Home is Where the Heart Is

Source: Lewis Family Reunion, probably in Muskegon Co., Michigan. Photograph. C. 1924. Original photograph in the possession of Jeanne Holst Robbins, Fulton, Texas. 2008. Cropped reprint in the possession of Miriam Robbins Midkiff, Spokane, Washington. 2008.

I didn't know what I was going to write for the 3rd Edition of the "I Smile for the Camera" Carnival: Celebrate Home hosted by the footnoteMaven at Shades of the Departed. As a child, we moved around quite a bit, part and parcel of having parents who worked for The Salvation Army. I realized after living in my current house for six years that that was the longest I had ever lived at one address! My ancestors were awfully migratory, too. Even the homes in Michigan that my parents grew up in were not the homes that my grandparents lived in when we would visit them when I was a child. There isn't one location or old homestead that's been in my direct family line for generations, and I'm probably a pretty normal American in that respect.

So, then, what is home? If you read my profile, you'll read the following:

I consider three locations my "home" and blog frequently about them: Alaska (where I was born and grew up); Michigan (where most of my genealogical research takes place); and Eastern Washington (my residence since 1979).

All three of those places have a piece of my heart in them. Alaska is full of those precious and innocent childhood memories one carries through life...and one small grave of a little boy. Michigan contains happy thoughts of loving grandparents, doting aunts and uncles, and playful cousins, along with the deep, quiet knowledge that generation after generation of family have lived in this peninsula beginning from as early as the 1830s. Washington holds the physical homes of those I hold most dear: my immediate family, my parents, my siblings, my nephews and nieces, an aunt and cousins, numerous in-laws.

The home--or structure--in the photograph above may have been built by my carpenter 2nd-great-grandfather, George Emmett Lewis, who stands alone on the top step of the porch. Whether this was the Lewis home or not, this photograph symbolizes to me the idea of home: it's a place, whether a physical location (the old house or homestead), your memory (thoughts of times gone by), or a place in your heart (love for family and friends). Home is wherever your heart is!

Eastern Washington: A State of Emergency

I've heard a lot of sirens today. We've had high winds all across the Inland Northwest, and they've caused downed trees and power lines. Additionally, there have been a number of fires, both wildfires and incredibly, suspicious structure fires. A three-alarm fire at a business in West Central Spokane was the first big news of the day, in what officials believe was arson. The high winds caused authorities to shut down traffic in the area so that fire crews could contain the flames.

When I went to pick up my daughter from work at 6 PM in North Spokane, we noticed that traffic was at a crawl on the small arterial in front of her workplace. Only an hour earlier, two blocks over on the larger arterial, a motorcyclist had been involved in a head-on collision. He died shortly after. Police had rerouted traffic from that street to the one by my daughter's work while they investigated. In addition, there were four garage fires right by that same street. I am wondering if the motorcycle-automobile collision was caused by rubber-necking drivers who were distracted by emergency crews or vehicles attending to those fires. UPDATE: I was right.

My son, daughter, and I went out to dinner with their uncle's family to celebrate our niece's birthday. As we drove home, we noticed dark clouds of dust? smoke? to the southeast of us, in the Spokane Valley. When we arrived home, there was a message on my answering machine from my sister. She was preparing to evacuate herself and her three young boys because of a wildfire in her neighborhood (that was the smoke we had seen). They were going to her best friend's home, and in her message she said that her cell phone wasn't working too well. I attempted to call her and when I couldn't get through, I called her friend. While I was on the phone with the friend, my sister texted her friend's cell phone and asked her to tell me to call our parents. My sister's cell phone was able to send and receive text messages, but phone service was sketchy. Neither my sister nor I was able to reach our aunt, who lives only a few blocks away from where the fire had started in a gated community at the foot of the Dishman Hills.

I called my parents who live in the mountains north of Colville in Stevens County and spoke with my dad to let him know my sister and nephews were okay and where they were going to stay. He had also been unable to reach my aunt (his sister). He said the power was out at their home and trees were down all over the county. There also had been wildfires here and there around Colville, but they were small ones and nowhere near their home. However, there are wildfires in the area around Kettle Falls, further west.

My children's father, who works out in the valley, called and we discussed the fire near him. It was about three miles southwest of him, so not a danger, but he said there was another small one to the north of his work location.

Next, a friend of my dad's called to ask if my sister and aunt were all right. I updated him on the news and he told me that about a dozen huge trees were down in the city park in Colville. I was able later to view photos of this on one of the local television stations. I was just up in Colville yesterday, speaking to the Northeast Washington Genealogical Society on a beautiful, calm, hot sunny day, and drove by that very park with its stately Ponderosa Pines and Douglas Firs.

At last, I received a text message from my sister as she was leaving her home. She had been watching TV and saw my aunt checking into a local high school which was set up by the Red Cross as an evacuation center. At least four homes have burned in that neighborhood, and of course, we have no idea whose they are. The fire is still out of control, although thankfully, temperatures are dropping as well as the wind. Earlier, a number of firefighters had to use their fire shelters because the firestorm was hopping around so much they couldn't safely retreat.

The governor has declared a state of emergency for Spokane and Ferry Counties, and the Stevens County commissioners have also declared a state of emergency for their county. Thousands are without power from the Canadian border down to close to the Oregon border. Northern Idaho is also suffering fires and winds; portions of Interstate 95 have been closed. Photos and videos of these stores can be viewed at KREM2.

I'm very grateful that all my loved ones are safe.

Wordless Wednesday Rerun: Elenor "Nellie" VREELAND

Source: Lewis, Elenor "Nellie" Vreeland. Photograph. Date unknown. Original photograph in the possession of Jeanne Holst Robbins, Fulton, Texas. 2008.

Some Random Acts of Kindness

If there were an award for "Worst Genealogy Lookup Volunteer," I'm sure I'd be the winner, hands down! With all my computer/Internet problems this spring, coupled with a busy life, I haven't been able to keep up with my lookup requests until recently. Yet I can't blame everything on my busy life; I have a tendency to overcommit, and I'm learning (the hard way) to say no. When a distant cousin on my husband's side asked me if I could build her another website to promote her newest book, I had to turn her down, since I haven't even been able to stay on top of a site I'm currently working on!

All that said, last February, I posted a series on "Random Acts of Kindess" Week, and encouraged my fellow genea-bloggers to post about their contributions. I wanted to report to my readers what I've done, not as a "break-my-arm-in-patting-myself-on-the-back" way, but to give an idea of what giving back to the genealogical community entails. I have been the recipient of so many kindesses, that of course, I want to pay it forward. Perhaps in reading this, others will be inspired to do the same.

First of all, I made a couple of small financial contributions to a couple of favorite genealogy-related websites, because I believe in what they are doing to help out the genealogy community. When I've had to make non-genealogy online purchases recently, I've tried to do them through my fellow genea-bloggers' affiliate stores. I've also tried to remember to click on their various advertisements, although many times, I read blog posts through my Google Reader instead of at the actual blog site.

Secondly, I took some training from Carol Nettles, the volunteer coordinator at the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society. EWGS is creating an index of the Patchen file that will eventually be put on our website. The Patchen file was begun 50 years ago by Lee Patchen, who worked for 20 years, clipping out obituaries from Spokane newspapers and pasting them onto index cards, which were filed in dozens of those old fashioned card catalog drawers. A number of us are adding data from these obits to an Excel file which will eventually allow anyone with Internet access to lookup their ancestor and request a copy of the obituary. So far, I'm about 2/3 of the way through a drawer. I'm a pretty fast typist (keyboardist?) and yet it's taken me about 4 hours to index about one foot of cards (some prep work is involved; there are references to published works mixed in with the obits)! While I have no ancestors buried in this area, I feel this is a great payback to the genealogical community, especially since I've used the wonderful results of such work at the Western Michigan Genealogical Society's databases!

Next, I've taken some random photos of graves at Greenwood Memorial Terrace here in Spokane, and using the Washington State Death Index online at FamilySearch Labs, I've slowly been adding memorial pages to Find A Grave for these individuals. Graves that have caught my eye include Civil War veterans' and the many graves in the old part of the cemetery, which for some reason, is not kept up like the main part. It is very rural-looking, no grass, lots of trees and bushes, and has an old-fashioned feel to it.

Lastly, I've had 11 lookup requests since March 27th, most of which I've fulfilled. Two requested death and cemetery records for Muskegon Co., Michigan (I have access to these on microfilm at my local Family History Center). One of those requests occurred before FamilySearch Labs added images of Michigan Death records from 1867 - 1897 to their site. One of the requests was for a death after the early 1910s, which were not microfilmed, so I gave the requestor the link to the online Muskegon County Death Index and recommended if she found the death listed there, to purchase the record through the county clerk's office, rather than the state department of vital statistics (it's cheaper through the county).

Another individual e-mailed me to ask if I had access to all Michigan marriage records (such as a state index) or just Muskegon County Marriages. I wrote back to tell her it was only the county records. However, just today I wrote again to inform her that Michigan Marriages, 1867 - 1925, are now at the FamilySearch Labs site.

There was a request for four lookups for family members in Greenwood Cemetery in Walker Twp., Kent Co., Michigan. I could not find three that died in 1896 in the index; the death in 1870 occurred before the records were kept (and I believe when the cemetery opened) in 1880. I recommended a local researcher in Kent County who is inexpensive, professional, and thorough, and whom I've used on occasion with excellent results.

Three requests, one through RAOGK and another through Books We Own, asked for burial information at Park Hill Cemetery in Vancouver, Clark Co., Washington. I used to own the burial books for this cemetery, as a large number of my husband's ancestors and relatives are buried there. However, I donated the books to my genie society's upcoming book auction, because the listings are now online. However, I keep my volunteer information available at these websites for this cemetery, because there are many people who are unaware that the burial records are online. I was happy to pass this information on to the three requestors.

I've had three requests for lookups in the microfilmed 1899 City Directory of Washington, DC, which happens to be one of many items on a microfilm that contains Muskegon County, Michigan records. I've fulfilled two of these requests. There is also an unfulfilled request for lookups in the microfilmed Grand Rapids City Directory in the 1860s and 1870s. All of these films are those I've put on permanent loan at my local Family History Center.

Speaking of lookups, Genlighten will soon open has recently opened its website as a place where individuals can connect with low-cost volunteer researchers. Dean Richardson, who Randy mentioned at the Jamboree, has also started a blog for the site. Given my terrible record for looking up records in such an untimely manner, I've not signed up as a researcher, although I am considering it (must finish other commitments, first). I see that DearMYRTLE endorses the site, and I think this will become a wonderful resource for our genealogical community. UPDATE: Dean posted some clarifications and corrections in the comments section of this post. Please take a moment to read these!

I've wanted to do more FamilySearch Indexing, but other commitments, time contraints and my laptop not working well have created challenges in this department.

How am I doing? Not too badly, I hope--except for taking so very long to fulfill lookup requests. I'd like to read posts from other genea-bloggers on their contributions, too, so if you have some, please add your post links to my comments section. Also, be sure to read Renee's Genealogy Blog as she writes about her adventures in FamilySearch Indexing.

Midkiff Genea-Wordle-gy

I'm obsessed...!

Wordle You Like to Know My Surnames?

Blame it on footnoteMaven...

RootsMagic Has a Blog

If you're a fan of RootsMagic software (as I am), you'll be pleased to know that president Bruce Buzbee has begun the RootsMagic blog. Regular readers of genealogy blogs will understand the significance of Bruce's first post, "The RootsMagic 'Insider'," as a play on words regarding a certain genealogy subscription website's blog. In this post, Bruce announces that RootsMagic 4 is "rumored" to be released soon. I'm very excited to hear confirmation of this rumor (I've been hearing about it for a while), and can't wait to purchase the latest version.

I've blogged before about how I used FamilyOrigins for years (my dad found me a copy somewhere), and refused to switch to any other software even after the company went out of business, feeling it was superior to everything else that was being offered. One software company tried to advertise that their software was the "upgrade" from FamilyOrigins simply because they had bought out FamilyOrigins. I wasn't fooled. When RootsMagic started up and took the original FamilyOrigins program and worked to improve and upgrade it, I was sold. They kept all that was good about FamilyOrigins and endeavored to make it the best and easiest-to-use family tree software available on the market, for a reasonable price. Unlike another genealogy software company that shall remain nameless, they don't pump out a new version every one to two years "just because."

Throughout the last couple of years on my blog, I've mentioned how much I love RootsMagic and how wonderful the source wizard is at creating quality citations. It's software I recommend each and every time to all my Online Genealogy students or whenever I'm asked when I'm speaking at a genealogical society. I've seen a number of genealogy bloggers become sold on this software, too, Ruth of Bluebonnet Country Genealogy being the latest.

Even if you're not a RootsMagic user, I hope you'll become a reader of the RootsMagic blog. You'll be sure to learn a lot about the way this software works, as well as upcoming features in the new version, during the next few posts.

The 51st Carnival of Genealogy is Published

Poster created by the footnoteMaven

"Independent Spirit" is the theme of the newly-posted 51st Carnival of Genealogy, hosted by Thomas MacEntee of Destination: Austin Family. Twenty-three genea-bloggers shared a story of a man or woman in their family tree that marched to a different drum or had an independent spirit. My post was "An Independent Man: John WILKINSON, Jr." and can be read here.

The theme of the 52nd Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is "Age" and will be hosted by Lisa at 100 Years in America:

Do you have a member of the family who went to work to support the family while still of a tender age? Someone who accomplished something that was typically done by others beyond his or her years? A couple who married young? A couple with disparate ages? A family member who accomplished something of note at an advanced age? How about family members that lived many years, outlasting many of their relatives and friends?

With the understanding that "age is often a state of mind", share your family story about someone whose story stands out because of their age, either young or old. Submit your blog article for the Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form.

Submissions will be due July 15th.

Happy Independence Day!

The fourth--and my favorite--stanza of The Star-Spangled Banner:

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved home and the war's desolation!

Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

--Francis Scott Key, 1814

Animated graphic from 3D Flags

Ann (WILSON) WESTABY (1822 - 1902)

Source: Westaby, Ann Wilson. Photograph. Date unknown (c. 1870s - 1880s?). Original photograph believed to be in the possession of David Eden, Bushnell, Illinois. 2008.

Ann WILSON was my husband's 3rd-great-grandmother, and of all our English ancestors, one of the most recent immigrant ones. She was born 22 October 1822 (her family Bible says October 21st), probably in Holton Le More, Lincolnshire, England, the seventh of ten or eleven children born to William WILSON and his wife Maria [--?--]. Ann married George Rice WESTABY of Barrow-Upon-Humber, Glanford Brigg, Lincolnshire 12 April 1850 in Glanford Brigg. I've blogged before about how Ann, George, George's brother Charles, a number of WILSONs and some possible relatives, the MILLTHORPEs, arrived in New York City on 22 May 1822 on the Western World. The WESTABYs made their way to Jo Daviess Co., Illinois, where they lived in the Apple River and Woodbine communities.

Ann and George had seven children: Stephen, Thomas William, Wilson, Mary Maria, George Rice (my husband's ancestor, who always went by his middle name), a child who apparently died young, and James. Only four--Stephen, Tom, Wilson, and Rice--survived childhood. However, they raised Ann's grandnephew, Thomas WILSON, born 28 August 1864, whom Ann brought with her to Illinois after a visit to relatives in England sometime before 1878. Thomas' grandfather is not named in The History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois (published 1878 by H.F. Kett & Co., Chicago); he would have had to have been one of Ann's brothers who survived childhood: Thomas, William, or Robert--although, I suppose it's always likely that Ann's grandnephew was the grandson of one of Ann's sisters, perhaps unmarried: Mary, Sarah, Elizabeth, or Maria (who may have been a niece, not a sister of Ann).

I have another digital copy of a photograph of Ann, taken during her elder years. Not a particularly attractive woman to begin with, this photo shows she suffered from female baldness, whether from genetics or ill health:

Source: Westaby, Ann Wilson. Photograph. Date unknown (c. 1890s - 1902?). Original photograph believed to be in the possession of David Eden, Bushnell, Illinois. 2008.

What Ann did leave behind to her son Stephen when she passed away on 10 March 1902 was her family Bible. Recently, a descendant of hers contacted me after seeing family tree information online, which I had posted. He generously scanned the Bible and sent the scans to me on discs. This was a treasure, because it confirmed and/or corrected written family records that had been handed down without citation through the generations to my husband's maternal grandmother. In addition, it provided a residence for Ann's parents (Holton Le More) which we did not have previously.

Source: Westaby, Ann Wilson, Family Bible Records, 1802 - 1878. The New Testament of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. New York: American Bible Society, unknown date. Privately held by David Eden, Bushnell, Illinois. 2008.



Source: Tombstone of Ann (Wilson) Westaby. Thompson Cemetery, Jo Daviess Co., Illinois. Digital photograph taken by Find A Grave photo volunteer Bonnie Sellig. Digital copy in the possession of Miriam Robbins Midkiff, Spokane, Washington. 2001.

Wordless Wednesday Rerun: Ann (WILSON) WESTABY (1822 - 1902)

Source: Westaby, Ann Wilson. Photograph. Date unknown (c. 1870s - 1880s?). Original photograph believed to be in the possession of David Eden, Bushnell, Illinois. 2008.

July Is...

...not a month that has a particular heritage associated with it. However, there are a number of national holidays and a historical celebration during this month:

July 1: Canada Day

July 4 - Independence Day (United States)

July 9: Independence Day (Argentina)

July 14: Bastille Day (France)

July 17 - Constitution Day (South Korea)

July 20: Independence Day ( Colombia)

July 24: Pioneer Day (observed by the State of Utah and members of the LDS church)

Do any of the above events feature in or affect your heritage, culture, or family history?

Carnival Deadlines:

Posted July 4 - 51st Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy - Independent Spirit

Posted July 14 - 3rd Edition of the Smile for the Camera Carnival - Celebrate Home

Posted July 18 - 52nd Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy - Age

Posted July 18 - 9th Edition of the Carnival of Central and European Genealogy - Research Experiences and Techniques

Posted July 28 - 7th Edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture - Summer Reading Challenge

The Cabinet of Curiosities is on summer holiday until September. Tim Abbott is looking for hosts for future editions.

July 1 - Data Backup Day

Ken Spangler of Beyond Fiction shares his close call in "A Very Scary Last Few Days". Don't let this happen to you!


Scanfest: Sunday, July 27th, 11 AM - 2 PM, Pacific Daylight Time

Go here to learn how to join our group of chatting, scanning family archivists, historians, and bloggers!

Go here to add the above deadlines and dates to your Google Calendar, courtesy of Thomas MacEntee of Destination: Austin Family.

An Independent Man: John WILKINSON, Jr.

When Jasia called for posts for the 51st Carnival of Genealogy, I had a little trouble coming up with someone in my family tree who would fit this description AND who was deceased:

With the upcoming July 4th holiday, there is no more perfect time to honor someone from your family whose life can be summed up in one word – INDEPENDENT! Do you have a relative who was feisty, spoke their own mind, was a bit of a free spirit? Anyone who most people might consider a “nut” on the family tree but you know they really just followed a “different tune?”

I can think of a number of independent individuals in my family, all living, and all women--people I truly admire. So I got to thinking, "Were there any men in the family that could have been described as independent or a free spirit?" Well, I don't know for certain, but I think that John WILKINSON, Jr. might have fit the bill. Here's an opportunity for me to highlight another single person in my family tree; too often, it's the direct ancestors, or the relatives who married and had children that get featured in family stories. But those single men and women have their place, too, and contribute to our family histories in diverse, and often profound ways. They often had more freedom to travel, pick up and settle multiple times, and try new experiences than those who had families to support.

The history of John WILKINSON, Jr. begins on 25 March 1879 in what was then Northumberland Co., Ontario, Canada, probably in or near the unincorporated community of South Monaghan, situated halfway between the cities Peterborough and Port Hope in present-day Durham County. He was the fourth of seven children born to John WILKINSON, Sr., a carpenter, and Mahala SAYERS, and the last of their children to be born in Canada before they immigrated to Muskegon County, Michigan in late 1880, successfully avoiding both the 1880 U.S. Federal Census and the 1881 Canadian Census!

There may have been something in John's upbringing that caused him to be independent. His siblings, for the most part, all seemed to be a bit unusual. His oldest sibling, Mary J. WILKINSON, my great-grandmother, seems to have been the most traditional, marrying her husband and having 13 children, a not-so-surprising number in those days. Then came Manley, who married a German immigrant and had 11 children. Not one of those offspring married, except for the youngest, Alvin; and he waited until both his parents were deceased! What was the deal behind that? Next came William James, who moved out west to Washington State for a while. The family history always showed him as single, but I found him in a census with a wife and several children. However, he returned to Michigan to live with his sister until his death. No spouse or children were listed in his obituary. Did he divorce? Catherine seemed fairly typical, but like her brother Manley, married an immigrant from another country (Sweden). She outlived him to marry again. After John came Frederick, who married a woman with a similar name, Fredericka. They moved to Washington State, like William, and lived for quite some time in the community of Freeland, which was started as a utopia for those with socialist sympathies. Ella contributed to the ethnic diversity of the family by marrying an Italian street vendor. And poor little Jennie died young.

We know that John migrated around quite a bit. He homesteaded in the Peace River area near Ft. St. Johns, British Columbia, although my attempts to locate his land have been futile, John Wilkinson being a fairly common name. He also lived in Monroe, Snohomish Co., Washington for a while, with a SAYERS cousin, relatives on his mother's side. I had an opportunity to meet the daughter of this cousin when she was elderly, and she told how she, her siblings, and her cousins loved Cousin John: how they would get into water fights with him when fetching water from the well! My paternal grandfather, a grandnephew of John also had fond stories to tell about how he used to play with the youngsters in the family. He may not have had children of his own, but John apparently loved and was beloved by the little ones in his extended family!

While in Washington State, John enlisted with Co. C. of the 35th Regiment of the U.S. Volunteer Infantry to serve during the Philippine Insurrection, which occurred at the end of the Spanish-American War. Did he become naturalized as part of his enlistment? I don't know. I do think it fits his independent personality that he did not serve in a well-known war, but served in a smaller military venture, instead. When he returned to Michigan, there was no local military fraternal organization specifically for that operation, so he joined the Guy V. Henry Post, Camp 3 of the United Spanish War Veterans in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

During the Depression, he worked as a teamster, and owned a farm in Paris Twp., Kent Co., Michigan, which was worth $9,000--a tidy sum in those days! Paris Township was nowhere near any of his siblings, so unlike many single men of his day, he did not live with a sibling or elderly parents. In the 1940s, he lived in Rothbury, Oceana Co., Michigan, another community away from his siblings. However, he is mentioned in his siblings' obituaries as a survivor, suggesting that although they may have lived apart, there were still good relations between them. These many locations show a man on the move, but a prosperous and apparently happy one.

I have seen one photograph of John. He could be described as handsome, on the shorter side, with dark hair and a mustache. He is standing outside his automobile, dressed in a suit, hat, and long coat. The photograph was taken during the 20s, probably during a visit to his widowed sister and her daughter, who may have taken it. (I wish I still had a copy of it; I scanned it back in my pre-Scanfest days, when I was ignorant of digital storage, and it's now irretrievable. The original in a borrowed scrapbook seems to now be in Texas.)

At this time, I do not know his death location, but he died 6 August 1955 and was buried in the Wilkinson family plot in Oakhurst Cemetery, Whitehall Twp., Muskegon Co., Michigan.

Source: Tombstone of John Wilkinson, Jr. Oakhurst Cemetery, Whitehall Twp., Muskegon Co., Michigan. Digital photograph taken at the request of Miriam Robbins Midkiff by Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness volunteer Toni Falcom. Digital copy in the possession of Miriam Robbins Midkiff, Spokane, Washington. 2002.

What do you think? Was John WILKINSON, Jr. an independent, free spirit? I am certain of it!

Cousins in the News

A couple of weeks ago, when my Internet service was out, I received a large envelope in the mail from my maternal uncle. In it were several news clippings: one from the 1950s about the house he, my aunt, and my mother had lived in with their parents which had been purchased by the government and then moved to make room for an interstate coming through the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The article showed 505 Shamrock along with neighboring homes up on trailers being ready to be transported to their new locations.

The other article is more recent. It features my cousin, Mark, and his wife Annette, and the alternative ministry they operate out of an alcohol-free nightclub (more photos are here). I get The Grand Rapids Press news feeds in my Google Reader, but they pile up fast (30 to 40 a day!), so occasionally I dump them out without reading. Apparently, I missed this when it showed up in April.

I'll be saving this clipping in our family scrapbook for future generations. It's part of our family history.

Meet Elyse

Elyse is a 19-year-old young woman who has made 15 how-to genealogy videos and posted them at YouTube. She seems like a typical teenager: she has a boyfriend, enjoys Harry Potter, and obviously loves being on the computer! Wouldn't it be great if Elyse were a part of your genealogical society? If you have young people in your family that you think would be interested in genealogy, you may wish to introduce them to Elyse's videos. And we not-so-young people can benefit from her "vlogs" (video logs), too!

Hat tip: Robert Ragan

Southern California Genealogical Society's Jamboree

What a difference it has made this year for all of us not being able to attend the Jamboree by having a large number of genea-bloggers in attendance! Have you been tracking the goings-on like I have? I've been following Randy, Craig, Elizabeth, and now Dean as they either live-blog or blog shortly after each segment. With photos and summaries, it's not hard to imagine myself there, enjoying the conference. Maybe next year...!

Guest Blogging at Shades of the Departed

I'm honored to be featured as the guest blogger at footnoteMaven's Shades of the Departed blog this morning. This photography-themed genealogy blog has been a big hit in the genea-blogging world and rightly so. fM brings her expertise as a collector of old photographs, researcher of long-departed professional photographers, and detail for source citations (hence the moniker "footnoteMaven") to this medium. Every Friday, she features a guest post from a genea-blogger sharing some aspect of photography as it relates to genealogy in the column "Friday from the Collectors."

At the 2007 Spring Seminar presented by the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society in Spokane, Washington, I was privileged to meet the Maven face to face and look forward to future opportunities to visit again. Besides her Shades blog, fM has been blogging at her namesake main site for quite some time. She hosts the monthly "Smile for the Camera" Carnival, maintains at least three other genealogy, history, and/or writing blogs for local groups in Western Washington, and is very active in the Washington State Genealogical Society.

I live in the Pacific Northwest and only four of all my hundreds of North American ancestors are buried west of the Mississippi River (one in San Antonio, Texas; one in St. Paul, Minnesota; and two in Oregon's Willamette Valley--eight hours away!). I've been blessed beyond measure by many wonderful volunteers who have taken the time to tromp through my ancestral cemeteries back East and willingly send me what is in many cases the only photographic evidence of my ancestors' lives. Very occasionally, however, a problem will occur. My post is a Miss Manners-style directive on how to address those sticky situations that can arise when you make a request of volunteer genealogy photographers to take pictures of your ancestors' tombstones. It can be found here.

Genealogy Resources on State Government Websites

Did you know that at each of the 50 United States' official government websites there is at least one page of genealogical and historical resources (online and offline) for that particular state?

AND did you know that there is a webpage that list links to all 50 of those sites' resource pages?

Neither did I until today, thanks to Carlie, a local librarian and a participant in my current Basic Online Genealogy class I'm presenting this month at the local county library district.

The webpage of links is located on the United States official government website, www.usa.gov: http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/History_Family/State_Genealogy.shtml

This is one you'll surely want to bookmark!

My Parents' Wedding Photo

Source: Robbins-Valk Wedding, Bride and Groom and Their Parents. Photograph. 25 Jun 1965. Original photograph in the possession of Miriam Robbins Midkiff, Spokane, Washington. 2008.

Growing up--like most little girls, I suppose--I loved to look at my parents' photo album of their wedding. The big 8" x 10" black and white glossies made them look like the movie stars I was sure they were. In addition, there were photos of members of the wedding party--my beloved aunts and uncles whom I rarely saw--and individual shots of my parents with each set of their parents, my grandparents who were like celebrities when they visited us in Alaska from their homes in Michigan.

But I never saw the photograph above until eight years ago, when I visited Michigan last and spent some time with my Grandmother DeVries, who had arranged for my husband, my children, and myself to take a memorable vacation that October. She handed me a miniature photo album filled with forty-four 3" x 4" shots, including the one above, which I had never seen before. It quickly became my favorite, showing my parents, my paternal grandparents, and both sets of my maternal grandparents (my mother's parents having divorced and remarried to other spouses).

From left to right are my paternal grandparents, Robert Lewis ROBBINS (1920 - 2003) and Jeanne Marie HOLST (living; birth name, Jane Marie YORK); my parents, Bryan Henry ROBBINS and Faith Lillian VALK; my maternal grandmother and step-grandfather, Ruth Lillian HOEKSTRA (1919 - 2001) and Adrian DeVRIES (1916 - 2007); my maternal step-grandmother and grandfather, Elaine Estelle SEIF (living) and William VALK (1912 - 1989).

This photograph was taken the evening of 25 June 1965 by Werkema Studio of Grand Rapids, Michigan, in the chapel of my parents' alma mater, Grand Rapids School of the Bible and Music (now a part of Cornerstone University), Crescent Street at Bostwick Avenue.

Wordless Wednesday: Happy 43rd Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Source: Robbins-Valk Wedding, Bride and Groom and Their Parents. Photograph. 25 Jun 1965. Original photograph in the possession of Miriam Robbins Midkiff, Spokane, Washington. 2008.