My Trails into the Past

In 1980, just before we were married, my husband bought an old house, built in the late 1930s. It had a large picture window in front, a built-in cabinet in the living room, and an arched-hall. There were three small bedrooms with miniscule closets, one bath with no shower, and a large kitchen with little storage area. There was also no garage but the house had a half basement, accessed only from outside. The price was right. He used his eligibility for a Cal-vet loan. After we were married, he added me to the title. Our first major project was to remodel the kitchen. There was an alcove off the kitchen area that was likely meant for breakfast nook. Because the area of the kitchen was not dimensioned so we could put an island in the center and still have room for eating, we decided to put a Pullman kitchen in the alcove. That is where the cabinets and sink are. We couldn’t put in full-sized cabinets and countertop on both sides, so Norman ordered upper cabinets for the lower and buil...

I am part of the Applied Genealogy Institute and registration is open until January 9, 2022 for these five wonderful courses: Catholic Records; Margaret S. Fortier, CG Applied Genetic Genealogy; Leah Larkin, Ph.D Foundations I: Using the Records; Lisa S. Gorrell, CG Advanced Swedish Genealogy; Jill Morelli, CG Learning from Ledgers: Diane L. Richard A full course description and how to sign up for a course can be found at https://appliedgen.institute/. Our courses are virtual, last four weeks, and have a small class size of no more than 15. Besides lessons, there are in-class activities and weekly homework that is individually commented on by the instructor.  My course, Foundations I: Focus on Using Records, will cover common record sets used by genealogists, from vital records and census, to land and probate along with military, directories, newspapers, and immigration. Foundations II (a future course) will  focus on improving research skills & reporting. If more tha...

I have completed ninety-four (93) weeks of semi-lock down due to Covid-19. I went twice to the Oakland FamilySearch Library to do some research. I double masked and sat away from the computers. I also went to the meadow for phenology. We stayed in for New Year’s Eve and I retired at 10:30. I didn’t even wake when the local fireworks went off. Genealogy Blog Writing : 52 Ancestors—Week 52: Future—Goal Setting 2022 I reviewed last year’s goals and made new ones. The Best of 2021 I analyzed the blog post I wrote in 2021 and highlighted the most viewed and my favorites. Happy New Year! I posted one of my old postcards showing a snowman. O nline Study Groups & Meetings Attended: I hosted Monday Morning on Zoom. Jacqueline and I met on Monday and then met at the Oakland FamilySearch Library on Tuesday and Thursday to do some work. Three of the Amigos met on Tuesday. Peer Group met on Friday with three of us discussing our 2022 goals. And on Sunday, I participated in a bo...

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! Let's hope that 2022 is better than 2021. Copyright © 2021 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.

In the past year, I wrote 143 posts on this blog and 20 posts on Mam-ma’s Southern Family. The blog post fell in four categories: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (37 MTTP) & (15 MSF) Genea-pourri (50) Saturday Night Genealogy Fun (44) Family Stories:  10 (MTTP) 3 (MSF) The seven top-viewed post this past year were: From 52 Ancestors meme: Week 26: Conflict – Learning More About Amos Gorrell’s Experience I Battle at Chickamauga During the Civil War (233 views) Week 31: Favorite Name – When Hazel Was a Man’s Name (MSF - 223 views) Week 34: Character – McFall Daughters Both Actresses (170 views) Week 37: On the Farm – Amos’ Diaries Gives Us a Taste of Farm Life (156 views) Week 44: Voting – Records of My Grandmother, Anna M. Sullivan Hork Voting (135 views) Week 14: Great – How Many Great-grandchildren Did Warren Lancaster Really Have? (MSF - 129 views) Week 50: Lines – Joseph Norman Gorrell Was a Telephone Lineman (126 views) Several of these posts were highlighted in the weekly ...

Before setting goals for this coming year, let’s look to see how well I had accomplished of my goals for 2021. 2021 Goals I had six goals. I only accomplished one and a third of them. I definitely had too many goals and will make fewer goals for 2022. Continue teaching two classes per quarter at the adult school, Winter, Spring and Fall. Completed & ongoing. Create 3 new talks for genealogy societies. Completed one on farming Write 1 new KDP of one of my mother’s southern families. Not done Write at least 2 articles for journals Not done Work on processing the photo collection Not done Create an heirloom book. Not done In 2021, I started a new business venture called Applied Genealogy Institute with two partners, Jill and Mary. This took up quite a lot of time as we worked on creating the business. Instead of creating new talks for societies, I created content for twelve hours of instruction on using land records in genealogy research. Also in my 2021 goals post...

I have completed ninety-three (93) weeks of semi-lock down due to Covid-19. I went out five times. Monday for a lab test and German Class Christmas party, Tuesday to Napa to meet daughter for lunch and have our booster shot at Napa Kaiser, Friday to the Meadow for phenology (because on Thursday it was pouring), and on Christmas to our daughter’s house. Genealogy Blog Writing : My post last week about my husband’s grandfather working as a telephone lineman was spotlighted in the 52 Ancestors weekly email. 52 Ancestors—Week 51: Holidays Celebrated by my Grandparents I posted some shots of my grandparents celebrating Christmas with their dog or with our family. Merry Christmas! I posted an image of one of the old German postcards I bought from a Dutch seller with the words fröhliche Weihnachten !. O nline Study Groups & Meetings Attended: Jacqueline and I met on Monday. The rest of the groups are on holiday. ClientWork/Presentations : None. I started outlining my Found...