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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Learn the basics of genealogical research - Kitsap County

Are you interested in learning more about your family history? 

Do you want to know about your ancestors and their lives? 

For folks in Kitsap County, I have some classes scheduled at the Village Green Community Center in Kingston THIS MONTH!  I would love to have you join me as we discuss the basics of sound genealogical practices, and review some of the most useful web sites for family history research. You can find more information here. It'll be a lot of fun! 😊

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