Carnival of Genealogy, 48th Edition

Welcome to the May 18, 2008 edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. The topic for this edition is: Mom, how'd you get so smart? It's a tribute to the wisdom and knowledge of our beloved mothers and mother figures. Some of the best lessons learned don't come from a text book as you will see in the articles that follow. If the weather is nice enough in your neck of the woods take your laptop outside to a shady spot with a tall glass of strawberry lemonade and enjoy the beauty of the words as we salute moms!

Sandusky Library Archives Research Center presents Sandusky History: Hansen posted at Sandusky History, saying, "The Archivist at Sandusky Library posted this blog entry about Helen Hansen. Helen went out into the community of Sandusky and took pictures, interviewed residents, and corresponded with residents and descendants of former Sandusky area residents. Helen was a writer of local history books and a local history newsletter. She paved the way for present day researchers to learn more about the pioneer families who founded the city of Sandusky. She helped in obtaining acquisitions to the Follett House Museum. She was a dynamic lady, even in her late 90's! While she was not a mother biologically, she was like a mother to many Erie County researchers and genealogists." Great intro, 'nuff said!

Kathryn Lake Hogan presents She Was One Smart Cookie! posted at LOOKING4ANCESTORS. Kathryn's mom was certainly "one smart cookie". This is a very touching tribute to a woman devoted to nursing and her grandchildren. Stop by and appreciate! Thanks for sharing your mom with us Kathryn!

robert lord presents Lord and Lady: Mom How'd you Get so Smart posted at Lord and Lady. Here's an interesting story with a twist. Robert tried to pull one over on his mom but you know how moms are... Check it out! Thanks for sharing, Robert!

Randy Seaver presents How did mom get so smart? posted at Genea-Musings. Randy's mom got a college degree at a time when not many women did so. She was also artistically gifted. Do stop by and read Randy's tribute to this lovely woman (and check out the great period photo). Thanks for sharing, Randy!

Bill West presents West in New England: MOM posted at West in New England. Bill writes a lovely tribute to his mom, acknowledging among other things her love of reading. Now why doesn't it surprise us, Bill, that your mom loved books? Thanks for sharing!

Laura presents The Virtual Dime Museum: Perseverance, and Learning to Smile Out of One's Eyes posted at The Virtual Dime Museum. Laura writes a great tribute to her grandmother who overcame a lengthly illness and graduated high school at the age of 22. What perseverance! It turns out that she was quite the writer too. Now why doesn't that surprise us, Laura? Thanks for sharing!

Ken Spangler presents Just What Is ?Smart?? posted at Beyond Fiction. There are all sorts of ways to measure "smarts" and that's what Ken tackles in his very insightful and honest article. He has beautiful pictures of his mom too! Head on over and read Ken's take on the subject. I think you'll find it thought provoking. Thanks for sharing, Ken!

Jasia presents Mom Was A Student Of Environmental Education posted at Creative Gene. My mom didn't have an advanced degree but she was quite knowledgeable about the world around her. She took to learning from the technology of her day, radio and TV. Come meet her!

Miriam Robbins Midkiff presents Mom, How'd You Get So Smart? posted at AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors. Miriam writes the intro to 3 delightful articles written by her mother. She gets extra credit for finding some great photos (she didn't know she had scanned) to share with us. Thanks Miriam!

Faith Valk Robbins presents "School Years: Part I" by Faith L. Robbins , School Years: Part II" by Faith L. Robbins, and School Years: Part III" by Faith L. Robbins posted at AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors. Welcome to Faith, a first time COG participant! Faith writes warm and wonderful stories of her school memories via her daughter Miriam's blog. You'll enjoy these honest and heartfelt stories so don't miss them! Thanks for sharing, Faith! We hope you'll write for the COG again!

Janice Brown presents My Brainy New Hampshire Mom posted at Cow Hampshire. Janice's mom had a knack for numbers and loved to read. And apparently she became bilingual by circumstance not by choice. It all combined to make for one very sharp lady. Would you have guessed any different knowing Janice as we do? Thanks for sharing, Janice!

Janet Iles presents Mom, how did you get so smart? posted at Janet the researcher, saying "After my father's death, my mother and I took a few special trips together. We shared a room. How could I remember which set of towels was mine in the bathroom? My mother's answer was "Mine are on the right because mothers are always right." And she was right!" I just had to include that snippet because it's a great intro to Janet's wonderful tribute to her mother. And you just have to see her image of an antique school bus... picture a Model T converted to a "snowmobile" pulling a covered wagon on sled runners! Absolutely precious!!! Thanks for sharing, Janet!

Wendy Littrell presents On the Spot Education posted at All My Branches Genealogy, saying "She is a storyteller, a confidante, a friend, a teacher, a world traveler, a cook, a seamstress, a pilot, an accountant, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a grandmother, and a wonderful Mom!" Well, I just couldn't write an intro any better than that! Stop by Wendy's blog and read about her amazing mom. Thanks for sharing your wonderful tribute Wendy!

Apple presents Apple's Tree: Mom's School Memories posted at Apple's Tree, saying, "This was written last year. I'm quite proud of Mom and her recent decline is very hard to watch." Apple has some wonderful memories of her mom's school days recorded in this article. We never want to see the decline of our loved ones but remembering the touching moments of their lives will keep them in our hearts and memories for many years to come. Thanks for sharing, Apple!

OMcHodoy presents The Smartest (Mouthed) Mom on Earth posted at Orations of OMcHodoy. Colleen shares the little that she knows about her mother's school years and regrets that she doesn't know more. She has a great story to tell about her mother's class ring and a message to parents and children everywhere. Visit Colleen's blog for all the details. Thanks for sharing, Colleen!

Steve Danko presents Gee, Mom, How'd You Get So Smart? posted at Steve's Genealogy Blog. Steve's mom was working on computers back in the days when most people probably had no idea what a computer was. It fits because she had a knack for working with numbers and details. Stop by Steve's blog and check out some great school pictures of his mom. Thanks for sharing, Steve!

Craig Manson presents How'd My Mother[-in-law] Get So Smart? posted at GeneaBlogie. Craig's mother-in-law seems to have an insatiable curiosity and that's what has contributed to her wanting to learn how to repair a car... at age 50... when she didn't even drive or own a car! Hat's off to this lady!!! Thanks for sharing her with us Craig!

Becky Wiseman presents Lessons Learned posted at kinexxions. Becky's mom credits flexibility and a willingness to learn as the keys to her success in life. A social personality didn't hurt her either. Check out her charming grade school picture on Becky's blog and read more about her too. Thanks for sharing your mom with us, Becky!

footnoteMaven presents A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody posted at footnoteMaven. fM looks into the life of her mother as a school girl and finds that she doesn't know as much as she'd like to. I think everyone reading her post will identify with her feelings. Great period photos too. Don't miss this one! Thanks for sharing Lillian with us, fM!

Elizabeth O'Neal presents Momsense: How'd You Get So Smart? posted at Little Bytes of Life. Elizabeth gave her mom one of those personal history books to fill out with questions about her life and laments now that her mother never filled in the pages. There's a good lesson to be learned here... give your mom or wife or self one of those books and nag, nag, nag until it's complete! That said, Elizabeth has some wonderful photos of her mom's school years. Do stop by and meet her! Thanks for sharing your mom with us Elizabeth!

M. Diane Rogers presents Mom, how'd you get so smart? Carnival of Genealogy posted at CanadaGenealogy, or, 'Jane's Your Aunt'. Diane's mom had a real love of learning and got her college degree as a senior citizen! Yeah! What a great attitude! Do stop by and read more about Diane's mom. Thanks for sharing her with us, Diane!

Thomas MacEntee presents Smart Is As Smart Does posted at Destination: Austin Family. Thomas shares with us another affectionate article about his mom and what she taught him. This one has a precious photo of his mom at age 10. Head on over and don't miss this read. Thanks for sharing your mom with us, Thomas!

Terry Snyder presents The Year of the Great Bean Soup Dilemma posted at Desktop Genealogist. We'll end this edition with a bit of humor courtesy of Terry. This one will make you laugh and charm you too! Check out Terry's blog for a great read. And while you're there, add her blog to your feed reader... she has an RSS feed of her own on her blog now :-) Thanks Terry!

That concludes this edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. Can you feel the love and admiration we have for our moms? I never cease to be amazed at what our talented crew of authors comes up with. Thanks to all who participated!

And now it's time for a Call for Submissions! The topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will be: Swimsuit Edition! Why should Sports Illustrated have all the fun? This is your chance to show off the bathing beauties in your family. Pull out the old photos of Grandma Moses in her seaside bloomers, Auntie Mae in her pin-up girl suit from the 1940s or 50s, cousin Paula in her psychedelic bikini from the 1970s, or even yourself in your Speedo! Let's have some fun here! Memorial Weekend is knocking on the door and that means the start of the summer sun, sand, and seaside season so let's get in the mood with summer fun photos. What? You don't have any swimsuit photos you dare to share? No problem! Tell us your best family beach stories instead! The deadline for submissions is June 1st.

Thanks to the members of the ScanFest crew who suggested the Swimsuit Edition topic!

Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: carnival of genealogy, blog carnival.

Are you ready?

One month from today...

Fearless Fourteen

Can't wait!

Creative Gene Gets the Excellence Award and Passes It On

The Creative Gene blog has been given the Excellence Award for hosting the Carnival of Genealogy :-)

Thank you to Jewelgirl who chose the Creative Gene blog to receive this honor for which I am tickled pink! I think it's a nice idea to share these sorts of honors from time to time as a recognition of how much we appreciate our fellow bloggers. The rule has been to choose 10 blogs to pass the Excellence Award on to but I think I'm going to go with just 3 (not that I don't know of 10 deserving genea-bloggers with Excellent blogs but I think choosing too many recipients dilutes the specialness of being selected). With that in mind, I'm going to choose the following 3 bloggers to receive the Excellence Award for what they have done for the Carnival of Genealogy on their blogs...

Steve Danko at Steve's Genealogy Blog for being the first blogger to submit an article to the COG (way back in the 3rd edition). If it weren't for Steve and all the wonderful people who write and submit articles for the COG, well, the COG just wouldn't be. Because I sure as heck couldn't have kept it up by myself all this time!

Randy Seaver (who by the way was the second to submit an article) at Genea-Musings for being the first blogger to announce and promote the COG (announcing the 5th edition). If it weren't for Randy and all of you who announce and promote the COG on your blogs it would never have grown to be the wonderful online genealogy magazine that it is today!

Kimberly Powell at Kimberly Powell's Genealogy Blog for being the first blogger to be a guest host of the COG (the 11th edition). If it weren't for Kimberly and the select few who have taken on the hosting of the COG when I needed a break it might not have gotten the wonderful reputation it has today. Guest hosts bring elements of freshness and excitement to the COG!

Jewelgirl gave me the Excellence Award a month ago but I have waited to announce it and pass it on because I wanted to do it in conjunction with the second anniversary of the Carnival of Genealogy. The next edition of the COG, the 48th, will mark 2 years of its online publication. Is that amazing or what?

I think this anniversary presents a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge and say thank you to everyone who has helped make the COG the Excellent publication that it is. And so I want to personally thank each and every one of you who have contributed to, announced and promoted, hosted, commented on, suggested topics for, have links to, designed posters of, written articles about, used it in their classes, read it, and given me kudos and wonderful comments of support for the Carnival of Genealogy. You guys are the best and have all contributed to the Creative Gene blog getting the Excellence Award! Thank you!

And just wait till you see what the topic will be to start off the third year of the COG... it's guaranteed to make you smile (and maybe whistle too ;-) It will be Excellent!

Polish Currency

Last month, Elizabeth at the Polish Genealogy Project, had a wonderful series on the history of Polish currency. I was fascinated with the samples and information she came up with. Her 3-part series can be found here, here, and here.

Poland was partitioned for many years and Elizabeth has examples of the currency from each of the partitions over time. This is a great resource for anyone writing up the family history of their Polish ancestors. Take a look and see which currency your ancestors used. Here's just one example, a 4 złoty note from 1794.

Abrams Genealogy Seminar 2008

The Library of Michigan (Lansing) has announced the program for the Abrams Genealogy Seminar which will be held Friday and Saturday, July 25th and 26th, 2008. Included among an impressive group of speakers will be, Kris Rzepczynski presenting:

The Library of Michigan is digitizing its collection of Michigan death records from 1897 to 1920. Totaling nearly 1 million records, these images will be free and fully searchable on the in-the-works Seeking Michigan Web site. See what content will be available and catch a glimpse of what the site will become as additional genealogical resources are added.

and my genea-buddy Ceil Wendt Jensen presenting:

Newspapers are a great resource for information on the life and times of your ancestors. Follow a family for three generations in community and regional newspapers. Ideas are included on how to use current global newspapers to obtain information.

I am delighted to see that a number of the presenters are covering topics for the more experienced genealogy researchers who are looking to add more than just names and dates to the family tree. This looks to be a very interesting program!

The fee for this 2-day seminar is $40 and a box lunch will be provided on Saturday. Registration begins one hour before each day's event. For all the details visit here.

Chene Street History Presentation / St. Albertus Reunion

St. Albertus (Detroit) is having its 2008 reunion on Sunday, June 1st. Former students and parishioners are invited to attend the 11:00 a.m. Mass and stay for a presentation by Marian Krzyzowski afterwards. The presentation will be, "Chene Street History Part 2: The Neighborhood". Light refreshments will be served in the Rectory.

St. Albertus, Detroit's first Polish Catholic church, is located at 4231 St. Aubin at the corner of Canfield in Detroit.

A Travelogue Through Poland, 1981

Those of you who follow my Creative Genealogy blog know that I have featured several digi-scrapping kits designed by Kyra of the With A Russian/Dutch Heart blog. Kyra lives in the Netherlands and has both Russian and Dutch ancestry. She is to date the only designer I know of who has created a digi-scrapping kit with a Polish theme which will forever endear her to me. However, it's not Kyra's design talents that I want to share with you today.

Kyra's family made friends with a Polish family many years ago (in the 1980s) when Poland was still under Soviet influence and East and West Germany were two separate countries. Traveling through these areas was difficult to say the least but her family managed it for the sake of friendship, a friendship that lasts to this day. Recently, Kyra shared on her blog what it was like traveling through those Iron Curtain countries and tells of her family's adventures with their friends in Poland. Her 13 part series is educational, emotional, funny, frustrating, and poignant. It's quite an interesting look at life in Poland back then. I highly recommend Kyra's series. Even if you have no family ties to Poland, I think you'll enjoy it.

It begins here.
Poland part 2
Poland part 3
Poland part 4
Poland part 5
Poland part 6
Poland part 7
Poland part 8
Poland part 9
Poland part 10
Poland part 11
Poland part 12
Poland, the final episode

If you do stop by Kyra's blog to read about her travel adventures, be sure and leave her a comment. She'll get a real kick out of hearing from her readership here in America!

PGSM/WSDPAHS Meeting

The Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan in conjunction with the West Side Detroit Polish American Historical Society will be meeting this next weekend at the Caroline Kennedy Public Library in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. The topic of the meeting is: the history of the Polish National Catholic Church.

The meeting will take place from 12:30 p.m. till 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 17, 2008. The event is open to the public and all are welcome. Admission is free but they're having a dessert table and are asking those who come to bring a dessert to share. Yum!

Details Here

Mom Was A Student Of Environmental Education

My mom, Lucy, began her formal education in the fall of 1923 at Sill School, a Detroit public grade school that was located on the southeast corner of 30th and Herbert streets in Detroit's west side Polish community. The school was a short walk from her home, right at the end of the block and across the street from the bakery her family owned. It's where she first learned to speak English (the family only spoke Polish at home). She only attended Sill School for one year, kindergarten, before she went on to attend Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary grade school. Sill School opened in 1905 and was closed some time ago. The building has since been torn down.

Here's is a photo of Lucy's kindergarten class from Sill School, Detroit, 1923.

Lucy's family were members of Assumption BVM parish, located at 5207 Lovett Street, in Detroit. The parish had a grade school (opened in 1913, grades 1-8) and that's where Lucy spent her early years. Classes were taught by the Felician Sisters in both Polish and English. Mom had lots of great memories of Assumption School. She was a good student too, as can be seen from her report card. Back then report cards had numbers instead of letter grades.


This is my mom's report card for the 8th grade (1931-1932) from Assumption School. The words in the column on the left (in Polish) are the months of the school year. Grades were given out beginning in October (Październik) and ending in May (Maj).

The subjects extend across the top. [Op. Dni Szkol.=days absent from school; Obyczaje=manners; Katechizm=religion; Hist. Kościóła=history of the church; Rachunki=accounting; Gramatyka=grammar; Hist Polska=history of Poland; Czytanie Polskie=reading in Polish; Kaligrafia=handwriting; Liturgika=bible studies?; Hist. Stan. Zj.=history of the United States; Czytanie Ang.=reading in English; Sylabizowanie=spelling; Gram. Angiel.=English grammar; Civics; Literatura Eng.=English literature; Literatura Polska=Polish literature; Egzamin=examination; Szkolne=school; Podpis Rodziców=parents signature]

The grading scale is across the bottom. [Skala=scale; 100 celująco=100 excellent; 90 dobrze=90 good; 80 dostatecznie=80 satisfactory; 70 niedostatecznie=70 unsatisfactory; 60 źle=60 bad]

The report card was signed by Siostra Marja Mansuetta (Sister Mary Mansuetta).

Lucy graduated from Assumption School in May of 1932. Here is a picture of her graduating class.



And here is a picture of Assumption School and Church (One building, church in the basement, school on the main and second floors).



Back in the 1930s, high school didn't start until the 10th grade in Detroit. So that meant that mom had to attend middle school for one year before going on to high school. She attended Condon Middle School (public school), located at 1314 W Grand Blvd, in Detroit for the 1932-1933 school year. I have no pictures to share of her middle school year. I remember her telling me that she was really bored while at Condon. Her studies at Assumption had taken her beyond the level of 9th grade classes at Condon, something not uncommon with a Catholic school education.

In the fall of 1933, Lucy entered the new Detroit Northwestern High School (public school). She didn't want to go to Northwestern. She would have preferred to attend the neighborhood high school where all her friends were going. That would have been Chadsey High School. But her older sister, who had missed a good deal of school due to illness, had chosen to go to Northwestern to avoid being with her grade school classmates who had teased her because she "never knew the right answer when called on". Her mother told Lucy she should go to Northwestern because she was already driving her sister there and she wasn't going to drive Lucy to yet another school. So, reluctantly she went.

Lucy's high school years were not particularly happy ones. She did well enough in her classes but she didn't know anyone and making new friends didn't come easily to her. Add to that the fact that she was in high school in the midst of the Great Depression. She wasn't allowed to join any after school clubs or activities because it was too far to walk home and her mother wasn't willing to make a second trip to pick her up from school. Instead she joined the Young Ladies Sodality (a social club for young ladies) at Assumption Church and eventually became treasurer and vice president of the organization. She also joined the church choir. Her friends and social life continued to center around the church and continued after her graduation from Detroit Northwestern High School on June 18, 1936.

So ends Lucy's formal education. She didn't go on to college and as far as I know she never took any other formal classes. That wasn't the end of her education though. Lucy's education continued on in the form of what I think of as "environmental learning", in other words, learning from sources in her environment.

As far back as I can remember, mom had a radio in the kitchen and it was almost always on. She rarely listened to music on that radio preferring to listen to Detroit's local all-news station, WWJ (950 on the AM dial). For someone who was a SAHM, she was amazingly knowledgeable on current events. She once told me that she kept the radio on all day to keep from getting lonely. I did the same thing myself for many years (now I'm a CNN junkie ;-) .

One of mom's favorite radio programs was Bob Allison's "Ask Your Neighbor" on WWJ (the program still exists... you can listen to it on the internet, by podcast, or on WNZK 690 AM, another local radio station, and amazingly it's still hosted by Bob Allison!). The show began on Febuary 5, 1962 and featured recipes and household hints. It's a call-in show where one person might call Bob Allison asking how to get a chocolate stain out of carpeting and someone listening who'd discovered how to do just that would call in with the answer. Recipes were shared, as well as gardening tips, cleaning and storage tips, and advice on just about anything that needed doing around the house. My mom was a big fan and long time listener of Ask Your Neighbor. She learned about more uses for vinegar from that show...

When it came to politics, my mom was big fan of talk show host Lou Gordon's television show, "The Lou Gordon Program" which aired on Detroit's local public broadcasting station, WKBD-TV (Channel 50) beginning in the late 1960s. She really enjoyed seeing Lou take on politicians and challenge their views and their party positions. He was a controversial one that Lou!

In the 1970s, after my dad died, my mom was a loyal watcher of "Wall Street Week" hosted by Louis Rukeyser. She wouldn't answer the phone or talk to any of us who came into the house while this show was on. At about the same time, Monty Korn had a radio show called "Money Talk" on our local station, AM 1270, WXYT. These shows were the basis of Mom's financial education and they served her well. She started investing in the stock market after she went to work full time and it was simply astonishing how well she did with her investments. I guess Louis and Monty knew what they were talking about!

My mom's day wasn't complete without reading the Detroit News. As far back as I can remember we subscribed to this daily newspaper which was home-delivered about 4pm each afternoon. My dad used get home from work about 4:30 p.m. and that's usually when we'd sit down to dinner. Right afterwards mom would do the dishes and put away the leftovers and then she'd sit down to read the paper. She was a clipper too! Oh boy did she love to clip things out of the paper... articles, coupons, recipes, ads, etc. And bless her heart, she was a recycler too. When she and my dad were done reading the newspapers they would get bundled up and taken over to the paper drives held every so often at her local church to help support the parish school.

Most evenings mom would go to bed at 10 p.m. She had to get up at 4:30 a.m. to get my dad off to work so watching the late news was something she only did on weekends.

My mom wasn't one for formal classes or "booking learnin' ". The only book I remember her checking out of our local library was a how-to book on reupholstering furniture. But you'd never know that to talk to her. She was a very bright, articulate woman who knew what was what about the world around her. And she sure knew how to cook, clean, garden (don't get me started on her green thumb!), and sew with the best of 'em! (And she used vinegar in more ways than you can imagine ;-)

What I remember my mom saying about education: "Your education is something no one can ever take away from you. You have it for life."

Happy Mother's Day, Mom.


Digi-scrapping kit: "Inherent Blessings", created by Netta of the Creative Victorian blog. Yellow paper from "Lovin Spring" kit by Jan Hosford on the Jan Hosford Designs blog. I also used an overlay created by Adeyeo of the Adeyeo blog.

A Mother's Love is Measured in Many Ways

When it came to love and affection, my mom wasn't one for outward displays. She wasn't comfortable with hugs or kisses. In fact, she was very uncomfortable with all such signs of affection. She detested the words "I love you" even more than physical gestures. I have no idea why, because of course she was uncomfortable discussing the subject as well.

My mom expressed her love with good food and by taking care of someone when they were sick. She was an excellent caregiver and would have made a wonderful nurse except that she couldn't stand the sight of blood. She was always very attentive and would sit with me for hours on end when I was sick. If I was thirsty she'd run to get me some heated Vernors ginger ale. If I was hungry she'd instantly become a short order cook, making me anything my little heart desired. She'd soothingly rub my back when I was achy with fever and drag out the down comforter if I had the chills. When I was having a miserable pregnancy she'd call me from a pay phone every other day or so (to save the toll charges of calling from home) just to see how I was doing and cheer me up. In any weather.

I never thought to take a photograph of her doing any of that.

Interestingly, my mom's discomfort with showing love and affection magically disappeared when it came to babies and infants. Especially when it came to her grandchildren. In fact, she was the one who taught my daughter to say, "I love you"! Go figure. Although I don't remember my own infant and toddler years, I'd bet good money that she was plenty affectionate with me as well. Unfortunately I don't have a photo of that either. But, I do have a couple of photos of my mom holding my oldest brother when he was a baby and you can see the love and pride in her eyes. These photos were obviously taken at the same time which was in 1946. I'm not sure of the occasion but there must have been one. My family was very thrifty and wouldn't have taken ordinary-day pictures. Judging by the size of my brother I'd guess this would have been for his first birthday or Easter both of which were in April of 1946. She would have been in the third trimester of pregnancy though it's hard to tell from her attire. I assume she was wearing the latest fashions... don't ya just love the hat and the peep-toe shoes? I love these photos!


Remembering you with love and affection this Mother's Day, Mom. I know you would have appreciated this scrapbook page more than a hug or a kiss.

Digi-scrapping kit: "Mother's Love" created by Susan Darter of the Raspberry Road Designs blog. The kit is a freebie :-) You can download the papers here and the elements here.


Written for the "Smile for the Camera" blog carnival on the Shades of the Departed blog.

I'm Back!

I need to do some catching up here. Right after I posted the COG Saturday evening I hit the sack. I was exhausted from having put the whole thing together in one day (out of necessity). Yes, it's come to that... the COG has grown so much that I can rarely (Saturday being the exception) get it done in one day anymore. Anyway, I had plans to celebrate my 24th wedding anniversary on Sunday and Monday with my hubby... 2 days with a new camera (we got each other cameras as anniversary gifts... Yes! I have the new Canon Digital Rebel XSi!), sunshine and temps in the 70s, with no pets, no housework, no kids, and no computers! It was heaven!

As a result of my time away from home I was unable to thank everyone for their kind remarks and the wonderful promotion and support of the COG. So I want to thank everyone here and now for their kindness and enthusiasm! I personally thought it was a terrific edition. I learned so much! But, I haven't had a chance to catch up on my email yet so if you're waiting to hear from me, hang in there!

The first week in May is the week that Michigan bursts forth with color. While there have been buds on the trees for few weeks now, the bright green leaves have just emerged. The bulb flowers have bloomed... tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths are everywhere. The fruit trees are in bloom as are the bright yellow forsythia. But best of all, my favorite spring flowers are in bloom... the lilacs! Oh the scent is so delightful!!!

Lilacs in our yard

I spent the last couple of days driving around Michigan and taking hundreds of pictures of the beautiful flowers of spring as well as the bright blue rivers and lakes. We had to take our new cameras out for spin, put them through their paces, get the feel of them. Ahh, there's nothing like having a new camera, great weather, and mother nature at her best!

Without a doubt I could write a week-long series on our adventures of the last couple of days but time just won't allow me to do that. So I'm going to share with you just a few of the highlights, starting with Marine City. Marine City is a little town on the St. Clair River in St. Clair County (for those not familiar with Michigan geography it's the river that runs from the southern tip of Lake Huron to Lake St. Clair). I hadn't been to this quaint little river town before and found it to be a gem for geneahistorians... lots of history here. From Historic Holy Cross Catholic Church (parish founded in 1825, current structure built in 1903) with its beautiful stained glass windows and easy view of Canada across the river from its front steps, to a plethora of antique shops!



After photographing the church inside and out we made our way to the antique shops. Mind you, we'd never actually been inside an antique shop before. Neither of us. We've been to resale shops and flea markets that sold some antiques but never to an antique shop where the proprietor actually knows something of what they're selling. It was a bit overwhelming at first... stuff everywhere from floor to ceiling! But after a while we were able to take it in and have a little fun shopping. I just have to share my "treasures" with you.

In the first shop I bought 2 Model T keys and my husband bought a record album. I was very excited to find the keys. Ever since I found out that my grandfather owned a Model T I've wanted to own a Model T key. Who knows? It's possible that one of the keys really did belong to my grandfather as I have no idea what happened to his vehicle. My mom didn't remember any collisions with it (besides her own ;-) and believed it was sold when her father wanted a newer model vehicle. Yeah, I know I could have bought a key on eBay but it might have come from another state. Buying one here in southeast Michigan brings it closer to home and the possibility that it really could have been my grandfather's! I just checked a forum that indicated that the numbered keys (#51-#74) were from the 1919-1927 time period. My grandfather's Model T was either a 1925 or 1926. The two keys I bought are #70 and #74 so the time frame fits :-)


And then there's the record album my husband found. Check this out... my husband's comment was, "I knew I always liked polka dancers, now I know why!"


I have very little information about this album besides what you see here. There is no date of the recording but the album cover indicates it was produced by Piknik Records and manufactured by Fiesta Record Company, Inc. of N.Y., N.Y. The album "Let's Polka" contains the following songs: Sweet Dreams Polka, Castle Rock Polka, Manhattan Polka, Sunset Waltz, Diamond Polka, Glen Park Polka, Holiday Polka, Hickory Polka, Polka Swing, Tribute to Matt, Fritz's Polka and the ever popular Gaiety Polka (probably inspired by that cover photo, LOL!). Oh, and the cover photo was taken by "Kralik Andory with Rolleicord". What a hoot!

In the next antique store "and emporium" I discovered a whole bunch of vintage photos and spent quite a bit of time going through them. I found one entire family photo album for sale for $75. I don't know much about old photos but I think these had to be from the 1800s. Sad to see them for sale instead of in the family. I did find a few photos I had to buy though. Two for me and two for fM (if she wants them) with young ladies wearing spectacles (including a bride and groom both with spectacles).

Marine City was a neat little town that I'd like to visit again one day. Who knows what I might discover there the next time?

I'll end here with a few of my favorite flower pictures to brighten and cheer your Monday. Enjoy!

Blossoming trees in our yard, they smell wonderful!

blossoming tree in our neighbor's yard

dogwood at the lakeside

daffodils in the park

I think these are cherry blossoms

lakeside in the spring

geese enjoying a warm spring day

The camera works pretty well, don't ya think?

Carnival of Genealogy, 47th Edition

Welcome to the May 4th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. The topic for this edition is : A Place Called Home. We're taking a look at the towns and villages, cities and counties, where our ancestors lived. Come along on a trip across two continents as we explore the fields and streams, mountains and valleys, where our families' roots were planted. I think you'll be amazed at the diversity of culture and lifestyle among our ancestors in their home towns. Let's begin then with the North American continent...

NORTH AMERICA

MASSACHUSETTS
Randy Seaver presents Leominster, Massachusetts posted at Genea-Musings. Come visit the city where the plastics industry was born (who knew?) and the downtown area has been preserved over the years. Walk the streets and think of Randy whose family lived there for 4 generations. Thanks for sharing, Randy!

Bill West presents BRIDGEWATER posted at West in New England. They're makin' brick in Nunkatateset... sounds like a song refrain doesn't it? (Maybe the melody to "Do You Know the Way to San Hose?") Stop on by and see what the heck I'm talking about in Bill's article about his ancestors' home town of Bridgewater. Thanks for sharing, Bill!

NEW YORK
Lidian presents The Virtual Dime Museum: A Place Called Home: Woodhaven, Queens posted at The Virtual Dime Museum. If your turn of the century ancestors spent time in the kitchen (and who didn't back then ;-) they likely made use of the wares from Woodhaven. Head on over and learn for yourself what that's all about. Thanks for sharing, Lidian!

Robert Lord presents Lord and Lady: A Place Called Home just a One Stop Light Village posted at Lord and Lady. As a child, Bob used to play in a building built back in the early to mid 1700s. What a history his little town has! Stop on by and you'll leave with a good old fashioned feel-good feeling. Thank for sharing your wonderful little town with us Bob!

Thomas MacEntee presents Home to Lowville posted at Destination: Austin Family. At first glance this article seems to be an overview of the home towns of a number of Thomas' ancestors. But near the end Thomas has a link to his previous articles on Lowville and that is where you'll find a real gem. One of his previously written articles has wonderful information and pictures from a pamphlet on Lowville written in 1895! It's precious! Thanks for sharing Lowville with us Thomas!

ONTARIO
Janet Iles presents A Place Called Home posted at Janet the researcher. Here's a story of a town that is no more. No wonder Google Maps came up blank when I did a search for Markham Township, Ontario! If I'd read the article before I started searching it would have saved me some time ;-) But head on over and see what has become of Markham today! Thanks for sharing Markham Township with us Janet!

SOUTH CAROLINA
Denise Olson presents Charleston Connections posted at Moultrie Creek. Charleston had a more structured society than the laid back ways of Florida. So says Denise in her look back at the Charleston connections in her family. Visit Denise's blog and read more about them! Thanks for sharing, Denise!

OHIO
Amanda Erickson presents Fred Seibert and Kenmore, Ohio posted at Random Ramblings. Amanda shares with us a fascinating story with wonderful pictures. Kenmore, Ohio is more than just the home of Fred Seibert (union organizer and outspoken member of the Communist Party), it's Amanda's home as well. Do visit Amanda's blog and learn more about her town. Thanks for sharing Kemore with us Amanda!

Wendy Littrell presents The Town on the River - Carnival of Genealogy Post posted at All My Branches Genealogy. Please welcome Wendy, a first time contributor to the COG! Wendy tells us of a town named for the Indian term "black bear town". Stop by and see a photo of her grandfather's old cobbler shop and learn about this "town on the river" and how her ancestor first got there. Thanks for sharing Roscoe Village with us Wendy!

Sandusky Library presents Sandusky History: Prout's Station posted at Sandusky History, saying " Frank Prout was married to a distant cousin of mine. Dorene Paul, Reference Assistant Sandusky Library". A proud line of Prouts can claim a connection to the original A. W. Prout who first settled the town that was named for him. Stop on by for nice little visit and learn more about Prout's Station. Thanks for sharing this town with us Dorene!

TENNESSEE
Elizabeth presents It’s Greener in Greeneville posted at Little Bytes of Life. Prepare for green overload! Wow! This town is really green. One look at the photos and you'll know what I mean. Elizabeth treats us to a description of her visit to the town her ancestors were from. Great story! Stop on by for visit. Thanks for sharing Greenville with us Elizabeth!

MICHIGAN
Jessica Oswalt presents Saint Joseph County, Michigan: My Thoughts and Reflections posted at Jessica's Genejournal. Jessica describes for us the lush countryside that is Saint Joseph County. Head on over and learn about this land of her ancestors. Thanks for sharing Saint Joseph County with us Jessica!

INDIANA
Becky Wiseman presents Whitley County - A Place Some Ancestors Called Home posted at kinexxions. Becky tells us of Whitley County, an area of rolling hills and rich farm land in her native Hooiser State. Becky's written about her family in this area before and includes links to those articles here. Thanks for sharing Whitley County with us Becky!

MISSISSIPPI
Bob Franks presents The Homecoming posted at Itawamba History Review: The Itawamba Historical Society. Bob has a way of painting vivid images with his words. This article on Itawamba County is a fine example of that. Take few moments to visit his blog and see for yourself. Thanks for sharing Itawamba County with us Bob!

Terry Thornton presents A Place Called Home: Weaver's Creek Bottom posted at Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi, saying "The notion that "home" to me is a place I've never lived may be difficult for some of your readers --- but "home" to any aging adult is just a set of memories. And those memories enable me to select when and how to visit a placed called home. So although I never lived at Weaver's Creek Bottom, my soul is centered there because my memories all bounce and dance around that small locale where once my great-grandparents, grandparents, parents and a host of aunts and uncles and cousins lived. I can drive through those hills now completely empty of houses and barns and people and known I'm home. Thanks for letting me share my attempt to write about the place I call home." Couldn't have said it better Terry! Thanks for sharing Weaver's Creek Bottom with us!

ILLINOIS
Lori Thornton presents Home: The Late 19th Century Version posted at Smoky Mountain Family Historian. Lori has some wonderful photos of her ancestor's home town of Oak Grove which became Carlock. It's a small town with the usual small town charm. Head on over and a look-see! Thanks for sharing Oak Grove and Carlock with us Lori!

MINNESOTA
Chery Kinnick presents A Gem That Sparkles Still posted at Nordic Blue. You've probably never heard of Leonard, Minnesota. I certainly hadn't before I read Chery's wonderful article about this small town in rural Minnesota. It's a charming story of a charming town that wants you to visit! Mozy on over and read all about the town of Leonard and Chery's ancestors who called it home. Thanks for sharing, Chery!

Sue Edminster presents Bemidji Minnesota, Mom?s Home Town posted at Echo Hill Ancestors Weblog. The COG is pleased to extend a very warm welcome to first time participant, Sue Edminster, who's family comes from a town that knows what cold is all about! Here's a great article with some wonderful photographs. You won't want to miss this one. Stop by now and find out what else Bemidji is known for besides being cold! Thanks for sharing Bemidji with us Sue!

TEXAS
Ken Spangler presents A Home Called Blackjack! posted at Beyond Fiction. Blackjack is a fitting name for a town in Texas, don't ya think? It just so happens to be the town where Ken's family hails from. It's one of those small towns where everyone knows everyone. Stop on by for a visit and learn about what life was like way back when in Blackjack, Texas. Thanks for sharing with us, Ken!

MONTANA
Susan Kitchens presents Billings, Montana—History by Mystery presented at Family Oral History Using Digital Tools saying, "How a collection of letters in the attic (dating from 1916 on) compel a meandering exploration of the history of Billings, Montana. The r