On Saturday I received a package in the mail from Aunt Laurel. The package contained family history related papers which belonged to my late aunt.
Aunt Mamie was a "character". She outlived all of her husbands, ran a cafe for ten years at one point of her life, and was very active in one of the Minnesota chapters of the DAR. She used the info from one of her cousins to get into the lineage-based organization, but also did some of her research via mail and phone, and visits to various government agencies. This was the way things were done in the days before the internet.
I now have her DAR application copy, some of her research notes, and a letter written to her on 9-11-1976. It turns out that the cousin who wrote her is one of the same cousins that I found online earlier this year. Small world, hmm?
Naturally I asked her if she wanted a PDF of the letter, as it was a real blast from the past. She said yes, hoping that it was grammatically correct, and I sent the scanned PDF to her.
We have come a long way in communication technology. We are no longer restricted by snail mail and landlines in this age of email and cell phones. If we need to make onsite copies of documents, there are photocopiers, handheld scanners and cellphone cameras, depending on our needs and available equipment. It is, however, still nice to have that personal communication to bridge the gap between original records and direct knowledge of individuals connected to those records. Records only tell part of the family history.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Sunday, June 22, 2014
1989 Olson Reunion Revisited
This morning I found a half dozen packets of photos in my room. When I started to go through them, I realized they were pictures I took 25 years ago when I flew to Minnesota for the last big Olson family reunion before the death of Dad's first sibling Wright. It was the last time all nine siblings were together, along with most of the kids and grandkids alive at that time.
Melanie and her husband couldn't go, but Sara & Becky flew out with their husbands for the weekend after Mom, Dad, Rick and I had flown to Minneapolis on Thursday for the week. We did a little sightseeing (Lumbertown USA anyone?) and a lot of visiting while we were there, with highlights being the Saturday night family dinner at the VFW hall in Deerwood, Sunday family worship at Serpent Park in Crosby, followed by lunch at the family farm--aka Pine Ridge Farm--which is now owned by Norman and Kris.
There were four generations represented:
1. Grandma Olson's sisters Edna & Mamie
2. All 9 Olson siblings
3. Many in my generation
4. Many of our kids
It's amazing how time flies. Next month will mark the 25th anniversary of that reunion. I haven't seen most of the family since that reunion. People are scattered all over the country--as they were then. Some have died--Grandmas's sisters, Dad and three of his siblings--while others in my generation and especially the next generation have had more kids. It is part of the cycle of life, but also a reminder that memories are fleeting, and family history can be lost before you know it.
Melanie and her husband couldn't go, but Sara & Becky flew out with their husbands for the weekend after Mom, Dad, Rick and I had flown to Minneapolis on Thursday for the week. We did a little sightseeing (Lumbertown USA anyone?) and a lot of visiting while we were there, with highlights being the Saturday night family dinner at the VFW hall in Deerwood, Sunday family worship at Serpent Park in Crosby, followed by lunch at the family farm--aka Pine Ridge Farm--which is now owned by Norman and Kris.
There were four generations represented:
1. Grandma Olson's sisters Edna & Mamie
2. All 9 Olson siblings
3. Many in my generation
4. Many of our kids
It's amazing how time flies. Next month will mark the 25th anniversary of that reunion. I haven't seen most of the family since that reunion. People are scattered all over the country--as they were then. Some have died--Grandmas's sisters, Dad and three of his siblings--while others in my generation and especially the next generation have had more kids. It is part of the cycle of life, but also a reminder that memories are fleeting, and family history can be lost before you know it.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Dad and His Barbecue
Dad enjoyed firing up the old barbecue. He liked turning burgers and hot dogs, and the occasional piece of chicken. I think one of the reasons he built the patio on the side of the house was to have room to eat barbecue in the shade when it got too hot in the summer--which in sunny Southern California could be at any time of the year.
On Father's Day, he preferred to go out for dinner, unless someone else was doing the barbecuing. And because we honor our fathers, we indulged him. When we were young, we more often went home from church, and Mom cooked Sunday dinner. But as adults we took him to dinner at different restaurants, thus sparing Mom having to spend time in the kitchen.
When we were kids, we gave those gifts that dads everywhere admire so much--the handcrafted paperweights that he kept on his desk at work, the ties in a variety of colorful styles, the candy which we "helped" him consume--it didn't matter materially, he knew we were showing our love for him.
It's been over sixteen years since Dad went home to the Lord. Sometimes it seems like forever, other times like it was yesterday. Today is a day for remembrance, whether talking to Mom or this blog. I love you, Dad.
On Father's Day, he preferred to go out for dinner, unless someone else was doing the barbecuing. And because we honor our fathers, we indulged him. When we were young, we more often went home from church, and Mom cooked Sunday dinner. But as adults we took him to dinner at different restaurants, thus sparing Mom having to spend time in the kitchen.
When we were kids, we gave those gifts that dads everywhere admire so much--the handcrafted paperweights that he kept on his desk at work, the ties in a variety of colorful styles, the candy which we "helped" him consume--it didn't matter materially, he knew we were showing our love for him.
It's been over sixteen years since Dad went home to the Lord. Sometimes it seems like forever, other times like it was yesterday. Today is a day for remembrance, whether talking to Mom or this blog. I love you, Dad.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Graduation Day
Last night I attended my niece's graduation from high school. It was a sizable crowd at the football stadium, as there were over 400 students in the class of 2014--not uncommon for California high schools. The school orchestra played them in with the traditional "Pomp and Circumstance". While I was sitting next to Mom in the handicapped section of the field, and thus closer to the students as they processed down the center from the far side of the field, there were simply too many grads to spot Bri. Turns out she was seated on the opposite side of the field, as I discovered when her row got up to receive their diplomas.
The speakers were all brief and to the point. The principal spoke first, then the ASB president, whose walk down memory lane caused the principal to remark that she had similar memories from her graduation thirty years ago, making her 48 today. As she focused on trends from the Eighties (Big hair! Shoulder pads!), I was thinking about my high school graduation in 1971, and how much has changed since then. There were two valedictorians, and no salutatorians--I guess they both had perfect GPAs. After the students had received their diplomas, the orchestra played "Conquest". How did they choose that? I thought I was at a USC football game! The students then turned their tassels and tossed their caps in the air, the Alma Mater was played (but not sung-evidently nobody knew the words, which were on the back of the program) and the ceremony was over. Their was no actual recessional, although the orchestra did play John Williams' "Olympic Spirit"-to inspire the grads as they move on in their lives? Who knows!--as grads mingled with family and friends on the field.
We eventually found Bri, who had elected not to attend the all night party at one of Southern California's tourist attractions. We ended up down the block at Millies for a quiet family celebration with a few friends. Mom and I were home by 11 PM, and I was asleep soon after.
It was a great night, marred only by nightmare traffic and parking, the inability to see up close without a telephoto lens or binoculars (hindsight can be 20/20 in such things), and an increasingly noisy crowd as the ceremony wore on (All those names! All that cheering--and don't even get me started on the air horns. A few got past the bag check as we entered the stadium. Even from a distance, they were way too loud).
Bri is a bright young woman, and a hard worker. She is already working at her first job for one of the cinema chains. She loves photography and developed her skills on yearbook staff this year. Right now she is looking to become a nurse,partly out of her desire to help people, partly to follow her family's footsteps (Mom is a retired nurse, two of her daughters also went into nursing). Whether she continues in that direction remains to be seen--she is after all a newly minted high school graduate!
The speakers were all brief and to the point. The principal spoke first, then the ASB president, whose walk down memory lane caused the principal to remark that she had similar memories from her graduation thirty years ago, making her 48 today. As she focused on trends from the Eighties (Big hair! Shoulder pads!), I was thinking about my high school graduation in 1971, and how much has changed since then. There were two valedictorians, and no salutatorians--I guess they both had perfect GPAs. After the students had received their diplomas, the orchestra played "Conquest". How did they choose that? I thought I was at a USC football game! The students then turned their tassels and tossed their caps in the air, the Alma Mater was played (but not sung-evidently nobody knew the words, which were on the back of the program) and the ceremony was over. Their was no actual recessional, although the orchestra did play John Williams' "Olympic Spirit"-to inspire the grads as they move on in their lives? Who knows!--as grads mingled with family and friends on the field.
We eventually found Bri, who had elected not to attend the all night party at one of Southern California's tourist attractions. We ended up down the block at Millies for a quiet family celebration with a few friends. Mom and I were home by 11 PM, and I was asleep soon after.
It was a great night, marred only by nightmare traffic and parking, the inability to see up close without a telephoto lens or binoculars (hindsight can be 20/20 in such things), and an increasingly noisy crowd as the ceremony wore on (All those names! All that cheering--and don't even get me started on the air horns. A few got past the bag check as we entered the stadium. Even from a distance, they were way too loud).
Bri is a bright young woman, and a hard worker. She is already working at her first job for one of the cinema chains. She loves photography and developed her skills on yearbook staff this year. Right now she is looking to become a nurse,partly out of her desire to help people, partly to follow her family's footsteps (Mom is a retired nurse, two of her daughters also went into nursing). Whether she continues in that direction remains to be seen--she is after all a newly minted high school graduate!
Sunday, June 8, 2014
SCGS Jamboree 2014
The past few days I've had the pleasure of livestreaming some of the free sessions at this years' Jamboree. This has been a great option for me, as time, transportation and financial constraints have prevented me from attending the genealogy conference. Today is the last day, but so far I've seen:
FR009 Dowered and Bound Out: Widows and Orphans Under the Law by Judy G. Russell
FR018 DNA and the Genealogical Proof Standard by Blaine T. Bettinger
FR027 Manuscript finding Aids: Locating Migrating Family Records by Family Records by Pamela Stuart-Warren
FR034 Proof Arguments How and Why by H. Warren Bittner
SA039 Researching Your Irish Ancestry Online & at Minimal Cost by Maurice Gleeson
SA053 The Internet: A Genealogist's Printing Press by Cyndi Ingle
The speakers have all been interesting, informative and humorous to varying degrees. I've taken lots of notes on their handouts, which I will find useful for researching family history--and for other computing purposes!
I'm just beginning to absorb the online handouts, but so far this morning,courtesy of SU023, which will unfortunately NOT be livestreamed this afternoon, I've found a nifty little timeline website called ourtimelines.com, which can generate timelines for anyone with a few dates and mouseclicks. I just generated the one below by using my name and birth year, although I had to change the year 2012 to 2014 for our current president, since the program hasn't added events since 2012. Nevertheless, the site does have many interesting features, including a peers list of historical figures and the ability to customize lists with added persons and events.
Custom Timeline
Timelines courtesy of ourtimelines.com
www.ourtimelines.com
In less than an hour, the first livestreamed session will start. It looks like I will be watching the 3rd service at ccvsocal.com, since it will be during the lunch break at Jamboree. I thank God that our church livestreams its worship services!
FR009 Dowered and Bound Out: Widows and Orphans Under the Law by Judy G. Russell
FR018 DNA and the Genealogical Proof Standard by Blaine T. Bettinger
FR027 Manuscript finding Aids: Locating Migrating Family Records by Family Records by Pamela Stuart-Warren
FR034 Proof Arguments How and Why by H. Warren Bittner
SA039 Researching Your Irish Ancestry Online & at Minimal Cost by Maurice Gleeson
SA053 The Internet: A Genealogist's Printing Press by Cyndi Ingle
The speakers have all been interesting, informative and humorous to varying degrees. I've taken lots of notes on their handouts, which I will find useful for researching family history--and for other computing purposes!
I'm just beginning to absorb the online handouts, but so far this morning,courtesy of SU023, which will unfortunately NOT be livestreamed this afternoon, I've found a nifty little timeline website called ourtimelines.com, which can generate timelines for anyone with a few dates and mouseclicks. I just generated the one below by using my name and birth year, although I had to change the year 2012 to 2014 for our current president, since the program hasn't added events since 2012. Nevertheless, the site does have many interesting features, including a peers list of historical figures and the ability to customize lists with added persons and events.
Custom Timeline
For Sue Olson
1953 to 2014
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