Well, the final day of live streaming is complete, and it's time for me to relax at home while I absorb the content of the sessions I've viewed over the past few days. I pretty much tuned out my family and the rest of the world as I took notes while trying to keep up with the speakers. I may just have to rewatch some segments. There was just so much to take in.
I have been watching videos from Rootstech and Jamboree for a few years now, as well as numerous Legacy webinars. While I have enjoyed the learning experience, I must admit that I prefer watching later to live, because I can pause as needed to catch up on my notetaking. I always feel like I'm missing something important when I watch live while taking notes. On the other hand, there is something to be said for immersing yourself in the presentations and soaking it all in.
I actually did get to see all of the streamed videos live this year. Now that I have joined the ranks of the retired, my time is mine--no more delayed Friday and Saturday viewing! Below are the videos I saw:
FR009 Facebook: A Tool for Genealogy Research by Thomas MacEntee
FR018 Genealogical Proof for the Novice Genealogist by Annette Burke Lyttle
FR027 Treasures in Township Records by Peggy Clemens Lauritzen
FR035 From Famine to Plenty -Finding My Immigrant Ancestor's Stories by Tessa Keogh
SA009 Descendancy Research: Another Path to Genealogy by Michael L. Strauss
SA018 Wives, Girlfriends, Widows, Exes and Mistresses: Documenting Women by Gena Philibert-Ortega
SA027 Sources of Genealogical Research for Armenians in the Caucasus by Camille Andrus
SA036 Your Ancestor's FAN Club: Using Cluster Research to Get Past Brick Walls by Drew Smith
SA045 Technology for Deciphering Foreign Language Records by Randy Whited
SA052 DNA vs. Irish Annals by Brad Larkin
SA026 BONUS video How to Get More from Your DNA with GEDMatch.com by Shannon Stewart Christmas. This one made a long day even longer, but was soooo worth it!
SU009 Researching Your Irish Ancestors Online by Donna M. Moughty
SU018 Underused Databases for Scottish Genealogy by Christine Woodcock
SU027 What's New in Eastern European Genealogy by Lisa A. Alzo
SU036 Using the Bureau of Land Management Tract Books by Michael John Neill
I like watching from the comfort of my home, but I hope to have the opportunity to attend my first genealogy conference next year if money and transportation allow. It would be great to commune with fellow family history enthusiasts.
Let's see what the future will bring...
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Herman Eugene Passley Jr. 1959-2017
I'm writing this as Mom is preparing to send sympathy cards to my Uncle Hermie and Aunt Joann, and to my cousin's wife Robin. It's been a week now since Hermie passed away following a battle with cancer. I think neither of us wanted to take that final step of acknowledging the death of one so close in our family. For Mom it's almost like losing her own child. For me it's losing the first cousin in my generation of the Passley-Swiney branch of the family tree.
Hermie was born and raised in the Southwest corner of Missouri. He never lived anywhere else. He enjoyed forty years of marriage with his beautiful bride Robin. They raised their sons Travis and Drew, and Hermie lived long enough to see his grandchildren. Yet he was only 57 when he died.
He worked for Tamko Building Products, then for the City of Webb City Missouri Public Works Department. He always had an interest in sports, from high school wrestling and football to support of youth sports to sports memorabilia collecting to his love of the Kansas City Royals.
He was active in his community, particularly with the Webb City Elks Lodge #861. It's somewhat telling that he requested that in lieu of flowers, contributions should be made to the Cerebral Palsy of Tri-County Development Center or the Webb City Elks Lodge Scholarship Fund. Even at the end, his thoughts were with his community.
R.I.P. Cousin. May God's peace rest with your family.
Hermie was born and raised in the Southwest corner of Missouri. He never lived anywhere else. He enjoyed forty years of marriage with his beautiful bride Robin. They raised their sons Travis and Drew, and Hermie lived long enough to see his grandchildren. Yet he was only 57 when he died.
He worked for Tamko Building Products, then for the City of Webb City Missouri Public Works Department. He always had an interest in sports, from high school wrestling and football to support of youth sports to sports memorabilia collecting to his love of the Kansas City Royals.
He was active in his community, particularly with the Webb City Elks Lodge #861. It's somewhat telling that he requested that in lieu of flowers, contributions should be made to the Cerebral Palsy of Tri-County Development Center or the Webb City Elks Lodge Scholarship Fund. Even at the end, his thoughts were with his community.
R.I.P. Cousin. May God's peace rest with your family.
Sunday, May 14, 2017
My FGPC-Jennie Jackson (Olson) aka Berntine Johanna Jakobsdatter
Today has been a nice celebration of Mother's Day. Rick came over after church and took Mom and me to meet Sara and Bri for dinner at the Silver Spoon restaurant in Covina. It was nice being there, because Bri's boss asked her to start work earlier than she had been scheduled. She just started working for them a couple of weeks ago in their original location in Glendora, but this one just opened on Friday, and is walking distance from home for her, so it's all good. She also got to see Rick's new motorhome, which is nice since she may not see him again before he begins his retired life on the road.
Speaking of Rick, he's counting down the days til his retirement at the end of the month. Now that he has his motorhome, he'll be gone by early next month. With one sister moving to Idaho and another moving to Texas, this year has been one of enormous changes for my family. Mom and I are simply surfing those waves of change.
One thing that hasn't changed is my interest in family history. I've made great strides in my research since I retired at the end of February --oops, another change for 2017! I have found more cousins and more ancestors and more info about known family.
The most spectacular find involved my paternal great grandmother Jennie Olson (nee Jackson). as with her husband Sivert, I knew she was born in Norway and came to this country as a child, but not much else about her life before she married Sivert. Then one day a couple of months ago, I happened to recheck her findagrave memorial to confirm her burial info, and what should I find, but newly entered biographical information about her birth and parentage in Norway, including her Norwegian birth name! I had acquired some of this data from a cousin last fall, but this was more detailed. I saw who the contributor was, and emailed her. It turns out that she was descended from Jennie's older brother. Cari had made the leap to the other side of the pond in her research, and was kind enough to allow me guest access to her Ancestry tree. Since that time, I have expanded my knowledge of Jennie and her family.
Bertine Johanna Jakobsdatter was only a baby when her father died in 1872. By 1879, she came to America with her widowed mother and her siblings. She gave birth to her first child the year before she married Sivert. They had three more children, including my grandfather Martin. The young family homesteaded the farm near Brainerd MN now known as Pine Ridge Farm. She was eighteen years younger than Sephanias Olausen, which meant she had more energy as a pioneer wife and mother to raise the kids and work the farm. Even so, it was perhaps not too surprising that she died at the relatively young age of 52. She truly deserves to be honored on this Mother's Day!
Speaking of Rick, he's counting down the days til his retirement at the end of the month. Now that he has his motorhome, he'll be gone by early next month. With one sister moving to Idaho and another moving to Texas, this year has been one of enormous changes for my family. Mom and I are simply surfing those waves of change.
One thing that hasn't changed is my interest in family history. I've made great strides in my research since I retired at the end of February --oops, another change for 2017! I have found more cousins and more ancestors and more info about known family.
The most spectacular find involved my paternal great grandmother Jennie Olson (nee Jackson). as with her husband Sivert, I knew she was born in Norway and came to this country as a child, but not much else about her life before she married Sivert. Then one day a couple of months ago, I happened to recheck her findagrave memorial to confirm her burial info, and what should I find, but newly entered biographical information about her birth and parentage in Norway, including her Norwegian birth name! I had acquired some of this data from a cousin last fall, but this was more detailed. I saw who the contributor was, and emailed her. It turns out that she was descended from Jennie's older brother. Cari had made the leap to the other side of the pond in her research, and was kind enough to allow me guest access to her Ancestry tree. Since that time, I have expanded my knowledge of Jennie and her family.
Bertine Johanna Jakobsdatter was only a baby when her father died in 1872. By 1879, she came to America with her widowed mother and her siblings. She gave birth to her first child the year before she married Sivert. They had three more children, including my grandfather Martin. The young family homesteaded the farm near Brainerd MN now known as Pine Ridge Farm. She was eighteen years younger than Sephanias Olausen, which meant she had more energy as a pioneer wife and mother to raise the kids and work the farm. Even so, it was perhaps not too surprising that she died at the relatively young age of 52. She truly deserves to be honored on this Mother's Day!
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
My First El Monte Historical Society Tea
April has been an interesting month. I'm only in my second month of retirement, but I've already attended two meetings of the local historical society. The first one was the regular monthly board meeting. It's actually open to anyone, which is nice since I am able to learn more about the organization at these meetings. The second one was much more fun. It was my first quarterly tea.
Quarterly teas aren't held every three months, but they are held every quarter, hence their name. First quarter is in February, second in April, third in September, and fourth in November. It's not like dressing up to go to high tea at the Ritz. There is tea (and coffee and punch). There is also a variety of food, provided by different service organizations on a rotating basis. The highlight is a speaker telling everyone about the history of El Monte.
The speaker at this tea was El Monte Councilman Juventino "Jay" Gomez. He has a heart for veterans, having served our country in Viet Nam during the turbulent Sixties. He also has a son, grandson, and other family members who served our nation in various military conflicts over the past several decades, so is well acquainted with answering the call to serve and protect.
Gomez spoke movingly about patriotism and what it means for our service personnel, veterans and civilians. Most Americans love their country, but relatively few are called to serve in the armed forces. While we can never understand that special bond of comrades in arms, we can appreciate the sacrifices they have made for us. We can offer thanks to them for their service. More tangibly on a municipal level, El Monte provides a variety of programs and other services for our veterans. Banners on our city streets name our veterans. Last year saw the opening of our first housing project for homeless veterans. More housing is on the way. There will always be more that we can do as individuals and as society to support our veterans. It was good to be reminded. Thank you, Jay!
Next month we will install officers and directors at El Sombrero Restaurant. Yet another first for me...
Quarterly teas aren't held every three months, but they are held every quarter, hence their name. First quarter is in February, second in April, third in September, and fourth in November. It's not like dressing up to go to high tea at the Ritz. There is tea (and coffee and punch). There is also a variety of food, provided by different service organizations on a rotating basis. The highlight is a speaker telling everyone about the history of El Monte.
The speaker at this tea was El Monte Councilman Juventino "Jay" Gomez. He has a heart for veterans, having served our country in Viet Nam during the turbulent Sixties. He also has a son, grandson, and other family members who served our nation in various military conflicts over the past several decades, so is well acquainted with answering the call to serve and protect.
Gomez spoke movingly about patriotism and what it means for our service personnel, veterans and civilians. Most Americans love their country, but relatively few are called to serve in the armed forces. While we can never understand that special bond of comrades in arms, we can appreciate the sacrifices they have made for us. We can offer thanks to them for their service. More tangibly on a municipal level, El Monte provides a variety of programs and other services for our veterans. Banners on our city streets name our veterans. Last year saw the opening of our first housing project for homeless veterans. More housing is on the way. There will always be more that we can do as individuals and as society to support our veterans. It was good to be reminded. Thank you, Jay!
Next month we will install officers and directors at El Sombrero Restaurant. Yet another first for me...
Sunday, March 26, 2017
The Retired Life
I almost can't believe that it's been a year and a half since my last post. Except for the tiny character flaw known as past journaling history, of course--I have gone my entire life without keeping a diary for more than a few months or a few years, whether by hand or by keyboard. This is why I never promised that I would be making regular entries in this blog. I said as much in my first blog post, because I know myself that well.
There have been changes since my last post. The most important one is that life event known as retirement. On February 27, 2017, I gave my company notice of my immediate retirement after my employer requested that I take some time off to resolve some medical issues that I have. I am slowly dealing with the health issues, but in the meantime I am enjoying the retired life. There is less stress now the I can relax more. I am able to do more for Meals on Wheels, which is good, because in recent years I have only been able to manage the daily administration of my volunteer work outside of my regular job hours. I hadn't been to a monthly meeting in over a year, so it was a pleasure to attend the March meeting earlier this month. I also attended my first meeting of the El Monte Historical Society, although I have as yet to officially join, due to not receiving the application yet. Hopefully that little detail will be taken care of by the April meeting. I still got to suggest a speaker idea for the "tea" that will be held at the El Monte Historical Museum next month, and I asked lots of questions at the meeting.
The nicest thing is that I am getting back into my family history research. I never totally stopped, but the past year or so had involved more webinar (thanks Legacy Family Tree!) and video (thanks Rootstech, Jamboree, YouTube and others) watching, and less actual genealogy research and data entry into my database software program. This month I have rediscovered the joys of finding out about my ancestors and other family members, both dead and alive. I've even made contact with another cousin I found while browsing findagrave. She has provided a wealth of information about my dad's Norwegian family across the pond--I'm still absorbed in her tree, and haven't yet entered any of her info into mine. Of course, the same could be said for most of the info I have acquired over the past year or so. At least I have more time to organize, verify and choose what to enter.
There have been other changes, some good, some not. On the sad side of the ledger of life have been the deaths of friends and family, most notably Dad's brothers Norman and Gene last year. On the other hand, 2016 saw the birth of Mom's first great grandchild, sweet little Jasmine Marie, aka Jazzy! Everything balances out in the end, and we continue on. God is good all the time.
Hmmmm, maybe I won't wait another year and a half for my next post...
There have been changes since my last post. The most important one is that life event known as retirement. On February 27, 2017, I gave my company notice of my immediate retirement after my employer requested that I take some time off to resolve some medical issues that I have. I am slowly dealing with the health issues, but in the meantime I am enjoying the retired life. There is less stress now the I can relax more. I am able to do more for Meals on Wheels, which is good, because in recent years I have only been able to manage the daily administration of my volunteer work outside of my regular job hours. I hadn't been to a monthly meeting in over a year, so it was a pleasure to attend the March meeting earlier this month. I also attended my first meeting of the El Monte Historical Society, although I have as yet to officially join, due to not receiving the application yet. Hopefully that little detail will be taken care of by the April meeting. I still got to suggest a speaker idea for the "tea" that will be held at the El Monte Historical Museum next month, and I asked lots of questions at the meeting.
The nicest thing is that I am getting back into my family history research. I never totally stopped, but the past year or so had involved more webinar (thanks Legacy Family Tree!) and video (thanks Rootstech, Jamboree, YouTube and others) watching, and less actual genealogy research and data entry into my database software program. This month I have rediscovered the joys of finding out about my ancestors and other family members, both dead and alive. I've even made contact with another cousin I found while browsing findagrave. She has provided a wealth of information about my dad's Norwegian family across the pond--I'm still absorbed in her tree, and haven't yet entered any of her info into mine. Of course, the same could be said for most of the info I have acquired over the past year or so. At least I have more time to organize, verify and choose what to enter.
There have been other changes, some good, some not. On the sad side of the ledger of life have been the deaths of friends and family, most notably Dad's brothers Norman and Gene last year. On the other hand, 2016 saw the birth of Mom's first great grandchild, sweet little Jasmine Marie, aka Jazzy! Everything balances out in the end, and we continue on. God is good all the time.
Hmmmm, maybe I won't wait another year and a half for my next post...
Saturday, August 29, 2015
A Trip to the Social Security Office
A few weeks ago I made the decision to apply for early Social Security retirement benefits, despite it meaning that I will receive a lower monthly payment. First of all, I have no way of knowing if I will even be alive on my 66th birthday. Second, I have experienced major cuts in hours at work in recent months, and I need the security of steady income while I am still working. Third, I don't have to pay back Social Security until my monthly income exceeds roughly $1300.00 (unlikely with my current work schedule), so I view it as a win-win situation all around.
Decision made, I sat down the weekend before my birthday to apply online. It was pretty straightforward, but I did end up with a few questions which didn't allow me to complete the application that night. I ended up taking the documents I would need to the Social Security office the following morning. I didn't realize that an appointment was needed, but fortunately I was near the front of the line which gathered prior to the opening of the office, and was able to get in quickly. There was a helpful employee available at the public computer to answer my questions, so that I was able to quickly complete my application. I then had only a brief wait before meeting with another employee, who authorized my award (i.e. monthly payment). It was at that time I learned the the old system of payments on the 3rd of the month was replaced many years ago by an automatic deposit date based on your birthday. My payment will be deposited to my account on the second Wednesday of every month. This ain't yo mama's Social Security any more! Mom's generation was the last to be paid the third day of the month.
Social Security is also a good source for genealogical research. Not only is the standard Social Security Death Index (SSDI) still available to search--although with more restrictions due to legislation in recent years, but application and claim information can also be searched. I have found, however, that this information is as much subject to error as any other type of record. My maternal grandfather lived with my parents in California for the last 6 years of his life, yet the SSDI reports his death in his native Missouri. It just shows once again that all records are subject to evaluation to verify accuracy.
Decision made, I sat down the weekend before my birthday to apply online. It was pretty straightforward, but I did end up with a few questions which didn't allow me to complete the application that night. I ended up taking the documents I would need to the Social Security office the following morning. I didn't realize that an appointment was needed, but fortunately I was near the front of the line which gathered prior to the opening of the office, and was able to get in quickly. There was a helpful employee available at the public computer to answer my questions, so that I was able to quickly complete my application. I then had only a brief wait before meeting with another employee, who authorized my award (i.e. monthly payment). It was at that time I learned the the old system of payments on the 3rd of the month was replaced many years ago by an automatic deposit date based on your birthday. My payment will be deposited to my account on the second Wednesday of every month. This ain't yo mama's Social Security any more! Mom's generation was the last to be paid the third day of the month.
Social Security is also a good source for genealogical research. Not only is the standard Social Security Death Index (SSDI) still available to search--although with more restrictions due to legislation in recent years, but application and claim information can also be searched. I have found, however, that this information is as much subject to error as any other type of record. My maternal grandfather lived with my parents in California for the last 6 years of his life, yet the SSDI reports his death in his native Missouri. It just shows once again that all records are subject to evaluation to verify accuracy.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
My FGPC--Mom's Dad
Orville Leslie Passley was born January 24, 1911 in Purcell, Missouri, and died August 14, 1993 at Arcadia Methodist Hospital in Arcadia, California. He spent the last six years of his life living with Mom and Dad, but after his death, his body was flown to Missouri, to be buried next to his wife Katheryn.
We caravaned from California to Missouri to attend the service. We took the Olson Plymouth van and Rick's Pathfinder, with Mom, Dad, Sue, Rick, Jeri, Orin and Sara. alternating drivers so that we reached Missouri in about 36 hours. Becky & Ralph were in Mexico on vacation, so Becky took a bus from there, while Mike flew from California. A few days after the service, Jeri, Orin, Becky, Mike and Sara headed back to California in the van, while Mom, Dad, Rick & Sue moved on to Minnesota in the Pathfinder. We had extra time to travel & visit with Dad's family, which was a comfort to all of us.
Grandpa Passley was remarkable in many ways. He worked as a lead and zinc miner in his early years; also after 1948 when the mines closed, he was a paid uranium prospector briefly. When he developed lung disease from his time in the mines, he continued to help raise his family, farming and hunting to keep food on the table. He always had a garden, both in Webb City and Alba. He knew the local birds and wild plants. He was very interested in conservation efforts in Missouri as a member of the Missouri Conservation Society.
After his wife's death, he had his buddies over to the house for poker. He and his siblings were estranged from their father, after Marshall left their mother for another woman. It could have made him bitter, but he loved his wife and kids. He didn't differentiate between his genetic kids and his daughter who was fathered by another man before he married Katheryn.
When he moved to California in 1986, the grandkids out here finally got to know him better. Dad took him fishing at the Peck Road recreational lake and at Santa Fe Dam. He played poker and dominoes. He enjoyed talking to the other house guest Hugo. Every Monday night, while Dad was bowling--often taking Hugo with him--Jeri would come over for dominoes with Mom and Grandpa.
When he became weaker, Dad physically cared for him like his father--they became very close. Grandpa wasn't a churchgoing man. He did have a lot of seeds planted here in El Monte. Our belief is that he accepted Christ as his Savior before his death.
In loving memory of Grandpa Passley on Father's Day, 2015.
We caravaned from California to Missouri to attend the service. We took the Olson Plymouth van and Rick's Pathfinder, with Mom, Dad, Sue, Rick, Jeri, Orin and Sara. alternating drivers so that we reached Missouri in about 36 hours. Becky & Ralph were in Mexico on vacation, so Becky took a bus from there, while Mike flew from California. A few days after the service, Jeri, Orin, Becky, Mike and Sara headed back to California in the van, while Mom, Dad, Rick & Sue moved on to Minnesota in the Pathfinder. We had extra time to travel & visit with Dad's family, which was a comfort to all of us.
Grandpa Passley was remarkable in many ways. He worked as a lead and zinc miner in his early years; also after 1948 when the mines closed, he was a paid uranium prospector briefly. When he developed lung disease from his time in the mines, he continued to help raise his family, farming and hunting to keep food on the table. He always had a garden, both in Webb City and Alba. He knew the local birds and wild plants. He was very interested in conservation efforts in Missouri as a member of the Missouri Conservation Society.
After his wife's death, he had his buddies over to the house for poker. He and his siblings were estranged from their father, after Marshall left their mother for another woman. It could have made him bitter, but he loved his wife and kids. He didn't differentiate between his genetic kids and his daughter who was fathered by another man before he married Katheryn.
When he moved to California in 1986, the grandkids out here finally got to know him better. Dad took him fishing at the Peck Road recreational lake and at Santa Fe Dam. He played poker and dominoes. He enjoyed talking to the other house guest Hugo. Every Monday night, while Dad was bowling--often taking Hugo with him--Jeri would come over for dominoes with Mom and Grandpa.
When he became weaker, Dad physically cared for him like his father--they became very close. Grandpa wasn't a churchgoing man. He did have a lot of seeds planted here in El Monte. Our belief is that he accepted Christ as his Savior before his death.
In loving memory of Grandpa Passley on Father's Day, 2015.
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