My Trails into the Past

In many older Catholic churches, stands of small votive candles can be seen on the side of the church or in alcoves. The ones I remember were red and when lit, glow dimly. I have not seen these candles in other kinds of churches. This seems to be a Catholic tradition. One article explained that Catholics light a candle for a loved one, either deceased or perhaps ill. They wish for some divine intervention to solve a problem, so light a candle, and make their intention known through prayer. [1]   I remember the candles in St. Peter Martyr’s Church in Pittsburg, California. Nana took me many times to Mass and after I had my First Communion, to confession on Saturdays. She would give me a coin, maybe it was a nickel or a dime, so I could light a candle and say a prayer. What I do not remember is whom I said the prayer for. Nana said prayers for many people. I guess because she was so much older, she knew many people who had died, like her mother, who died when she was twenty, and h...

It's Saturday Night -  time for more Genealogy Fun!  Randy Seaver’s mission for us this week is: Your mission, should you decide to accept it (cue the Mission Impossible music here) is to: 1) Have you written your memoirs yet? If so, please share with us one story from your childhood. If not, then start your memoirs! The story could be a memory of your family life, your schoolwork, your neighborhood, etc. It doesn't have to be a certain length - just something you recall. 2) Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this blog post, or in a post on Facebook. Be sure to leave a link to your work as a Comment to this post.. Here's mine: First Trip on a Plane I took my first trip on an airplane with my grandmother (Nana) in the summer of 1969. We went down to southern California, primarily to attend a wedding of Nana’s great-niece, Christine. We stayed three weeks with Nana’s sister, Loretta, in Pomona. We then were driven down to San Di...

This is my third year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow. I will write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or at My Trails Into the Pas t . I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways. When we lived on East 9th Street, in Pittsburg, California, in the late 50s and early 60s, my dad’s mother lived across the street and down the block some. As children, we thought it was grand to have Nana so close. She had been a school teacher and we loved it when she read to us or taught us cute little songs. She lived on the east side of a duplex. It had just three rooms: living, kitchen, and bedroom, and a bathroom. In the living room there was a murphy bed. I was always amazed by a bed that folded out of the wall! It was a fun place to spend the night, but I was a little worried about it springing back into the wall while we slept. Also in the living room was a bookcase with children’s books and ...

This is my third year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow. I will write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or at My Trails Into the Past . I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways. This is a tough one, as I have many favorite photos. I have shared some of them in the past on this blog but probably didn’t identify them as a favorite photo. This photo of my two grandmothers doting on the newborn baby (me) is a favorite of mine. This photo shows both grandmothers, Pansy (Lancaster) Johnston on the left, and Anne (Sullivan) Hork on the right. They both look like they are proud grandmothers. I think the photo was taken at my parent’s house (35 Wharf Dr, West Pittsburg), probably late March 1954, though it is possible that it was taken at Pansy’s home (307 Nancy Lane, Pleasant Hill). The amount of items on the wall point more to my parent’s home and the metal plate looks familiar ...