I'm looking forward to this!Thank you to the Sequoia Genealogical Society for the opportunity

It's Podcast Day #3

Here we go again!

At 12:30 P.M. PST, I will be live. I'd love to have you join me.

PBN PODCAST STUDIO #1 (LISTEN LIVE)

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Valentine's Day Podcast

Hi Everyone!

Today on my podcast, since it is Valentine's Day, we spent some time talking about love and marriage. I shared a couple of stories from my own genealogy, highlighting the kinds of things we can learn as we research our families. One story stems from a picture of James Orson and Minnie Mae (Harper) Brownell taken on their wedding day. It's so fun to know that Minnie was standing on a box! You can read more about them HERE.

This week, February 13th through the 19th, MyHeritage is offering the opportunity to search marriage records FREE! Registration may be required, but there is no charge. Take a look. You never know what you might discover. You should be able to get to their collection HERE

Happy Searching!

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Podcast!

Today, February 7th, at 12:30 P.M. PST, I will be interviewed on a PBN podcast. I may be excited and nervous! I really hope to share my love of genealogy and the joy it can bring. If you would like to tune in, the link is below. I'll be adding links to the podcast recordings on a new page here on my blog.
PBN PODCAST STUDIO #1 (LISTEN LIVE)

I will be doing five podcasts altogether.12:30 P.M. PSTFebruary 7February 14February 21February 28March 14
I'd love to have you join me!




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What About Cemetery Websites?

There can be great value in locating our relatives, or relatives of our relatives, in the various cemetery sites available to us. One of the most popular sites is Find a Grave. Here is a little info to get you started.

“Find a Grave's mission is to help people from all over the world work together to find, record and present final disposition information as a virtual cemetery experience.” (Find a Grave)

Powered by volunteers, Find a Grave was Initially created in 1995 by Jim Tipton who liked to locate graves of famous people. It has grown to include people from all walks of life and is an amazing source of information about some of them. Find a Grave became a subsidiary of Ancestry® in 2013. A quick look at the collections available through Ancestry® yields a total of nearly 220 million memorials! This site is free, easy to use, offers iOS and Android apps, memorial search, cemetery search, and other options. It is absolutely worth becoming familiar with Find a Grave. You never know what you might find to assist you in furthering the information about your family.

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Try and Try and Try Again

Recently, I had the opportunity to work for several hours on one project, seeking specific information. I searched through collection after collection, and all over the internet, only to be let down. It was frustrating, and I kept believing I would find what I was looking for in the next set of records.

Each day, on my phone, I get a 'quote of the day.' Just the other day, the quote was this one attributed to Thomas Edison. It read, 

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

 It occurred to me how fully this applies to genealogical research. We search and search and search and search, sometimes with what feels like no success. But, if we look at it the way Thomas Edison apparently viewed his work, we would see that we have been successful; successful in eliminating resources, giving us the ability to move forward with what we don't know toward what we can know. No wonder we jump for joy (or cry out!) when we finally hit the jackpot with even one piece of new information for our ancestor!

I very much appreciate being reminded of this. Now, to carry on...

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RootsTech Rewind

Well, we didn't get the usual experience for RootsTech, this year. Missing was the hustle and bustle of the crowds, meeting up with old friends, perusing the seemingly endless rows of exhibitors, and the in-person learning from our favorite speakers. It was still an event worth virtually attending, and may even have some advantages. With over 1500 presentations, or sessions, in at least 11 languages, there was definitely something for everyone. Because there were over a million registered attendees from at least 242 countries, the Relatives at RootsTech feature took on a whole new meaning; and the keynote addresses, the sessions, even the Expo Hall, remain available to us for FREE the rest of the year, perhaps beyond!

On Friday, March 19th, I had the privilege of presenting a "RootsTech Rewind" to my friends at the Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society (BIGS), over Zoom, of course. Deciding how to take my own very positive experience with RootsTech Connect and present it in a way that would encourage others to partake of the vast amount of information and inspiration was tricky. In the end, I thought about the interests of the members of BIGS and tailored the presentation toward those interests. It was fun!
For those who have not yet clicked into the RootsTech Connect world, I say 'do it!' Just go to the home page HERE. The site can be overwhelming because of how much is there, and because you decide what you want to do. It's not like logging into a virtual conference and watching a prescribed number of classes in a prescribed order. It's more like a Choose Your Own Adventure experience. Bonus: you don't have to make a big time commitment. Most of the sessions are 20 minutes or less.
I recommend starting with the 'Guide Me' link. The wonderful RootsTech people created some themed collections of sessions. Once you get going, you'll begin to think about some of your own research interests and goals. Then, delve into the 'Sessions' where you can search by topic, location, even presenter names; or just scroll down the page. You will be blown away by the education you can receive through this one web site. Did I mention it is FREE and available all year?
You will find a variety of inspirational presentations in the 'Keynotes' collection. And, don't forget to visit the Expo Hall where you will find much more that advertising. Many of the exhibitors also created educational videos that are not found through the sessions search. Getting the idea? There is a LOT to see here.
I hope many of you will make the leap and give RootsTech Connect a chance. The ability to make a playlist is also built into the site. You  sign in with your FamilySearch account and add sessions you want to view later to your playlist. You can tailor-make a family history course for yourself. It's a win-win! Oh. And it's FREE :) See you when you come up for air!

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Photo Friday: 9/11

Never Forget

Kim Carpenter / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

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Photo Friday - Beautiful & Talented

Helen Rose (Rich) Bryan

1941 - 1996

Daughter of Ralph and Helen (Marguerat) RichHelen Rose was my dad's cousin,and trained in both voice and ballet.

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Raspberries

We had raspberries with our dinner, tonight. It's not like I haven't eaten raspberries before, especially over the last X decades. This was different, though. Upon biting into the first one, I was immediately transported to my dear, dear Grandpa Epps' wonderful raspberry patch. I was prompted to write a poem. I want to share. Thanks for indulging me.

 I ate a raspberry.

It took me back in time,

To my grandpa’s garden,

And the man, so gentle and kind.

 

Straight rows,

Parallel, marked with string.

Tenderly worked by Grandpa,

Tidy, productive, and satisfying.

 

Working together,

Shovel, spade, fork, and hoe.

Grandpa’s element,

Helping food and children grow.

 

Enjoying the fruits

Of labor pleasantly spent,

With Grandpa,

Tall and unbent.

 

Untold influence

Over years and years.

Grandpa’s kindness and care

Shaping those he held so dear.

 

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Photo Friday - Scotland to Canada

John Aitchison

1834 - 1921

Born in East Lothian, Scotland, John emigrated with his

   parents and siblings in to Ontario, Canada, in 1855.

He married Elizabeth Ewing in 1861.

They are my husband's great-grandparents.

John is buried in the Knox Presbyterian Cemetery in

   Williamsford, Grey, Ontario.

I don't know when this was taken, but this

   appears to have been taken at the same time.

Such a cool family photo!

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Photo Friday - Websters, Colorized

"James Webster's Children"

circa 1861

I have always loved this picture. We don't know exactly when it was taken,

but we think it is likely it was about the time their mother, Jane (Shreve) Webster died.

There were 12 children, two of them died before this picture was taken.

We also don't know which person is whom. We believe the young women

in the back, second from the right, is our ancestor, Olive Orrel Webster.

(This was colorized at myheritage.com)

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The View from the Avery Place

Looking North

Austin & Nettie Avery homeplace

near Woodston, Kansas

(formerly Rooks Centre)

In 2005 and 2019, I had the chance to make a pilgrimage to the

homeplace of my 2nd great-grandparents' in Rooks County, Kansas.

This was the view in 2005 from where the front porch would have been.

It was very peaceful, and seemed as if I could see forever.

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Photo Friday - Sweet Brothers

Franklin & Jackson

ca. 1932

My 2nd grand aunt, Bess (Ament) Welch was 

a photographer, primarily in Beach, North Dakota.

This proof sheet is of my dad and his brother.

I won't say more as they are both still living,

but aren't they adorable?!

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Photo Friday - My Grandpas

Howard Lee Epps

(1906 - 1977)

John Richard Hoyle

(1876 - 1958)

my grandfathers

I think it is so cool that I have this picture from 1955 of my

grandpas sitting together. Grandpa Epps (left) was my mom's

dad. He was six-foot-three and gentle as could be. Grandpa 

Hoyle was my dad's dad. He was about five-foot-seven. I have

no memory of him, being young when he passed away. 

I am told I called him 'Little Grampin,' while I called

Grandpa Epps 'Big Grampin.' I love them both!

You can read a previous post about John Richard Hoyle here

Photo Friday - Mabel's Chickens

Mabel Elizabeth Ament

my great-grandmother

b. 20 October 1878, Muscatine, Iowa

d. 9 March 1966, Phoenix, Arizona

We believe this picture of Mabel was taken between 1913, when she filed a homestead

claim for 360 acres in Dawson County, Montana, and 1921, when she sold the land. I just

love the curtains on the window and the wood holding up the brick chimney! 

If that is just a 'few' of her chickens, how many do you think she had?!

Photo Friday - Granny Wynne

Tessa Ruth (Gibler) Wynne

my husband's grandma

b. 30 May 1901, Council Bluffs, Iowa

d. 13 February 1994, Bremerton, Washington

If you ask anyone who knew her, Granny was a character!

She was hard-working, funny and fun, compassionate, happy, and loving.

Hers was not an easy life, but she still seemed to truly enjoy it.

She lived in Iowa, Nebraska, Washington, and Oregon.

She had some wonderful, difficult adventures.

I loved her. She loved me back. 

Photo Friday - Pvt. John Topping

Private John Topping

My third great-grandfather 

died September 17, 1862

Battle of Antietam

Photo credit: Miz J (Find-A-Grave)

John is buried at the Antietam National Cemetery in Sharpsburg, Maryland. He is the only one of my ancestors that I know of who died during his war-time service. He has been greatly honored and remembered among his descendants.

Clicking on his name (above) will take you to an article I wrote for a previous Memorial Day.

John's daughter, my second great-grandmother, Virginia C. (Topping) Morgan was just five months old when her father died. A poem she wrote for him in her later years can be found here.


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157 years ago...

Today, familysearch.org reminded me that my 2nd great-grandmother, Virginia Caroline (Topping) Morgan would be 157 years old today. Oh! It would be so cool if she had lived so long. The stories she could tell. She was an interesting lady and a prolific writer. She has had a great influence on our family, though many of us never met her. 

Here is the link to a piece I wrote about her. It is at familysearch.org. Virginia C. Morgan

I hope you enjoy the read. Joleen

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Calling all Hoyles!

I have created a FaceBook group called "Hoyles from Lancashire to Hamilton" in an effort to gather the descendants of these families in one place. I am hopeful we will be able to collaborate our research to discover how our families are related to each other, and to extend our family lines further in England. I hope many will join me in this endeavor!

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