My Trails into the Past

I have completed two hundred and fifty-three (253) weeks of semi-lockdown due to Covid-19. My outside activities were a visit to Florence, Oregon, a ride home on Amtrak, a hike with the walking group, and the annual meeting of the Contra Costa County Historical Society. Genealogy Genealogy Writing/Research: I conducted some research on Newspapers.com and found the obituary for Ann Murray Tierney, who died in Fallowfield, Ontario, Canada, in 1899, and the marriage date for my grandfather’s brother, Hal Johnston. I also found the World War II draft card for Hal on Ancestry. The card had written at the top that he was discharged from the Coast Guard for medical reasons. That is something to research further.  Blog Posts Published: Maria “Mary” Sievert, an Overlooked Daughter of Vincent and Susanna Sievert I wrote about my great-grandmother’s sister, as I had not researched her in a long time. The Division of the Enslaved from the William C. Thomas Estate of Rankin County, Mississippi ...

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans:  It's Saturday Night again -  Time for some more Genealogy Fun!! Our assignment from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings, courtesy of Linda Stufflebean for suggesting the topic, is to:  1)  What is the most unusual cause of death you have discovered for your ancestors? Here's mine: I browsed through my RootsMagic database looking for unusual causes of death and found lots of deaths from heart problems, pneumonia, tuberculosis, influenza, kidney problems, suicide, and accidents. One unusual way of ending one’s own life was through drinking carbolic acid. My great-grandfather, John A. Hork, did that at a saloon in Sheridan, Wyoming in 1906. This unusual way of killing oneself caused newspapers from other places in the country to report on it even though he was not a known person. The distinctive way he died caused the newspapers to pick up the news. It seemed he asked for a drink on the house or by credit and was refused. So, he drank from a v...

Maria Sievert was the fifth child and second daughter of Vincent Sievert and Susanna Raduntz. She was born on 1 April 1861 in Joliet, Will County, Illinois.[1]  In 1860 Vincent said he was a farmer, so she was likely born on the farm.[2]  By 1870, she was known as Mary and attended school in Joliet. Her father worked as a stone mason and owned property in the second ward in the city of Joliet.[3]  On 12 September 1878, she married Carl Schultz at St. John’s German Catholic Church in Joliet. She was eighteen years old. He was twenty-seven and stated he was born in Tarkenbrugge, Prussia.[4]  This town couldn’t be located in an online search. Perhaps he misremembered the town's name, or the clerk misheard the name when recording the license information. Carl was Lutheran and they needed a dispensation to be married in the Catholic Church.[5]  Two years later, they were living at North Broadway in Joliet. He worked as a laborer and she kept house.[6]  In March ...

I have completed two hundred and fifty-two (252) weeks of semi-lockdown due to Covid-19. My outside activities were trips to the History Center, Oakland FamilySearch Center, phenology, and an Amtrak trip to Eugene, and visiting with Jacqueline. Genealogy Genealogy Writing/Research: Research this week has been collecting more documents using the FamilySearch full-text search. I have found documents for Elizabeth Gleeson, Margaret T. Gleeson, Mary Martha Gilbert, and Julian Hulaniski. The only writing I’ve done is writing up the research as I did it, making sure I captured all the elements for writing the source citation. Blog Posts Published: Was he Teensy, Looch, or Both? Nicknames for Wayne Lancaster I wrote about the nicknames I found for Wayne, my grandmother’s youngest brother, from his high school yearbook. Happy 14th Blogiversary! On January 15, I celebrated my fourteenth anniversary of starting the blog Mam-ma’s Southern Family. SNGF: Share a Recent Genealogy Find about an Ance...

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans:  It's Saturday Night again -  Time for some more Genealogy Fun!! Our assignment tonight from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings is to:  1)  Share a recent genealogy find about an ancestor or family, such as a new name, document or even a clue towards cracking a brick wall. [Thank you to Linda Stufflebean for suggesting this topic - I will probably use it again!] Here's mine: The most recent goodies I found were for a client, so I searched at FamilySearch full-text search. I found a wonderful goodie! I have known through family stories that my paternal grandmother’s aunt, Elizabeth Gleeson, had gone to Alaska during a gold rush. I had never found any real evidence of this until today.  Elizabeth M. Gleeson of Portland, Oregon, filed a power of attorney in Tanana, Alaska, for H. L. Hedger of Richardson, Alaska, to locate and stake claims and placer mining grounds in the Territory of Alaska. [1] Tanana, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Unorgan...

I have completed two hundred and fifty-one (251) weeks of semi-lockdown due to Covid-19. My outside activities were trips to the History Center, phenology, and train club. Genealogy Genealogy Writing/Research: I continued working on the Haley & Thomas families and wrote a blog post. Most of my writing this week has been lesson plans for my upcoming AppGen course on the public domain land. Registration will begin this week on January 15. Blog Posts Published: Discovering the Death of John B. Thomas, husband of Mary Ann Haley of Mississippi I wrote up the results of research that answered a research question. It’s the start of a series on my blog Mam-ma’s Southern Family. Favorite Photo – Billy Hork with his Older Sisters For the 52 Ancestors’ theme “Favorite Photo,” I posted a 1935 photo of my father with his three older sisters. SNGF: Do You Have a Digital Genealogy Library? I wrote about how I store digital copies of books, handouts, and lesson plans. Genealogy Meetings:  I ha...

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans:  It's Saturday Night again -  Time for some more Genealogy Fun!! Our assignment tonight from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings is to:  1)  Do you have a digital genealogy library? If so, what titles are in it. If not, why not? [Thank you to Linda Stufflebean for this suggested topic] Here's mine: Yes, I have a digital genealogy library. Whenever I locate a book pertinent to my family research and it is available digitally, I have downloaded a copy onto my computer. Many of these books are county histories but some may be scans of books I made at the FamilySearch Library.  Computer Now, where I keep these digital books is another matter. I am not consistent. I might have a “books” folder under the main surname folder. Under other surname folders, I might have folders of geographical areas, and the digital books are found there. Still, under other surname folders, I might have both. A folder for books that are general and a folder for...

My dad, William J. Hork, known as Billy growing up, had three older sisters: Lorene, Virginia, and June. This photo, taken in 1935, probably in Ontario, is of the four children. Billy looks about four or five years old. Since they are wearing sweaters and hats, it is probably winter.  I love this photo because it is black and white, has nice contrast, and shows the spunk of my aunts. Pictured from left to right: June, Lorene, and Virginia, and in front, Billy. #52Ancestors - Week 2: Favorite Photo This is my eighth 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 © 2025 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.

I have completed two hundred and fifty (250) weeks of semi-lockdown due to Covid-19. My outside activities were trips to the History Center, Oakland FamilySearch Center, phenology, haircut salon, and doctor’s appointment. Genealogy Genealogy Writing/Research: This week, I spent two days researching the Haley family, particularly Mary Ann Haley and John B. Thomas’s descendants. I used the full-text search at FamilySearch to locate records of Thomas J Haley and found he was the guardian for Mary Ann’s children and was transacting business in Texas. The family originated in Rankin County, Mississippi. I followed several Thomas children across several counties in Texas, locating census, vital, newspaper, and cemetery records to fill out their profiles in my RootsMagic database.  I also researched the Cromwell Children’s Home, started by my husband’s ancestor, Nils Malkom Nilsen, and wrote the first 52 Ancestors blog post about it. At the FamilySearch Center in Oakland, I scanned two of...

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans:  It's Saturday Night again -  Time for some more Genealogy Fun!! Our assignment from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings is to:  1)  What are your genealogy goals for 2025?  Consider genealogy research, education, organizing, service, writing, and whatever else you care to share. Here's mine: I have already posted about reflecting on last year’s goals and creating goals for 2025. It is here . A recap of the goals is below. 2025 Goals Organization. Continue organizing and reducing files. I have new archival boxes to store these items and I can donate the plastic bins. Writing . Create 2 books about my grandparents, Tom J Johnston & Pansy Lancaster, and William C Hork and Anna Sullivan. Do the same as I did the parent's book, using blog posts and photos. I will also continue writing 52 Ancestors, Genea-pourri, and SNGF each week, plus some additional posts as I discover topics. Renewal . Decide on a subject for the KDP I can use fo...

The Rev. N. M. Nilsen,[1]  pastor of the Swedish Congregational Church in Cromwell, Connecticut, thought the empty house on West Street could be put to better use than sitting empty. The owner, A.N. Pierson, agreed. It was decided to create an orphanage for young orphan children. The matron was Anna Molin, who came from Manchester, New Hampshire. It was first announced in the Middletown newspaper, The Penny Press, on 5 April 1900.[2]  Another article explained its purpose: “The Swedish Christian Orphanage, which is to be established here, under the patronage of the Swedish Congregational church, will be ready by the middle of May. The building acquired for the purpose on West Street, by the association, has been repainted and repapered throughout, and a new wing is to be built, to give more room. Miss Anna Molin of Manchester, N.H., who is to be the matron of the home, has arrived in town, and will spend several weeks here, as the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Emil Nyren. Rev EG Hjerp...