With Best New Year Wishes

(click to enlarge image)

Postcard to Miss Rena Lerfald in Glendive, Dawson Co., Montana from Sophia [unknown - possibly Lerfald] in unknown location.  No postmark or stamp. Circa 1914-1915.  Westaby-Lerfald Postcard Collection.  Digital image privately held by Miriam Robbins, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Spokane, Washington.  2016.

July 2015 Scanfest Has Been Cancelled

I'm cancelling Scanfest for July.

I have a fantastic reason to do so.

See this couple looking adoringly at one another?

That's my sister with her Mr. Wonderful. And they are going to be married next week, the day I had planned for the July Scanfest way back in December.

As genealogists, we love weddings! A whole new branch to tie into the family tree; another family to research!

But as the sister of the bride, I have my own reasons for loving this marriage. You see, my sister is a wonderful woman. She's a loyal friend, a loving mother, a dedicated nurse, and an I'll-be-there-for-you-no-matter-what sister. She deserves a great guy, and she is getting one.

Lucky me; I get another family to research AND I get another wonderful brother, nephew, and niece in the bargain! Good people who will make great family members.

We'll commence Scanfest again in August; the 30th, to be exact. Be on the lookout for the upcoming announcement. And send your best wishes and thoughts to Sis and Mr. Wonderful next Sunday as they celebrate the beginning of a whole new life together.

A Happy New Year

Postcard to Miss Rena Lerfald in Woodville, Wisconsin from Sarah [--?--] in Zumbrota, Minnesota, postmarked 27 December 1910. Westaby-Lerfald Postcard Collection. Digital image privately held by Miriam Robbins, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Spokane, Washington. 2015.

Best Christmas Wishes

Postcard to Rena Lerfald (c/o J.A. Weichs) in Dickinson, North Dakota from an unknown writer in Mandan, North Dakota, postmarked 1 June 1919. Westaby-Lerfald Postcard Collection. Digital image privately held by Miriam Robbins, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Spokane, Washington. 2014.

Easter Greetings

Happy Presidents Day

Postcard to Miss Rena Lerfald in Woodinville, Wisconsin from Mrs. H, postmarked 8 Mar 1911, Georgetown, New York. Westaby-Lerfald Postcard Collection. Privately held by Troy Midkiff, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Vancouver, Washington. 2014.

Happy Valentine's Day

Postcard to Miss Rena Lerfald in River Falls, Wisconsin from Cousin Adelia Lerfald, postmarked 5 Feb 1910, Zumbrota, Minnesota. Westaby-Lerfald Postcard Collection. Privately held by Troy Midkiff, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Vancouver, Washington. 2014.

A Happy New Year

Postcard to Mr. and Mrs. [George] Rice Westaby [II] in Forsyth, Montana from T. S. Leland in unknown location, no date, stamp or postage cancellation, probably hand-delivered. Westaby-Lerfald Postcard Collection. Privately held by Troy Midkiff, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Vancouver, Washington. 2014.

Merry Christmas

Postcard to Rena Lerfald (c/o J. W. Allard) in River Falls, Wisconson from Sofia Lerfald in James [location illegible], postmarked [?] April 1910. Westaby-Lerfald Postcard Collection. Privately held by Troy Midkiff, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Vancouver, Washington. 2013.

A Merry Christmas

Postcard to Rena Lerfald (c/o J. A. Weich) in Dickinson, North Dakota from John Lerfald in Woodinville, Wisconsin, postmarked 18 Dec 1912. Westaby-Lerfald Postcard Collection. Privately held by Troy Midkiff, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Vancouver, Washington. 2012.

Remembering 9/11

The following post was originally published on my blog on September 11, 2007:

...Every American was affected on September 11th, and yet little of what we personally experienced will be recorded for posterity...unless we take the time to do so. On September 12th, 2001, I asked my children--Missy, then age 10, and Matt, then age 7--to write down something to help them remember how they were feeling that day. I knew that someday, their great-grandchildren would want to know. I wrote my thoughts and emotions, too.

We had just started the 2001 - 2002 school year a few days previously, and were starting to get into the swing of things. I was finishing getting ready for work, while my kids were in the living room, ready for school, waiting for me. They were watching PBS, and one of them called to me that a plane had hit a building somewhere. I walked into the living room to change the channel (my usual response when a news tragedy aired, to keep the kids from getting an eye- and earful), and then realized that whatever was happening was on every station...and it was horrible.

We saw how the towers were collapsing, and my son began to cry. He had no clue as to the terrible loss of life that had occurred; he only knew that a dream he had had was shattered. We had visited Chicago only a year earlier and he had been thrilled with our trip to the top of the Sears Tower. His next goal was to visit the World Trade Center in New York City. For a little boy who loved to make tall towers with Legos, that had been his ultimate dream. As I did my best to try to comfort him, I was angry with the evil behind all of this destruction that was even robbing my son, thousands of miles away.

When I heard that it was a suspected terrorist attack, and that not just New York City, but also Washington, D.C. was hit, as well as talk of the military being on alert, I called work, uncertain as to whether school would be canceled. Assured that for the time being, school would continue as normal, I decided I had better wake my [now ex-]husband before we left. He worked nights and I didn't want him to wake up to an empty house and hear the news alone. I can still see the look of shock on his face as I told him...probably an expression that my mirrored my own.

In the emergency staff meeting before work, our principal (a veteran) did a wonderful job of allaying our fears by reminding us that our hometown of Spokane was very unlikely to be a target of terrorism, and that we needed to model for our students a calmness and "business as usual" attitude for their sake. We were also cautioned not to turn on our televisions while students were in the classrooms.

That morning, the two teachers that I worked with did an amazing job in front of 40 anxious and confused first- and second-graders, one of whom was my son, and another who was a disabled student that I assisted. I can remember with clarity as we stood as a classroom to recite the pledge of allegiance how each of us adults in the room were unable to finish aloud, so overcome were we by emotion.

When we returned home at the end of the day, I sat and watched the news in horrified awe until I could no longer stand it. The devastation did not fully hit me until the next morning. I woke up and turned on the TV, and realized it had not been a bad dream at all, but it was very, very real. It was then that I finally broke down in tears.

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"Keeper of the Light" graphic originally created 2001 at http://prayerpraisepeace.homestead.com/light.html for free public use. This website has been disabled for several years.

Happy Mother's Day!

 A Happy Mother's Day wish goes out to all mothers, everywhere. In past years, I have written several posts for Mother's Day, and I'd like to share them with you:

Eight Generations of Mothers
A photo essay of my direct maternal line - 2007

Mom, How'd You Get So Smart?
This is actually a three-part piece written by my mother about her school days and education - 2008
(The really amazing thing is that Mom reconnected with her childhood best friend through these articles; the friend happened to Google her own name and found it on my blog; they reunited after nearly 40 years!)

My Husband's Maternal Line
Many of you know I am going through a divorce; yet I remain close to my in-laws. This post is a tribute to my mother-in-law's maternal line - 2010

My Fifth Blogiversary

Hard to believe, but today marks the fifth anniversary that I began writing this blog, over at the Bravenet Journal platform. I later switched to Blogger and transferred all my early posts over. My first post was Moses Crothers - possible son of John Crothers and Mary "Polly" Wyckoff?  I haven't yet proved Moses was John and Mary's son, but in the past five years I've met some amazing people, online and off, because of this blog. I've added to my family tree from research I've written about here or from relatives stumbling across this blog after a Googling a common ancestor. I've been featured twice in the local paper and had Google Books send a film crew to my home to make a video highlighting how I use Google Books in genealogy...all thanks to this blog and to my wonderful readers.

I've had ups and downs with blogging and even though right now is kind of a quiet time again for AnceStories, I appreciate those who faithfully and patiently stick with me and wait for my next post. So enjoy a piece of virtual cake and celebrate with me! Here's to all of you!

Happy New Year!

Postcard to Rebecca Westaby from Emma Snook, postmarked 30 Dec 1909. Westaby-Lerfald Postcard Collection. Privately held by Troy Midkiff, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Vancouver, Washington. 2011.

Reflections 2010

re flec tion (noun)

A fixing of the thoughts on something; careful consideration.
A thought occurring in consideration or meditation. [1]

Those of you familiar with my blog know that every year, I reference the Roman god Janus in my Reflections and Resolutions posts. For my new readers, here's a little background from my 2008 Resolutions post:

In Roman mythology, Janus (or Ianus) was the god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings, and endings. His most apparent remnants in modern culture are his namesakes, the month of January and the caretaker of doors and halls: Janitor.

Janus was usually depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions. Janus was frequently used to symbolize change and transitions such as the progression of past to future, of one condition to another, of one vision to another, the growing up of young people, and of one universe to another. He was also known as the figure representing time because he could see into the past with one face and into the future with the other. Hence, Janus was worshipped at the beginnings of the harvest and planting times, as well as marriages, births and other beginnings.

Wikipedia contributors, "Janus (mythology)," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Janus_%28mythology%29&oldid=180708812 (accessed December 31, 2007).

I suppose if we genea-bloggers lived in Roman times, we would worship Janus. He would make a wonderful god of genealogy! He could see the past and the future, and was celebrated at births, marriages, and other beginnings, events we celebrate as well. Like Janus, we are the keepers of the gates, doors, and hallways into our family histories; those entrusted with the keys. We are janitors--custodians--of the past for the generations that come after.

Here are my reflections as I review the good, the bad, and the ugly of 2010:

The Ugly
While I don't believe it is healthy to focus on the negative, our geneablogging community endured some terrible losses this year, and we would be remiss if we didn't stop to honor those who've gone on. First off, an active and early member of our community passed away in August, Terry Thornton of Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi. Additionally, number of geneabloggers lost loved ones: parents, children, siblings, and other relatives and beloved friends. Just off the top of my head, I can name four who lost their mothers this year: Elyse, Denise, Gini, and Lori. For those of us who were fortunate to survive 2010 without such a loss, I encourage you to stay close to your loved ones in the coming year and appreciate their presence in your life.

The Bad
There has been a recurring theme, not just in my life, not just in the geneablogging community, but in the world at large that 2010 has been very difficult for many people (some have called it "annus horribilis"). It's not just the economy--which has caused job losses, unemployment, foreclosures and bankruptcies; I've also noticed many struggling with illnesses and surgeries, difficult relationships, and a feeling of hopelessness or confusion about the future. I myself have struggled with many of these things this year.

In many cultures, it is tradition to clean one's house before the New Year begins. It's a symbolic gesture of removing evil spirits, bad luck, or unhappy events from the previous year and prepare oneself for the good things of the future. I think that this is good advice. This can be a difficult time of year for many, who are feeling failure about unaccomplished goals from the previous year and feeling uncertain about the future. It's time to let go of the past and sweep it from our minds, and to be open to the good things that are down the road without holding on to fear. I imagine that many of you are like myself: you have difficulty just living in the moment and appreciating the present for what it is, a "present".

The Good
Despite the hardships of the past year, some very good things happened to me. The highlight of my year was meeting many wonderful people. This happened in several ways; one was that four geneabloggers came to Spokane at different times and I enjoyed my time with each and every one of them: JL, Becky, Thomas, and Craig. The second was that I was able to go to the Southern California Genealogical Society's 2010 Jamboree, where I met many geneabloggers for the first time and cemented in real life some great online friendships. It was at Jamboree that I also heard terrific lectures and was able to visit the graves of two of my husband's ancestors. And speaking of geneabloggers, we are all so blessed that Janice Brown of Cow Hampshire is back!

Another great thing that happened was that after a year-long dry spell, my genealogy speaking and teaching picked up. October was especially busy for me, teaching one class, and making six presentations during two consecutive weekends.

This blog, AnceStories, received two very meaningful awards: it was one of Family Tree Magazine's 40 Best Genealogy Blogs, and was one of My Heritage's Top 100 Genealogy Sites for 2010. Additionally, Leslie Albrecht Huber listed it as one of the "15 Genealogy Blogs You Need to Read" in the April 2010 issue of Discovering Family History.

I accomplished all three of my 2010 genealogy resolutions.

Although not genealogically-related, my health improved greatly after losing a total of 32 pounds this year (10 pounds in the spring right before Jamboree, and an additional 22 pounds this fall), and undergoing a minor surgery which appears to have repaired a chronic problem. I feel an energy that I have not had in quite a while.

My daughter, Melissa ("Missy"), got engaged on her 20th birthday. I'm looking forward to adding Brady to the family tree in a couple of years, although he already has become a part of our family!

So today, my friends, I have reflected, meditated, and considered 2010. And now I am making a conscious decision to enjoy the present, let go of the past, and look forward to the future without reservation. My 2011 Resolutions post follows soon.

Christmas Greetings

Postcard to Rena Lerfald from Cousin Sarah, postmarked 23 Dec 1909. Westaby-Lerfald Postcard Collection. Privately held by Troy Midkiff, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Vancouver, Washington. 2010.

A Visit with Craig Manson

Craig Manson and Miriam Robbins Midkiff, Spokane, Washington. 10 October 2010. Privately held by Miriam Robbins Midkiff, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Spokane, Washington. 2010.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting with another of my favorite geneabloggers, Craig Manson of GeneaBlogie. He was in Spokane this week speaking at the Northwest Mining Association Convention and we got together for an afternoon of chatting and tea at Brambleberry Cottage and Tea Shoppe.

Craig was one of the first geneabloggers whose blogs I read back in the day when there were only about a dozen of us, and like many of the early geneabloggers, we formed a connection that was based around Jasia's Carnival of Genealogy. While I met him in person for the first time at Jamboree this past June, I did not have much of an opportunity at that time to really visit and get to know Craig better. So I was delighted when he e-mailed me early this fall to say he would be in the area, and could we get together?

We spent two hours at the teahouse enjoying pots and pots of hot, handblended teas and devouring the delicious sandwiches and desserts while talking genealogy, history, and some ancestral locations we have in common in Alaska, Michigan, and Texas. Craig's visit to Spokane marks the third one by a good geneablogger friend in less than three months! I've been so blessed to have these good folks visit, and look forward to visiting with them again in the future.

I'm Still Here

If you've been a regular reader of AnceStories, or one of my long-time geneablogger friends, I'm sure you've noticed that my posting has gone down next to nothing since October 4th, with the exception of last month's Scanfest and a couple of pre-scheduled posts that slipped through. I wanted to assure you that I am still here. If you are one of my Facebook friends, you're already aware of that fact, since I have remained fairly active over there. So why has my blogging slowed down?

1. I've been busy. October was Family History Month. I taught a three-hour class for Community Colleges of Spokane, two sessions for the Hayden 4th Ward Family History Center's Fall Family History Seminar near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and was the featured speaker at the Northeast Washington Genealogical Society's Fall Workshop, presenting four sessions there in Colville, Washington.

I've also been taking a spinning class three times a week since the beginning of October. It's an hour and 15 minute stationary bike workout. I also try to get in some sort of exercise on the weekends. Add in travel time to the class and showering and it takes up a good chunk of my day. It's been well worth it, though; I've lost 18 pounds and dropped nearly two sizes in a little over two months!

2. I've been overwhelmed at work. When people hear that I work with special needs children, I think many of them get a visual image of a bunch of roly-poly, good-natured students with Down's Syndrome. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have never worked with a Down's Syndrome kiddo in my life. My students, for the most part, look fairly normal and you might never guess they are mentally retarded unless you asked them to read something for you or do a simple real-life math problem like read an analog clock or count some change. Because of confidentiality reasons, I have to tread lightly here, but it's not unusual for some of our students to be dealing with mental health issues and/or behavior issues as well as their disabilities. If you knew about the homes that many of them come from, the poverty they live in, and recognized that most of them are second- or third-generation disabled individuals, you would realize that their disabilities are often the least of their worries. Throw in changing hormones and regular teen behaviors--because after all, they ARE hitting puberty--and you can see how chaotic things can be.

This year, we had a number of new students enroll in our classroom that have severe behavior issues, to the point that the district recently installed what is politically-correctly referred to as a "Quiet Room." This is basically a padded, lighted, miniature room complete with a ceiling and floor. It has a door with no handle on the inside and a small shatter-proof window within the door for observation. This room is considered a safe place for an out-of-control student to pull him- or herself together without harming self or any other student or staff member. And yes, we have had to use it fairly often. (There are times when we as staff members would love to have our own Quiet Room!)

Additionally, the paperwork continues to increase. The district went to new software for attendance and grades and the state changed the recording of IEPs (individual education plans - all SpEd students must have one updated every year) from paper to computer. This has created a learning curve on top of the amount of time it takes to record data. My supervisor and both of my co-instructional assistants, by their own admission, are not computer persons by any means, so I have been busy helping them figure things out, technology wise. I've also had my own lesson plans and grading to complete.

3. I'm tired. If the work load weren't enough, I've been having what I will delicately state as "health problems" for nearly four months now. Numerous possible causes (including cancer) have all been ruled out, thankfully, and I am finally scheduled for a minor surgical procedure this coming Wednesday, which should hopefully end this situation. But because of the hormonal effect, I have been pretty exhausted and ready for bed fairly early every evening.

4. I've been depressed. While my fluctuating hormones have certainly been a contributor, it's also just been a difficult time in my life, anyway. My husband has been unemployed for nearly 18 months, and the last six months has not qualified for Unemployment Insurance. This is the third major stretch of unemployment we have gone through in the last 17 years. You can't go through this sort of thing without it affecting your marriage, your finances, and hopes and plans for the future. And please, please, please don't send me ideas on how my husband could find work or go back to school. You don't know all the details involved in this and there's nothing more depressing than getting unsolicited advice, unless it's being asked for the 47th time if he's found a job yet.

Additionally, it's sort of a subclause of Murphy's Law that when you have the least amount of money to work with, that's when everything starts breaking down. It's almost a dark comedy to watch things fall apart one at a time, from vehicles to computers to appliances.

5. But I still have hope. One of the blessings about getting older, I believe, is the gift of perspective. You realize when life throws something--or a few somethings--bad your way that you will survive it. It's still no fun to go through it, but you know it will eventually end. And it makes you infinitely grateful for every good thing you do have, no matter how small or inconsequential it may seem.

So thank you for bearing with me through this long post and through a long dry spell of blogging. I can't guarantee that I will start cranking out daily posts anytime soon, but I have no plans to stop blogging or take this blog down. I owe apologies to all those individuals and institutions that sent me press releases in the last six weeks that I did not post. I also owe Leslie Albrecht Huber a book review on her fabulous The Journey Takers. I'm sorry I haven't been promoting the carnivals and Shades. We'll still have Scanfest next Sunday, unless for some strange reason I don't recover from my procedure as quickly as expected.

To my American readers, have a blessed Thanksgiving; and to all of you, be sure to take some time to think about all the wonderful people and things and values you have in your life.

A Visit with Becky Wiseman

Miriam Robbins Midkiff and Becky Wiseman. Spokane, Washington. 19 Sep 2010. Privately held by Miriam Robbins Midkiff, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Spokane, Washington. 2010.

I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to visit with one of my favorite geneabloggers, Becky Wiseman of kinexxions this past weekend! If you are a reader of her blog, you'll know that she has been on The Journey all over the United States (and parts of Canada) for over a year. I first met Becky at the Southern California Genealogical Society's 2010 Jamboree this past June and invited her to stop by Spokane if ever she was in the area.

We had a great visit! Becky came by my home late yesterday morning and she got to meet my husband and son and even our two cats! We ate lunch, hung out, took a drive, and hung out some more. She showed off her home on wheels and recounted some of her adventures on the road. We finished off the evening with a pot roast dinner followed by Dutch apple pie.

The best part of our visit probably was the chance to talk genealogy for hours with another person without any eye rolling! I truly enjoyed getting to know Becky better and sharing my home and hometown with her for the day. Safe travels, Becky, and I look forward to meeting up with you again in the future!

(P.S. Here's Becky's post on the same visit: Thanks, Miriam!)

Happy Independence Day 2010!

 Star-Spangled Banner Postcard, undated (after 1931), unused, unstamped and unpostmarked. Lerfald-Westaby Postcard Collection, digitized and privately held by Miriam Robbins Midkiff, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Spokane, Washington. Original collection privately held by Troy W. Midkiff, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Vancouver, Washington. 2010.

It's going to be a quiet Fourth at the Midkiff residence. Generally, we go to my parents' home several hours north of here for an afternoon-long barbecue in which family members and numerous friends from their church are invited. However, my sister--who is a nurse--has to work today, as well as my daughter, who is her child care provider. We'll attend the local fireworks display this evening and then head up to the folks tomorrow for the feasting and fellowship. This is just a reminder to thank all those who have to work on holidays, allowing us to enjoy our celebrations and keeping our way of life safe: medical, emergency, and military personnel especially, although there are others as well. Freedom is never free!