? What young child cannot resist wanting to drive a tractor? This is my sixth year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow ( https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/ ) at Generations Cafe. I write each week in 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 © 2023 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.

I have completed one hundred forty-eight (148) weeks of semi-lockdown due to Covid-19. I managed a few walks despite the rain and went to phenology between rain showers.   Genealogy Blog Writing : I'd Like to Meet John H. Sullivan . I wrote about wanting to meet my paternal great-grandfather, John H. Sullivan, who was an Irish immigrant. I have many questions to ask him. Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Your 2023 Genealogy Goals I wrote about my three main goals. Meetings/Discussion Groups Surprisingly, I met with Jacqueline three times this week on Zoom, where we helped each other with our own blogs. I met with my mentee on Wednesday to catch up on her certification portfolio progress. I also attended the Certification Discussion Group where we discussed writing proof arguments like an attorney does their closing argument. On Friday, our Peer Accountability group met and we discussed our 2023 goals for the year. Volunteer At the History Center, I continued working on t...

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: It's Saturday Night again - Time for some more Genealogy Fun!! Randy Seaver of Genea-Musing has given us a challenge: 1)  Have you made genealogy goals for 2023?  What are they?  Which one would you be most excited to see accomplished? I have written my 2022 goals for 52 Ancestors , a genealogy meme run by Amy Johnson Crow. In that post I made 3 goals: Turn in my renewal portfolio for my CG recertification . My main goal for this year is to produce 1-2 work samples to use for my BCG certification portfolio, which is due in December (though I need to turn it in a couple of months sooner so there is time for judging). The weaknesses in my previous portfolio were the research report and my citations. I have worked hard on improving my citations and making them consistent. Write research reports and proof summaries for my maternal family. Writing more research reports and proof summaries for my mother’s southern family will be ...

John H. Sullivan, my paternal great-grandfather, was born on 20 June 1854, somewhere in Ireland to Jeremiah Sullivan and Mary Sheehan. [1] Somewhere in Ireland is the mystery. The family passed down that they were from County Cork and likely near Castletownbere. After hiring a local researcher, some family records were found in Eyeries Parish, but not the marriage of his parents, nor the baptism of John. [2] Likely his father worked in the mines and my researcher suggested the family moved around looking for work. There are many questions to ask John, but I worry I might not understand him. My aunt said he had a very strong Irish brogue, even after all those years. It is possible he came to the U.S. with his family when he was about ten. Where was he born? I cannot locate his baptism record at the Catholic Parish Registers on the National Library of Ireland website. When did they arrive in the U.S.? I cannot locate a passenger record although he stated he arrived in Octob...

I have completed one hundred forty-seven (147) weeks of semi-lockdown due to Covid-19. I took fewer walks this week due to the rain, went to phenology, and ran trains for the public at Train Club. It was a quiet week. Genealogy Blog Writing : Looking Ahead to 2023 . I wrote about my genealogy goals for the coming year, including submitting my BCG renewal portfolio. Happy New Year! I posted a postcard from my collection. Meetings/Discussion Groups On Monday, I hosted the CCCGS online Zoom meeting. I couldn’t get my microphone to work, so just listened and commented in the chat. Jacqueline and I met later in the afternoon and talked about our blogs. Volunteer We’re on hiatus during the holidays, so I did not volunteer anywhere. I did prepare and send out a press release for the BCG about the upcoming webinars on Family Tree Webinars. Client Work.  I did another marriage and death certificate pulls for my regular client on Tuesday. Own Work . Because of the lack of ...