Memorial Day - 2014

These are some of the brave men who have served our country in the various branches of the military in different eras. I am grateful for the freedoms I enjoy in this great United States. I appreciate the service and sacrifices made by these, and all of those men and women, who served to help maintain those freedoms. Those pictured above are:

• Terry Aitchison (Viet Nam)
• Larry Aitchison (Viet Nam) 
• Howard Epps (WWII)
• Silas Bemiss (Civil War) (we believe he is the soldier on the left)
• Al Avery
• Bill Aitchison (Viet Nam, Gulf)
• Pete Aitchison (Viet Nam)
• Eugene Aitchison (WWII)
• Keenan Aitchison (current)
• Bill Goetz (WWII)
• R. S. Osborn (Civil War)
• Al Bemiss (WWII)
• Fred Avery 
• James Edwin Bemiss (WWII)

As I do not have photos of all of our family members who served in the military, I have listed below some of the others. I've probably missed some, but they are just as appreciated as those pictured and named. I didn't go back beyond the Civil War, but we owe much gratitude to a number of individuals who gave much, if not everything, during the Revolution and the War of 1812.

• Michael Aitchision (current)
• Carl Avery (WWII)
• John Dahl (WWII)
• Todd Groth (Gulf)
• Frank Hoyle (Korean)
• Jack Hoyle (WWII)
• Eugene Marguerat (Civil War)
• John Topping (Civil War)
• Harold Wahlfors (WWII)

To those who are currently serving, thank you for your service!

Pin It

Tombstone Tuesday - England

James Loyd England

1948 - 1999

I recently saw this headstone at the Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Washington. It struck me first, because the man was a Vietnam Veteran. For me, the Vietnam War doesn't seem so long ago. I know many men who bravely served there, and came home to less than a hero's welcome. The second thing I noted was the inscription at the bottom: "I DID IT MY WAY." This made me smile. I think James was an interesting individual, though I know nothing about him. That song, or phrase, was also a theme in my father-in-law's life, adding an extra element to my smile. RIP, and with honor, James Loyd England.

Pin It

Buffalo Bill

Today is Buffalo Bill's birthday!

Fold3 shared a link to their page sharing information and pictures about the famous entertainer. You can view their page here.

It reminded me that Uncle Jack (John) Aitchison got to see Buffalo Bill at the Canyon County Fair held in Caldwell, Idaho. He left this brief comment: "Whenever a circus came to town (Caldwell), we would always go. I saw Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show a couple of times. He looked like the pictures of him, and he always rode a white horse."

Enjoy!


Pin It

New Link at familysearch.org

I love to experiment. Period. 

So, when I logged onto FamilySearch this morning and saw this

I had to see what it was about. 

When I clicked on 'Get Started,' this is what I got

I know, at this point I could have taken a lesson, or a tour, or...

But, I plunged right in. I clicked on 

You can click on this image, if you want to experiment, too!

And this is what came up next!

(after signing in with my FamilySearch log-in information)

Pretty cool! I had to click around on the colored dots to figure

out what it was all about, but that was fun, too!

Eventually, I settled on a chart beginning 

with my ancestor, John Hargreaves.

John Hargreaves is represented by the small square in the circle at the center of the chart.

Some of the information on the chart is unfamiliar to me.

Since it is all generated by Family Tree, I could hover over a colored shape and shift-click to be taken straight to the Person Details page

at FamilySearch for the individual I want to view.

This is gonna be fun! Check it out!

Pin It

Happy Thanksgiving!

A few years ago, I shared the post below to commemorate Thanksgiving Day in the United States. I am still honored to be descended from so many of the people who made the arduous, but hopeful, journey across the Atlantic Ocean seeking a better life. I am amazed at their tenacity and the hard work to survive. I think we can all look to them as examples of faith, hope and determination, whether we are related to them, or not.

I have double-checked the links and made updates, where necessary. Please enjoy read. I have also linked to my post outlining my Mayflower ancestors.

How nice to have a day set aside to really pay attention to the things for which we can be thankful; like football, the parade, an overabundance of food, and our heritage!

Today, especially, many of us can look to the passengers of the famous Mayflower for examples of courage, endurance and faith. Through my parents, I am descended from at least 11 of those brave individuals. I love to read about them. Their stories are interesting and inspiring.

One of the things I learned about the Mayflower passengers recently, is that they were originally identified as 'saints' and 'strangers,' depending on their origins or reasons for making the voyage to America. Ultimately, however, any of them who survived the journey is considered a 'pilgrim.' I am descended from persons both saint and stranger.

If you would like to learn more about the Mayflower and her passengers, and possibly some of the more famous descendants of those passengers, I have included a list of links to very helpful sites. Be careful! You might find yourself reading and searching for a very long time. Enjoy, and be thankful!

The Mayflower Society

Caleb Johnson's MayflowerHistory.com

Through the Looking Glass

Sail 1620

Ancestry.com also has some great Mayflower resources ( from 'Search' drop-down box, select 'Card Catalog;' type 'Mayflower' into the keyword field; you'll be able to see the results list, but need account to see results within each database)

My Mayflower Ancestors

Pin It