"FOR DUMMIES" Treasure Chest Thursday

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HOWDEEEEE ! & MERRY "CHRIST"MAS

Thought I wouldn't get around to this for awhile yet - maybe do for my New Year's Resolution?

I came across the Irish History for Dummies awhile ago but still have to get it from my library. & Looking for a good picture to put here of it, found the Dummies website & this 2nd book, Ireland for Dummies. I am sooooo looking forward to reading these.

OF course Dummies has a website, DUH!
( I hear a palm smacking my forehead!) but just did not occur to me.

http://www.dummies.com/store/product/Ireland-For-Dummies-5th-Edition.productCd-0470422076.html

Hope the link works, my sister is always telling me my links don't.
" Oh Well " ... I keep trying. If not just cut & paste, or do your own search

So now I have a new New Year's Resolution, wonder if I'll get to it before summer?

Here's a lead-in:
1814
Major General Robert Ross burns Washington, D.C.

This 200 year anniversary is only a couple of years off

What's his connection to the Scriven family?

Happy Trails, Katiebird

John Enraght Scriven ..... surname saturday

Died 20 December, 1872, Friday at Denver, Colorado.

John Enraght Scriven

4th son of Captain John Scriven & Jane Medlicott

Brother of Joseph Medlicott Scriven, Dr. William Barclay Brown Scriven, George Scriven, Catherine Mary Ann & Jane Bury.

Jane and family had come to the USA in 1869. They were living on the east coast when John died in the dead of a cold Colorado winter. Later Jane & family will live about Denver a few years before traveling on to California. A sad Christmas to learn a brother had died.

Merry Christmas to All

"Thanksgiving" Treasure Chest Thursday

Thank you, Governor William Bradford & wife, Alice Richards, my Pilgrim ancestors, for creating this Holiday. I LOVE Turkey and can eat it every day of the year. Odd how my girls don't - so we usually have either Crab or Corned Beef & cabbage. I guess they have more of the Irish blood. Altho' CRAB was plentiful at the time of the Pilgrims. It actually was then considered not a wanted food. Prisoners were fed on crab & lobsters.

I'm so lucky to have my Grandma Alma Cluver's postcard collection. It fills a shoebox size memory box ( A very pretty box she received as a gift from her friends in the "Order of The Eastern Star". This was her woman's Masonic group ) & 3 albums. This card of 1910.
Grandma Alma was Jane's . . . . granddaughter.
I'm constantly looking thru them for different things. And sharing them with family I make contact with. Many postcards of the old years were photographs of the senders.

These photos are from Eric & Alyne Evans Anderson, and their trip to Massachusetts & New Hampshire. Governor Bradford's statue, the Mayflower Society House, & Alyne at the statue of Massasoit 'Chief of the Wampanoags'.

Happy Trails, Katiebird

Halloween Wedding 1868 ..... Sentimental Sunday

HALLOWEEN DAY at 8:00 A.M.

October 31 1868, Rev. Jenks of St. John's Episcopal Church in Petaluma, entered in his ledger on Saturday, the marriage of;
Mary Ann Elizabeth Timms & Joseph Richard Hinkston
The Sonoma County Clerk issued the license Monday, October 27.
The Wedding was Wednesday, October 28.

Almost 50 years later in this same church, St. John's Episcopal, June 1917, their grandson, Harold Henry Cluver marries Jane Bury Scriven's granddaughter, Alma Muriel Evans.
Their wedding was the joining of 2 large ranches at Petaluma. The Hinkston Ranch on the road from Petaluma to Sonoma Town that was bought from General Mariano Vallejo. And the Timms Ranch, just south of Petaluma.

Both the Timms & Hinkston families were pioneers to early California. Mary Ann's parents, Ann & Anthony Timms came from England in 1841 to Michigan. & on to California crossing the Isthmus of Panama ( a horrible journey that deserves better telling ) . Richard's family, Hinkston began from New York. His father Harlow, pioneering out to Missouri and marrying Nancy Hill there. Then to California in a Wagon Train.



So many wonderful old Halloween pictures - my favorite
is always Pumpkin Head from the OZ stories.

Have a great
Halloween


Happy Trails, Katiebird

"SCRIVEN HALL" for Sentimental Sunday

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SCRIVEN HALL for our family was in the Santa Cruz, California, mountain Redwoods. Located at the newly created Christian center 'Mt.Hermon'. Jane bought her lot there when the Mt. Hermon Center was about 4 years old.

This 1908 post card Jane mailed home to her son, EWM Evans from Mt. Hermon
"Is not this grand it is near our tents, I wish you could see this lovely place, they are all enjoying it so much, will write Loving Mother
Can you tell that there are 5 women in the picture? 1c postage


Jane's deed from the Recorder's Office in Santa Cruz. There is so much you can learn from your Recorder's office. When someone dies, it is common to find wills - & from foreign countries!!! attached to property deeds. After the death the property- LAND is re-recorded into a relatives name or other & I have found several wills in this way. Many times several relatives are signers on deeds, so that can tell you their actual name, spelling ect. & dates they are still alive, & where they live. Anyone can search at their recorder's office. Usually you can access for free the wonderful old ledgers & most also have microfilms that you can make copies of for a couple of bucks or just digital photo the screen yourself.

Wills are kept at county, Superior Courts. Most all have websites now & you can find info there. or CALL
$20 is average for a search, copies, & mailing or some want a SASE.
This excerpt from Jane's will dated
7th day of November 1911. She died 4th January, 1912.

She died before the fire a few years later, that burns thru Mt. Hermon. If you look at it today it's grown back so you'd never know the damage it did.


It also appears that all these little parcels are where the fire did great damage as they are all gone now.
Lot #19 was Jane's. I love reading the old deeds that say " Gold Coin". I always wonder if they really exchanged gold coins, especially when the amounts are for hundreds of dollars. Today's deeds are not so colorful. Another phrase, I often see when selling to a relative is not " ... Gold Coin" but instead ' ... In or With Love & Affection'.


Happy Trails, Katie

MAYFLOWER MONDAY to Governor William Bradford

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HOORAY! I DID IT!

I dedicate this blog entry to my dear cousins, Alyne & Eric Anderson. They worked so hard back in the 1990's to document our Tupper lineage and bring it down to the current years. They went back to New Hampshire & Massachussetts and got the oooooooold birth/ marriage / death documents needed to fill in the line down to themselves. They found the old cemeteries, saw the old homesteads and met! TUPPER relatives in person. HOW COOL
When we started working on genealogy together they really encouraged me to document my own line and join the Society too. ( Alyne's father & my Grandmother were siblings, Arthur Evans & Alma Evans )
This took a lot of time & effort but it was fun to do and now after almost 3 years, I am joined in the "Mayflower Society". Now if my own decendents ever want to do it, I have done the work at least as far down as myself.

Jane & Edwards son, my GreatGrandfather who was E.W.M. Evans married Martha Tupper. It is thru Martha's Tupper ancestors that the line goes back to Govenor William Bradford of the Mayflower and the Pilgrims.
Pictures above are EWM Evans ( Jane's oldest son ) & Martha Tupper.

Happy Trails Everyone, Katie

Marmion Monument MONDAY for Geneablogger? Hmmmm

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HOWDEE,

Different photo I received for the Marmion stone.
You can clearly read that Henry Richard is buried at Tullough, but his stone is lost to mother nature now.
How amazing to find so much information carved and how well it has lasted thru the years.

This from a wonderful volunteer William Casey in County Cork, Ireland. Bless his kindness and his transcription of the stone.

In Memory of your grandparents.
Henry Richard Marmion
Died 23 Feb 1896. Age 80
Interred at Tullough
Grace Elizabeth Marmion
Died 22 Feb. 1932. Age 91
Their children
Rose Mary Marmion
Died 9 Sep. 1911. Age 34
Interred at Chamba India
Reginald Pat Marmion
Died 24 July 1935. Age 55
Philip Henry Marmion
Died 28 Aug 1935. Age 61
May they rest in peace

Henry Richard Marmion married Elizabeth Barclay Brown ( 1st cousin to Jane's husband - Edward Evans )
After Elizabeth died in 1865, Henry Richard Marmion married Grace, had more children & that is who are on the stone. Their line continues down to this day.

The Barclay name comes down from our Quaker ancestor, Robert Barclay 'The Apologist'. Jane's own middle name - Bury - comes down from the Barclay line too.

Happy Trails, Katiebird

Sentimental Sunday & Video

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HOWDEEE ALL,

Most Wonderful youngest daughters BIRTHDAY today,
'Happy Birthday CARLA DEE'. Since she's clear across on the other coast & won't spend day together, gives me time to be on blog.

Spent some time fiddling around with nuts & blots backstage here. More than 1 trial and error and finally figured how to get just the ONE video to show. Several times Youtube wanted to be helpful and add so many more for things I've never looked at. Thanks, Youtube but I just want the 1 for now.

I watched "What A Friend We Have In Jesus", put up by whatsmylife, quite awhile ago. Then I wrote to them. Had several so nice emails with Keith, my new penpal. He was very generous and told me it would be fine to share the video on my blogsite. Just takes me awhile to get chunks of stuff done. This video struck me as putting everything all together in an easy way to follow. & I like the way it begins in Ireland . . . and then moves on.

Watching this as it tells of Joseph's 1st sweetheart drowning in Ireland, Jane would have been in her early teen years. And when Joseph 1st goes to Canada in 1844 on the video, she was about 15. Imagine an older sibling leaving when your that age, and maybe never seeing them again for years. Happens all the time with people going into the military, or school far away. When Joseph returned to Ireland on a visit, 20 years may have passed before Jane saw her big brother again. So many families have these dear strangers.

A down under wonderful "cousin" sent me some letters . . . "treasure". From 1868 & 1877. A younger brother writing to his older brother across the oceans & continents & time - of 50? years. To make touch and reach out to share his memory & feeling of love of family before his life ended. These from a Crawford Uncle of Jane & her husband. Remember Jane and Edward were 1st cousins!

Phew enough chat - enjoy the video

Happy Trails, Katiebird

' What A Friend We Have In Jesus' & 'Brother Ire'

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.'Brother Ire'
Back about 1959 my mother recorded on our reel to reel tape recorder ( My Dad brought it home from his Navy tour to Japan ) the song, 'Brother Ire'. Brother Ire has always been a favorite of mine since then. Mom knew I liked it and used to say 'Brother Ire' once in awhile to tease me. It always had the leadin & end music of 'Rock of Ages'. My recorder and tapes have been in storage for awhile and I've been missing listening to them. So the other day I looked on the internet and found it. This is not the rendition I have on the tapes.

The Story Of Brother Ire by The Dixie Echoes

and here you can hear the whole song played by Rhapsody.
http://new.music.yahoo.com/dixie-echoes/tracks/story-of-brother-ire--178273733

What a TOTAL surprise, this rendition begins with, 'What A Friend We Have In Jesus'. I couldn't believe it when I listened the first time. By the end refrain I thought I'd imagined hearing the Scriven song at the beginning. I had to play it over a couple of times.

I NEVER would have imagined I'd ever hear these 2 things combined. Brother Ire a huge favorite from my childhood and the Scriven song. I cannot even express what an amazing - whatever - --- this is to me.

So then I wondered if I could find the rendition I grew up with and have on my old tapes, online.

I listen to Porter Waggner & Jim Reeves and all I could find. Eventually I got to his own,
Archie Campbell's on Youtube, from 1960 the creator of

Trouble In The Amen Corner---Archie Campbell

http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=0IXvXEqpRBY&feature=related

This is the version I grew up with & so love to hear, Brother Ire.

Hope everyone is having a Great Labor Day Weekend,

Happy Trails, Katiebird

SPELLING Surname SATURDAY

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HOWdeeeeeee,

Surnames, Everyone knows that is someone's Last name - Yes? Like mine is Morris.
Forename, is your own name - like mine is Katie.
& Middle names are like frosting, or sprinkles added on top. and maybe throw in a generation thing like -' the 2nd' or 'the III' ect..

Douglass, Douglas, Duglas

What happens when you look for someone and can't find them? OK I've had some I couldn't find, for instance a 'DOUGLASS' family. Yes, it really should have the 2 'ss', and later generations have dropped to 1 only.

I knew this guy had a place - most likely a farm and a family but they were nowhere in the old census. Hmmm. Well - towns in California were smaller then back in the 1800's. I knew the town - so I settled down and read thru every page in the census for it. & I found them - spelled 'DUGLAS' .


Times, Tims, Timmons ...

ANTHONY TIMMS my 3rd Greatgrandfather died in the mental hospital at Stockton, California. His wife Ann, didn't find out until she insisted on visiting him, forced a visit & then was told he'd been dead for 3 years! They had been telling her that visits upset him and not to come. And I won't go into the whole ball of wax about asylums here. Stockton had his name spelled wrong and thought it was another man who died. Which makes me wonder what about the other guys poor family - if he had one. However the officials butchered the name. I was in person at the San Joaquin records counter, & the girl couldn't find any kind of death record.
However, since then I have now a copy of his record at Stockton, after going thru several hoops. Times is the spelling on it. & Anthony is on the census of the Stockton Asylum more than one year. Again spelled wrong - but once I found the Asylum pages - I just read thru them all until I found him.

Several other times not finding the people, knowing the town - I have just sat and read every census page for it & found who I wanted. It's not always the writer on the original census page. OFten today, it's an eye twister trying to read the old fashioned script and they are put online spelled wrong. I'm sure I couldn't do that for a large city, but for the smaller towns I was looking at - it worked.

The Irish Census that just came online 1901-1911 and a name spelled wrong online. You can see the real page if you choose, but the online typist just didn't see the spelling I knew was correct. I see now after I sent in a few notes to correct, they have it spelled right. Emma Pakenham Evans/Disney - she a 1st cousin of Janes' husband, Mr. Evans.

Maybe it's mis-spelling, BAD handwriting, inked over pages :( , or you just don't see it there because your looking for a pristine image. Maybe you had a Martian trying to write names from Saturn - this does not compute - but they write it down the best they can anyway. Maybe it was a German trying to put down French names or whatever. You know the Spanish pronounce 'i' as 'e'. In English - 'HI' would be pronounced as 'he'. You have no way of knowing who actually wrote down the old records - but open your mind to other possibilities when you think you can't find someone

Happy Trails, Katiebird

MARMION - Tombstone Tuesday

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Howdeeeee!

A wonderful surprise today when I received this tombstone photo from my penpal, Bill Fahy of County Cork, Ireland.

Jane's father-in-law Reverend Edward Evans, had 1 natural sister - Elizabeth Barclay Evans who married Rev. John Brown. Jane was also a 1st cousin of Elizabeth ( thru their Scriven lines ). Elizabeth died very young, just after her only daughter was born & also named Elizabeth.

Elizabeth married Henry Richard Marmion.

This is the tombstone of Richard Walter Evans Marmion and family. His parents were Henry Richard Marmion & Elizabeth Barclay Evans Brown.

I've worked a few years trying to find this family stone. Bill has been such a kind person sending me information from his side of the Atlantic and making suggestions. I'm glad to say I've read & seen many interesting things from lovely people I've corresponded with. But we had pretty much decided that mother nature had reclaimed it. Probably even was aging into the ocean at a seaside cemetery.

This photo just came online this month of August 2010 !

" Photo by Mary Leonard-Walsh,Cork".
http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/cork/photos/tombstones/markers.htm
I wrote to Mary to thank her for her posting, and she so kindly sent me more photos of the Creagh cemetery & Church. A lovely lady that has taken a LOT of cemetery photos.

And now I have a copy. Here it is at last, the stone I had read about and couldn't find. Boom! So much is being submitted by wonderful volunteers. More and more every day at so many various sites, & for so many varied subjects. Never stop checking a site, like a closed book on the shelf when your done reading it. Keep a list on the side to remind yourself to go back and check - even if only once a year for new things. Say "HI". Make it easy for others to spot you and help. Don't expect people to search back thru the past years of entries and spot you.

I've written to some entries I had nothing to contribute, but to ask them since they are local people for their advice. Especially when it's a site overseas like in Ireland, England, Scotland ...
All have answered my ignorant questions so nicely. AND made several suggestions that led me to treasure.

Happy Trails, Katiebird

Jane Scriven & Sentimental Sunday

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I was thinking some more after yesterdays post. Of speaking about dead relatives.

You know when you miss or want to see someone today, all you have to do is phone or email or go visit. I like writing paper letters so I do that too. & most cell phones now & computers you can see your person when you talk to them ( I confess I am not that advanced, Ahem! ) You can call and hang up - call again a second later when you remember something - and call again - again - again...

I visit with people all over the world and we are really seconds away from each other this way.

When someone dies, all you can do to visit is go to the grave. At home you can pull out their pictures or letters & momentos.

You don't have to bury them away from your life. Talk about them to family & friends. Quote things they said or did, to others. Tell stories about them. You don't have to get long winded and get boring or turn others off. But injecting funny things about people or

"my Grandma Alma once did that too, she ....."
"I heard my Uncle Douglas was there, he......"
" I got this ........ from my Granny (my great grandmother Alla) "

It's like spending time with them, if you can say their names and remember them.

I've wondered how Jane must have been sadly heartsick to live so far away, from her old family back in Ireland. And then as the years go by that she was the last one of them all alive. Even with her own many children around her and their families. Her own children were under 10 years of age when they left Ireland. My Great Grandfather EWM Evans was 9 years old when they left in in 1869. When she became an old lady here, was it easier to put the old family back in Ireland away in a box of photos & letters. Who could she talk to about them? How many of them did her own children remember from so long ago?

Think about your own family now
How many branches you have & last names

Jane had the same back in Ireland, & relatives I'm sure her own children never met. As we do here now. So don't put your people away in a box in the closet. Talk about them when you can. Genealogy and family history are made for this. You don't have to make the kids sit down for a class about the old people ( tho wouldn't you love to have a captive audience) . Just be sneaky and inject little stories about them whenever & wherever you can. One day you'll be amazed at how much they soaked up from you.

Happy Trails, Katiebird

1st Name Saturday - Surname Saturday

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. Boo-Hoo! "The Ide's of July" took Most WONDERFUL youngest daughter back to Washington, D.C. to get ready for University again in August. Pretty sure I got in enough hugging & new pictures to last until Christmas time. I know Erma Bombeck used to write in a crazy busy house, while cooking dinner in the kitchen and holding the paper in one hand and doing spaghetti with the other. My brain goes blank when it's on a countdown to the Most WONDERFUL daughters departure to fly back. The thoughts are there but the brain just doesn't connect with the typing fingers.

You know you go along and all your people are named in your mind, as you live and grow you know them as Grandma this, Grandpa that, Uncle so & so, Aunt zu zu, cousin blankety blank and whoever address's anyone by first saying, "Hi Cousin Zelda". We never say that to their face. Only when we're speaking about them with someone else. Personally, I like saying "Hi Cuz", but that's just me.

When my Mother was a toddler, she couldn't say her name, but she could almost pronounce "shisher", for sister.
That stuck and everyone forever called her 'Sis'. Her own parents & siblings always called her, Sis. All my cousins called her, Aunt Sis.
Good thing everybody always called me Katie, tho my given name is Kay. Having 2 Kay's in one house would get confusing. As I'm sure a lot of families experience when they have the same thing, with same names in one house.

Couple of years ago I was finding some information to give my Aunt Rose. She lives a good distance away and we weren't able to get our families together much thru the years. I was talking to the guy and he commented how odd it was to hear me say 'Aunt Rose'. Me someone he never met or knew. A complete stranger using a family salutation. You could get possessive.
You could almost feel like,
"Hey, who does this person think they are? This is MY Aunt. Only I can call her Aunt. You can't!"

I heard the most wonderful expression a little while ago. My dearest Grandma Alma was called Auntie Alma. I have NEVER heard her called Aunt before. Of course she was an Aunt to a LOT of people, but I have not visited with those cousins before and it took me by surprise. I wanted to hear her say it over and over it sounded so amazing to me.

One of the things I knew a long time ago, is that one of the saddest parts of someone dying, is that their name isn't spoken much anymore. People skirt around saying it so people don't what? Take on and start crying or something, trying to be kind. I think, that thinking is really a cruelty. When someone is gone, that is when you should be saying their name the most. Talking about them, reliving memories of them.
When my cousin said "Auntie Alma", I had a flash of actually seeing her like it was today, not 36 years ago & that felt great. For the time of a brief phone conversation and now a little later, it felt great.

Happy Trails, Katiebird

SCRIVEN surname Saturday

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JANE BURY SCRIVEN EVANS

It's all in the name isn't it. Some of my greatest help has come from using the old formula for naming. This has given me tremendous breakthru's in working on people, especially in the UK, Ireland, Europe and beyond.
Wish it had entered my mind when I had my own girls 30+ years ago. I might have named them a schoosh differently. Either of them would have got an Alice or a Kay or Katie.

I am Kay "Katie" Alice Cox- Morris.
My mother was Martha "Kay" Alice Cluver -Cox.
Her grandmother was Alice "Alla" Hinkston- Cluver.
Her mother-in-law was Catherina Margarethe Cluver- Cluver.
Her mother was Catherina, and so on, and so on .....

Jane was named for her mother, Jane Medlicott ( aka Mrs. Captain John Scriven )
Bury comes down from the Barclay, Robert Barclay " The Apologist" Quaker, on Captain John's side ( & also the line of Jane's husband, Edward ).
Scriven also comes down on the line of Jane's husband, Edward.
Jane & Edward were 2nd cousins.

I have used the old naming formula as a great aid in helping me work on names. This chart has given me tremendous help in finding information on names. Look at your people, see what names are in the middle - search those middle names - you'll come up some great information you didn't even think of looking for.

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.Irish Naming Patterns

1st son was usually named after the father's father
2nd son was usually named after the mother's father
3rd son was usually named after the father
4th son was usually named after the father's eldest brother
5th son was usually named after the mother's eldest brother

1st daughter was usually named after the mother's mother
2nd daughter was usually named after the father's mother
3rd daughter was usually named after the mother
4th daughter was usually named after the mother's eldest sister
5th daughter was usually named after the father's eldest sister

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Copy this, use it. I've kept a copy in front of my eyes - on the cork board I have on the wall, at the back of my desk. I do the same thing with the 'days of the week' for this Blog, Monday Madness ... Tuesday Tombstone ... ...... a note tacked on the board where I can see it and not have to look it up all the time.

Have a Great 4th of July, Happy Trails Katiebird

Just got this ' Tombstone' Tuesday

HI EVERYONE,

Caroline Chamberlin Shepler
died 21 April, 1899 ?

connects to

John Quincey Adams BALLOU, a previous post.

Working on Mr. Ballou's family to find our 'Auntie Tupper', I've been so lucky to have a lovely lady penpal of Mr. Ballou's family, Glenna. Glenna has sent me some wonderful Ballou family things; people photographs, large family Ballou Bible, and assorted other little goodies. I try to think to ask others when they help me, if I can do anything for them here.

Glenna mentioned her relatives had been looking for Caroline Chamberlin Shepler for a long time. Believed died in Oakland, California or Alameda, California .... I found several things about the family, census stuff ... other tidbits. Could never find Caroline's obit. I frequently order up newspaper microfilms using my library's interlibrary loan system. Takes time, but saves me a lot of driving and other bother. Could never find her obit.

Out of the blue last night, I heard from another sweet lady 'Jonne', also been looking for Caroline too ..... TACOMA, WASHINGTON Caroline is buried in Tacoma, Pierce County, WA.

Who knew !!!! Have to write back to Jonne and ask how they ever found Caroline up in TAcoma. So glad to forward the Tombstone picture and information on to Glenna. Wish I was up there to clean up the stone and try it see everything on it better. Glenna first mentioned Caroline to me back in January of 2009. So a year and a half's not so bad a patch. Makes me feel like I'm an archaeologist!

A refreshing change to take a break and help others out. Digging for your own people all the time, writing off for information, finding volunteers .... it helps to take a break and do totally different people for someone else. & I have great BIG story for that ( to put in another post ) which is actually about my lovely penpal in Ireland, Irene.

So a great success story with CAroline and Gold Stars all around,

Happy Trails, Katiebird

Follow Friday? isn't that Saturday!

Ha! Ha!

Geesh! time can't go this fast but already a month has flown by since my last entry. Just too much life going on to sit down and putter at the blog. Most **Wonderful** oldest daughter has graduated from CSULA, in Los Angeles, California with her Master's in Accounting. So horribly proud of her I could bust and almost squeezed her to death several times. Hey, she & her sis are my living dolls, of course I want to play with them. Was a great visit, always too short.
This time also had first visit to the La Brea Tarpits, park in almost downtown LA. Always wanted to go see this, and see if it looks anything like they use in movies, hmmm... some yes, some no. A beautiful park, got lots of pictures. Did not know the pits formed long AFTER the reptile dino's went their way in the BIG die off. So they don't pull out any T-REx or such biggies.

Youngest most **Wonderful** daughter returns to Gallaudet D.C. in mid-July so getting in all the hugs I can before that. Try to get enough to last until Xmas vacation, if she comes home then??? What does Mom ever know ?

So June almost over but had great genealogy results this month. Lovely volunteer in Scotland sent me photos of graves. I had lost the ones I had, and these were hugely welcome replacements. The last of my Evans line in the UK. This too huge a story to type all now.
Heard from a in-law relation of this line, with a new address. This time I got the stamp with the fairy in her chariot drawn by birds & a red mail box set in a brick wall.
Sadly received word of an older relative here in California died. This family line my grandfathers. Another huge story with this line to much to type today. In brief had visited with her mother-in-law 25 years ago, she died and then lost all touch. I shared a lot of this family history with the town museum & historical society. A couple of years ago, here comes her granddaughter asking about the family? The docent got us in touch with each other. Success story***
Just remember - when something doesn't work and you can't find anything - then cross that off your list and move onto something else. Even not finding information is information too.

Happy Trails, Katiebird

THERE IS "NO" TOMBSTONE ... Tuesday

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SO you find the cemetery and go there.
You have the cemetery map and the plot information.
You have all the data and facts you could find.

Your there - standing at the plot - and no Tombstone :(... Maybe nothing at all but bare dirt. What a letdown is that!

DON'T GIVE UP! Get Down - start digging!!!!

I've gone to cemeteries with all my facts and maps and ect.. Camera ready, sketch pad & pencils & chalk ( I like to use a Newsprint pad with it's brown paper and I freehand draw what I see. The layout of the plot and what the stone says. As many details and I can. ) , ready and ........... no stone. You'll find that even when you take lots of pictures, you'll get home and not be able to make out what the stone says. WaHHHH! .... but stop and think.

It doesn't take long for weeds and grass to take over anything. Leaves fall ... dirt washes over and sediment grows.
I went to one plot where I was so disappointed to find NO stones. So I sat down and thought for a minute. Many cemeteries lay their old stones flat to protect them ( outside the USA too ) , many fall down over time. The 1906 earthquake in SAn Francisco, California toppled many works of art in the cemeteries. I scrounged around and found a strong dead tree branch and started scraping & digging. Way under the leaves and some dirt I found the man's stone. So then I figured his wife who wasn't mentioned on his, must have her own. So I dug around and found hers. Then I figured some children must be nearby too. So I dug around and found them.

Nature will bury them again, as they are on a wooded hill. But I got my photos and had a great time finding this buried treasure. How more disappointing it would have been, if I hadn't just sat down to enjoy the atmosphere for a little while, and thought things out.

Now I always have a few things in my car, under that back seat. Too many times I've just happened to be in the area and popped into a cemetery, with nothing to help me. So now I keep some yard gloves, a little yard tool of somekind - maybe a hand trowel or small shovel, a rough brush of somekind - a horse's currycomb is good .. especially an old one that isn't too stiff, & an old toothbrush is always my best friend.

Many times I've had to dig or scratch away dirt at the bottom of a stone. As the buildup of soil covers the bottom lines of writing. Moss, mildew & dirt fill in images and writing. Often just some good rubbing with a cloth, wipes off stuff so I can read the stone or make out the images.
Anyway, whatever works for you.

So another day down, I don't have to report for Jury Duty Summons. My fingers are getting tired of being X'd that my juror number won't be called. Now, I'm not shirking my civic duty. I've sat on juries and it seems I get the summons every other year. But - why does it seem the county picks on me. How come none of my relatives get the call? Oh well, can't fight it - altho after so many times, I have some ideas of how to get let go. Like the much older gentleman who fell asleep in the jury box, head nodding and chin on his chest, his hearing aid whistling. Like in a movie, the entire courtroom quietly looked at him at the same time and all knew what was happening. The judge thanked & dismissed him, and called the alternate up.
Too much hassle going in & out of the courthouse now with the security checkin line. I just stay inhouse for lunch and breaks. If you really want to piss off a judge, just show up late anytime. No excuse is acceptable. Got some good books to take by Lincoln Child & Clive Cussler, and my crosswords.

Happy Trails, Katiebird

Sidetracked by BALLOU from Treasure Chest Thursday

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Great Morning ALL,

Arrrrgh! Keep getting sidetracked from entering about ggGrandma Jane but she doesn't mind waiting a bit ( XX fingers - "HI, up There Grandma" :) Read Leslie Ann Ballou made the idea for 'Treasure Chest Thursday'.
BALLOU is now stuck in my head, so have to write about this and get it out.

John Bradford Tupper, my ggGrandfather. When his brother Seth, died back in New Hampshire, he invited Seth's widow & 2 sons, to come live with him & his 7 children in Graton or now called Sebastopol, California. John was a widower when his wife, Martha Douglass died.
AFter most of the children had grown and gone, John and Seth's widow - Elizabeth Kimball Tupper married.

Elizabeth was affectionately called, 'Auntie Tupper' by her large 2nd family.
Auntie Tupper's sister, was CAtherine Kimball who married, John Quincy Adams BAllOU.
This Mr. Ballou was the famous founder of the dried fruit industry in San Jose, California. He's easy to read about online.

My current relatives had lost track of what happened to Auntie Tupper. It was a tough search but I found the end of her story. Especially with some great help from my sister. & in doing so, am now happily in touch with some descended relatives of this BALLOU line. I'll get more loaded on my laptop, so I can share things about them. It's a small, small world isn't it!

Happy Trails, Katiebird

'Monday Happiness' not Monday Madness!

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.I scored so hugely last week, it'll keep me going for a long time.
Back in 1960 my family lived in Arkansas and the Beville's were our good friends there. Fast forward to 1985 and my Mom is dying of cancer. After so many years we were out of touch, but I connected K Beville. She sent out to me here in California, a lovely letter and included pictures. Gave Mom some happy hours which I'm grateful for. Now over the years the letter disappeared and I couldn't find them anymore. I'd putter along at it but never found anything. Pretty Maddening when you can't find someone - Right? We left Arkansas with about 10 pictures, and 5 of them have the Beville's in them. With my scanner now I could share them.

So here we are 25 years later. Last week I visited with K Beville on the phone, YEAH!!!!!!!!!!

How did I do that?

Well, so many things are coming online now. I found the town in Arkansas has a newspaper website now, so I put an inquiry entry there. Nothing came of that. Figured before I went looking all over for them, I should make sure I had Beville spelled right. So I emailed the Police Station there and asked them if anyone there remembered the family? got a nice reply that the Station wasn't there in 1960 and so couldn't help, but suggested why don't I try the city clerk's office?

So I found the city clerk's online and emailed them with my story. Got a nice reply that a lady who worked part-time there knew the family's daughter. If I left my phone number, she'd call me when she comes in. & she did. She gave me an address, email address, home phone # & cell phone #'s. Talk about a *****GOLD MINE******.
Now when I tried one of the cell numbers it belonged to someone else. So I shot off a letter with all my contact info, just before the postal lady came. You won't believe this but K Beville called me the next day!
What a great USPS we have.
K and I were on the phone a long time, and are now emailing each other.

Maybe this worked because our town in Arkansas is so small. Hey! their growing. got 2 stop lights now & one of 'em WalMart put in. But the idea of the search should work AnyTown USA. Get out of the mindbox and think creatively. Everyplace & everyone has an address and usually a phone. I personally write letters every day off to people & places looking for information. & if they can't help - do they know anything or have any advice to give me. Do they know anyone else I might contact for help or information. I love my volunteers who have helped me & can't praise them enough.

So don't get Mad - get busy. Noone's gonna knock on your door and just hand you stuff. HOW are they gonna know, if you don't go looking. So make some new friends and learn some new stuff. Write to strangers and have some fun. Good Luck

Happy Trails, Katiebird

Wordless Wednesday "Put A Stamp On IT!"

How can I stay wordless when I LOVE stamps so much. Stamps from Wales, UK came this week, on genealogy correspondence. I love the Darwin zoology and the other 3 made me get out the magnifying glass.

Wonder if Dr. Lister is any connection with "LISTERINE mouthwash"? Oh come on - If you haven't heard of Dr. Lister, then get cracking and learn some history. He's one of the standout Dr.s of why we have such safe medicine now.

I became a stamp nut when I was about 9, rummaging around in Grandma Alma's closet and pulled out an old stamp album. Asked her if I could have it and she gave it to me ( & I still have it ).

Went GAGA for the idea of the jigsaw puzzle shape. Made me curious about stamps in the UK, so just popped in some search words on the laptop and checked out the results. Several sites with pictures, besides the official www.royalmail.com.

www.norvic-philatelics.co.uk/2009

CAn you say, DAVE McKEAN and NEIL GAIMAN? If you don't know these names then "I pity the fool" ( ya have to say it like Mr. T ) & IF you don't know Terry Pratchett or Douglass Adams ( sniff - sniff ) then your in worse shape than I thought. Get yourself to the bookstore right away - "Don't PANIC". My old Discworld paperback covers and Hitchhiker's covers are treasures. They switched over to a different artist and don't print those beautiful originals over here in the USA. Reminds me of the art on the Mars book covers, by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I got those when I was a kid.

Wouldn't you love to buy and use these pictures?

Many more designs and themes, ( the old red mailboxes caught my eye!) Aren't the FAntaSy ones here gorgeous?

You thought genealogy was just stuffy, dusty old files, name and dates, HA!

Happy Trails, Katiebird

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Tombstone Tuesday "LOST & FOUND & LOST again & FOUND again"

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Sunny California Morning Everyone,

Tombstones, This subject is a personal project near and dear to my heart. I won't even be able to scratch the surface of it all here. That will take more blogs down the road. I started my first Tombstone pictures ages ago, like 30 + years ago. When I asked my Mom to show me the family plot in the cemetery. It had been so many years since she'd been there & it took us some time looking around for her to recognize it. I took polaroids of it. Raise your hands, who remembers polaroids?
Over the years, as I've found the different people and the graveyards they are at rest in, I photographed their gravestones. And let me say I LOVE cemeteries. To me they are the best art galleries and everybody should get out to them and spend some time. They are happening places. People go now to cemeteries, and jog, walk, think, sketch, relax, hike, photograph, eat their meals, sightsee .... go for yourself. Every single cemetery office I've called or gone in person to talk with or written to, have been super helpful and friendly.

Hey, I have been a science fiction junky since I could watch TV and hold a book, and I've seen most of the worst stories about cemeteries. But being in a cemetery in real life has never once given me any creeps!

Maybe because my great GRandfather, EWM Evans, - Jane's oldest son, owned the Cypress Hills Tombstone and Monument, I feel so comfortable about it. But I think I would feel this comfortable even so.

So lost and found and lost again and found again. I had amassed a good pile of tombstone pictures on my laptop and decided to get them off to discs, which I had never done before. Of course, I lost my entire file of digital photos. Put in the newly copied disc and nothing - blank, Wahhhhhhh :( . . .
So here's a tip. If your going to try something new, do it with something you don't care about. Make up a dummy and practice with it before you try it on your good stuff.

Many I had taken, many from volunteers around the USA and many from overseas. Thank God, some I have are actual paper photos. Photos in hand - the best backup. I was crushed for months. Then told myself that if I wanted those pictures bad enough, I'd get off my depression and write to my volunteers again. Tell them what happened and beg and sob and plead - offer my first born, if they could resend things to me. Yeah! I felt stupid and embarrassed, telling them what I had done. But I wanted those photos bad enough to get over myself, so I pulled up the laptop and wrote to everybody. Let me tell you, every single person I rewrote to, felt so bad for me. Everyone has lost things with their computers & they completely understood. Some actually still had their photos for me, filed away in their computer. They just had to find which file they were in. Others were happy to go back and make new pictures for me. Some, I've forgotten who had sent them before, and I found new volunteers.

The super special, dear ones to my heart, were the ones I took when my daughters could go with me. I had snaps of them helping me clean brush off, clean up and find stones. What makes these easier to replace, is now I know where those people are, and
"Oh Darn, honey! Mom needs you to help her get out to this cemetery today".

Happy Trails Katiebird

Madness Monday - Would be easier to crack Fort Knox!

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Hi Everybody,

Hope everyone had a great weekend as I had. Including hearing from the 2 best daughters in the entire WORLD. Now that I've totally annoyed them by mentioning them here, "MOMMMMM", I'll get on with it.

Madness Monday .... sounds like a cutsey title doesn't it? Like a sale at the store, bingo day of the week, whatever. Madness - we've all heard it runs in families, maybe it's inherited. Not sure I totally agree with that, but it does seem to surface thru the generations in families.

So you always heard relative X went into an institution or was kept in the attic or what? Have you just stopped with that. NOOOOOOO I never just accept the story. How are you going to get anywhere if you just think of things as brick walls. Stop thinking about brick walls. That kills your creative thinking & whoever came up with that phrase !

When you think of it as hitting a brick wall, that's like being in your car on the side of the road with car trouble. You put up the window sign "NEED HELP!", then wait and hope someone pulls over to assist you. You could sit there and turn into a pile of rust before a good samaritan comes along.

Get out and start walking .. remember good old walking! Stand in the middle of the road and make someone stop, call for help ( guess almost everyone has a cell phone or those car computers now ), light a fire, throw something at a passing vehicle and make them see you, .......... ect. START THINKING! Use your noodle. Almost every day I send letters, email or postal, looking for different information. I PICKUP THE PHONE AND CALL. What are you waiting for? Why do you think people & offices have phones? So no-one will call them? I bought my first Everton book, geesh over 40 years ago, and now with the internet I barely open it any more. So many offices and places are getting websites and more all the time.

Don't give up because someone was in an institution. My ancestors weren't always 'insane'. If you look at the records, some people were. There were also those who in todays world would have gone to a clinic for rest and therapy. They just had breakdowns, got ill and were run down, or were overwhelmed for a time. Some were old with no family, or homeless and destitute. Many institutions were like self sufficient little villages. I think the practices of gardening & farming should never have been taken out of such places. These places weren't jails. People could go visit home and come back.
Some were afflicted with senility, sometimes dangeously to other family and so were taken out of their homes. Very sad, and not even all of todays pills can help everyone.

Study up on the subject. Old San Francisco used the abandoned ships the gold hunters left in the bay, to house patients. Before the various asylums in California were built. Anything and everything can lead to records or places to look for information.

The point is no-one is going to come rushing up to your face and say, "Here is the information your looking for", and just hand things to you. You have to look - look - look and along the way like I did, happily learn a lot of history, geography, and genealogy. Even genealogy about totally unrelated families to you if that 's what it takes. Don't be an information snob if you want to succeed.

Happy Trails, Katiebird

Uncle Joe ....... So what's the big deal?

My dear penpal in Ireland, Irene, wrote to me this week,

Katie,
"A dear cousin who was most interested in my family research died recently and we were so moved when we found he had chosen "What a Friend we have in Jesus " for his funeral."

Irene is the 1st person to share a personal story in their life, with a connection of Joseph, with me. Gave me a strange feeling. I never thought anything about him when I was a kid or growing up. It's only now as I'm older and starting this blog that I'm trying to look at him differently. Learning that Joseph's life is still helping people in today's world.


When you grow up knowing your related to someone - it's no big deal. There's none of that hero worship or stars in the eyes, whatever you want to call it, that people on the outside of the family circle have. You just take it for granted and don't really think about it.

"Who? Joseph Scriven. Oh yeah that guy ... he's one of my older uncles or something. Wasn't he sort of Grandma's brother or ??? " ( Kids- what do they know )

To my older relations he was just Uncle Joe, and of course that filters down to thru the kids. He was ggGrandma's brother, like anybody else on the family tree. Their only another name when you get back that far. And just like some other important names. After all he died almost 124 years ago.

So now I look at Joseph and try to see he's not just a name in the past. Some old relatives name to fill in a blank on the family tree. He is part of my family, part of my ancestry, & I am really connected to this man who is so well remembered and thought of. Who helped so many people way back then and still does today. It's an odd feeling knowing that soooo many people in the world, know about of one of your relatives. Not to learn about for a history test or just a name in a dusty old encyclopedia set- oops! I mean wikipedia . But that people think about him, actually talk about him, and he's helping them in their daily lives NOW -TODAY.

I think he would be dumbfounded, to look down thru the years, and see that his words & life, really affected people and he is so well remembered and spoken of. When so often in his own time, it seemed no-one was listening.

Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Irene.

Happy Trails, Katiebird

Wordless Wednesday "Blogging for Dummies"

Hi Everyone,

Had a good joke on myself when I ad-libbed earlier about a dummies book. Then I wondered if there really was something like that out there. ( I'm so behind the times ) So I got onto www.worldcat.org, which I use ALL THE TIME. But that's another blog and look what I found! A great happy surpirse to find this book at several of my local libraries. I'm almost finished reading it and then someone else can use it :)

I'm still in pre-school on doing a lot of internet & blogging stuff and need every help I can find.

Happy Trails, Katiebird

WHERE did she say Banbridge is?????

A pictures worth a 1000 words. So instead of me writing 1000 words, take a look instead.

Ask any bus driver and they can tell you, if there's 1 fly inside the bus, of the whole inside of that damn big bus, it's right in the dash area going around the drivers head. Not bothering the guy asleep in the very last seat at the back, or anyone else. Yeah, I'm a bus driver and ya know - you can't be driving down the highway with a bus full of passengers and be looking crazy swatting at a fly at the same time. I could turn on all the windshield blowers, turn on any fans near me, open the little toll booth window, and hope when the door was open, then try to shoo it out.

That's the way something was in my head about the location I wrote for Banbridge. This little thing was flying around inside my noggin. Mostly catching my eye at the back of my brain, but sometimes coming close enough to swat at.

"Hey, I think I was a little off on my description of the location for Banbridge. Hmmm, maybe I should pull up a map and take a look."

I can hear the Irish'rs groaning at me, 'tourist'. Ha! Ha! That's OK, I don't mind. I was off.
I also drew in a marker to Rostrevor, County Down, Ireland. Edward Kentish Evans, Jane's husband, came from Rostrevor.

Yahoo Ireland, tells me it's from;

Banbridge, County Armagh to Rostrevor, County Down about 20 miles & 30 min
Banbridge, County Armagh to Belfast, County Down about 25 miles & 33 min
Banbridge, County Armagh to Dublin, County Dublin about 80 miles & 1 hour 22 min

Yeah, I know these are measured for cars today, but it gives a ballpark idea of distance. You can imagine how long it would take to walk, or ride in a conveyance of some sort, by a horse or other back in the 1800's.

Hope everyone had a great Sunday, Happy Trails, Katiebird

Youtube

Greeting All,

I made contact with a nice guy who is agreeable to sharing a video he has about Joseph Scriven. I'm studying the directions on doing that on blogger. I'd like to have it always available off to the side but I don't know if that's possible. I don't want it getting buried in past emails. But might have to do that, just to get it started here, and later on I can learn how to put it wherever I want.

He said he had never known the original name of the hymn "What A Friend We Have In Jesus", was "Pray Without Ceasing". I'm looking forward to visiting with him more.

I also came across on Youtube several versions of the hymn by different artists. I've tried leaving positive comments, but I keep getting error message. I've done a lot of searching and apparently this is an old problem that has been going on a long time and before Google bought Youtube. I see lots of complaints about others getting the error message . I tried the tips others made about this problem but I couldn't get them to work for me. I'm sure there are others out there who are more technical than me. If they can't get it to work? Many people are complaining about this and other stuff but there is no Youtube customer service and they can only talk to others on a forum. So guess I missed the Golden Days of Youtube. Unless there is a big change soon - I wonder if it's going down the tubes? Oh - is that a pun!?

Had a great day Tuesday with my mother-in-law down over in Vallejo. That's Vallejo, California, in case your thinking of a different one. Tried the new low diet taco on the poster at Taco Bell. Steak meat and lots of salad fix on top in soft shell. I really liked them. Usually get the original hard taco shell with hamburger. Boy am I in a rut, but hey! I like the originals.

So no blog work yesterday. Trying to catch up today and trying to get the Youtube comments to work took a lot of time and I'm giving up for now. It's frustrating to type out some stuff several ways & times, and it doesn't post. I got down to just entering the one word, test. I still got the error message.

Well tomorrows a new day,

Happy Trails All, Katie

TITLE 5

YIKES Working to spread the word for Katie's "SCRIVEN HALL" and another website expects to see at least 5 entries for it to come onboard. So I rushed back here today to get this in before they come looking.

"OH ---- HI GUYS", Uh huh, yep see I got 5 blog entries here.

There has to be a 'Dummies book for making a Blog' ( HEY I'm gonna look that up! ) and I need the Army's comic book version. Lots of pictures and "now do this" instructions. Like today I've had to redo my password here TWICE - WHY - AND IS THAT A P *A *I *N
What the Disc's going on? But that's OK, I know it's God's way of having some fun and seeing if he can get me to blow my stack. I'm wise to him tho, I'm just gonna get some fresh ice-tea and chill.

Happy Trails, Katiebird

NBSUFSUNVVTS

BRAVE NEW WORLD

Welcome Everyone,

Was pondering how I was going to begin today and it came to me in a flash. I figured it would be me doing all the talking about; family history ... family TREES ... genealogy ... ancestry .......
But I can't do all that without learning how to do all this Blog thing. There's things I want to share, that I have to get from other places on the internet. So I have to learn how to bring them here for you. I'm the one going to be doing the learning. You get to just sit back and watch.
OK, You can write me comments, smarty :)

Ya know this blog thing actually just reminds me of a good old fashioned runon letter from English class. One great thing already, is that I've been getting back in touch with so many wonderful people, who have helped me with information. It's great to get back in touch with them and tell them I've opened this site. They are my new ROOTS, my friend & penpal roots and cousin roots. 'Cousin' roots so far out ( Ahem!) , they are like a giant spiderweb of family lines. Some so far out, they really did sail away and drop off the edge of the world, where there be Dragons. But I turned the world over and found them
Hooray, our family has a Discworld! and I frequently describe myself as a Turtle since I am slow at mulling things over. So it all works :)

Once again I can't get the italics to turn off. So guess they were meant to be or not to be. I have a picture in my minds eye of Jane and her son - EWM, and my grandmother and my Mom. They are all sitting around playing scrabble at the kitchen table and in the rocking chairs and saying, "Oh, Look down over there at what that Katie is saying about us today. " Well, I can just hear my Great Grandfather EWM Evans as Baron Munchausen would say it, "NO, NO, NO, you've got quite all wrong!"

Happy Trails, Katiebird

Maps! We don't need no stinkin' maps

Ha! Ha! Hi Everybody, Crack myself up.

After reading over my last entries I thought I'd put up a couple of maps so you could try it for yourself. I used my little disc camera and dragged out our old Atlas, and now I see they didn't come out the greatest but that's not important. ( they looked in focus OK on the little camera view window - go figure? ) SOOOO You try to put your finger on London, England - Dublin, Ireland - Washington D.C. and see how you do. Try not to look at pictures with them named first - be honest with yourself and see how you do.

Then I also realized I have to watch what I'm writing. When I put on my profile that for music I like to just 'spin the dial'. How many younger people are not going to know what that is anymore - Awww, sniff sniff So if I'm not careful I'll be writing science fiction. Everything is buttons now. & actual radios are probably going to disappear now that everything is on cell phones and the like.

Well phooey, I wanted the pictures at the bottom or between the paragraphs. As you can tell they were all put at the top of this. I didn't see those choices, so I wasn't sure what was going to happen. Now I know, so I'll have to research how to put them as I really want. I tried copy/paste and dragging but obviously no luck. Frequently wish I had a 10 year old at my side. Those little buggers know everything now. ( Like we did back when )

Happy Trails, Katiebird

Good Morning Everyone,

Yes, my Great Great Grandmother, on my Mother's side, was Jane Bury Scriven Evans, or Mrs. Edward Kentish Evans. She was the baby sister of Joseph Medlicott Scriven. He was born almost 10 years before her.

My oldest sister, is 10 years older than my youngest, sister. So my oldest sister was 'going out the door' and making her own family, when we were still little kids.

With Jane's older brothers going off to Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. And military school across the channel in England, she was the 'baby' sister still at home, until she married Edward. Edward was from the area of Kilbroney, Ireland, which you can find on maps. It is just northeast of Banbridge and north of Dublin. Now when I started really working on the family history, I discovered I DIDN'T KNOW SQUAT about where to find places on the globe. Oh sure I'd heard of these places, read about them, saw them on Masterpiece Theater & BBC America and tons of other places BUT - Can you without looking it up - go to a map of England and... say ... put your finger on the general area of London? Can you go to a map of Ireland - and without looking - put your finger in the general area of Dublin ( I'll be generous and just say the general area )

How about this - right here in the United States - my youngest girl in right now going to University in Washington D.C.. Can you go to a map of the eastern seaboard and put your finger almost on where our District Of Columbia, our Nations Capitol is? I admit I couldn't and still have to scan in close on maps to actually see it's exact location - those states are all still a jumble in my minds eye. I could use the excuse that it's because I live all the way over in California - on the other side of the continent. BUT I was born in Rhode Island, so I really should be more aware. So one thing I'm hugely appreciative of, and enjoy is that I've been able to learn more geography.

So with a lot fewer people in those days in rural Ireland, and in the general same vicinity, I figure almost everyone knew each other ..... wouldn't you?

Still tinkering with figuring out working this Blog, so expect to improve greatly as we go on. I play with all the little fiddlily bits. Anyone who wishes to leave a comment and visit, is most welcome. I'd love to hear what you have to say.

Best Wishes, Katiebird