The following video from Roots Television makes it clear that "you don't have to be a celebrity to trace your roots." Included is a clip from Phyllis Erickson of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
You Can't Ignore the In-Laws - a long lost relatives success story!
Every few weeks, I go through the photo album that belonged to my great-grandmother, Mary (Minnie) Welch Kelly, who began her life in Connecticut and moved to Nebraska as a young woman in her twenties. That photo album, along with her autograph book and the autograph book of her sister, Nellie Welch, gave me the first real clues to the relationships in the Welch family.
An earlier post on this blog back in January shared my success in identifying members of the Garrigus family - one of Minnie's other sisters, Agnes Welch, married Clarence Gregory Garrigus and they had two children, Alfred and Ethel.
Just last weekend, I discovered obituaries of Clarence and Agnes in the Hartford (CT) Courant newspaper. I knew that Clarence was an inventor as I had discovered one of his patent applications online. His obituary states, "With his wife, Mrs. Agnes Welch Garrigus, he developed the Universal Breadmixer in 1903. The couple used their kitchen as a laboratory."
The obituary goes on to say, "During the World Fair in St. Louis, Mo., in 1904, he passed out bread samples made from the recipe of his wife, who used the new mixer."
The bells in my head started to go off and I returned to great-grandmother Minnie's photo album once again.
Far right, Agnes Welch Garrigus with her son, Alfred Garrigus, at the World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri in 1904.
I had previously identified Alfred from two other photographs in the album, so this elegant woman with him in the St. Louis photographs has to be his mother, Agnes Welch Garrigus.
Agnes Welch Garrigus and Alfred Garrigus
This photograph identifies the address of where the photograph was taken, but I haven't been able to determine what it says - yet.
This series of photographs in Minnie's album also includes the man who I believe is Clarence Gregory Garrigus.
Dan Kelly gives Clarence Garrigus a ride.
The photo album also includes photographs of the Garrigus family in Nebraska. I am inferring that the Garrigus family visited Agnes' sister, Minnie Welch Kelly, in Nebraska on the same visit to the West when they attended the World's Fair in St. Louis. In the photo above, my great-grandfather, Dan Kelly (Minnie's husband) is having a bit of fun for the camera by giving his brother-in-law, Clarence Garrigus, a ride in the wheelbarrow.
So - after all of these years, I am able to begin identifying the other family members in Minnie's photo album. And this was because I located the obituary of Clarence Garrigus that told about the 1904 trip to the World's Fair in St. Louis.
Follow all of the leads and clues that come your way - and don't ignore the in-laws!
An earlier post on this blog back in January shared my success in identifying members of the Garrigus family - one of Minnie's other sisters, Agnes Welch, married Clarence Gregory Garrigus and they had two children, Alfred and Ethel.
Just last weekend, I discovered obituaries of Clarence and Agnes in the Hartford (CT) Courant newspaper. I knew that Clarence was an inventor as I had discovered one of his patent applications online. His obituary states, "With his wife, Mrs. Agnes Welch Garrigus, he developed the Universal Breadmixer in 1903. The couple used their kitchen as a laboratory."
The obituary goes on to say, "During the World Fair in St. Louis, Mo., in 1904, he passed out bread samples made from the recipe of his wife, who used the new mixer."
The bells in my head started to go off and I returned to great-grandmother Minnie's photo album once again.
Far right, Agnes Welch Garrigus with her son, Alfred Garrigus, at the World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri in 1904.
I had previously identified Alfred from two other photographs in the album, so this elegant woman with him in the St. Louis photographs has to be his mother, Agnes Welch Garrigus.
Agnes Welch Garrigus and Alfred Garrigus
This photograph identifies the address of where the photograph was taken, but I haven't been able to determine what it says - yet.
This series of photographs in Minnie's album also includes the man who I believe is Clarence Gregory Garrigus.
Dan Kelly gives Clarence Garrigus a ride.
The photo album also includes photographs of the Garrigus family in Nebraska. I am inferring that the Garrigus family visited Agnes' sister, Minnie Welch Kelly, in Nebraska on the same visit to the West when they attended the World's Fair in St. Louis. In the photo above, my great-grandfather, Dan Kelly (Minnie's husband) is having a bit of fun for the camera by giving his brother-in-law, Clarence Garrigus, a ride in the wheelbarrow.
So - after all of these years, I am able to begin identifying the other family members in Minnie's photo album. And this was because I located the obituary of Clarence Garrigus that told about the 1904 trip to the World's Fair in St. Louis.
Follow all of the leads and clues that come your way - and don't ignore the in-laws!
NBC Renews Who Do You Think You Are for another season
From NBC:
"Who Do You Think You Are?" from executive producer Lisa Kudrow is averaging a 1.6 rating, 6 share in adults 18-49 and 6.8 million viewers overall in "most current" results for its season thus far. In preliminary results for last Friday, "Who Do You Think You Are?" won the 8-9 p.m. ET hour in adults 18-49, marking the first time any regular competitor in this slot has beaten an original episode of CBS's "Ghost Whisperer" in 18-49 rating since November 17, 2006. "Who Do You Think You Are?" has improved the time period by 23 percent in adult 18-49 rating versus NBC's average for the traditional 2008-09 season in "live plus same day" results.
If you've missed any of the episodes of "Who Do You Think You Are," you may view them here.
"Who Do You Think You Are?" from executive producer Lisa Kudrow is averaging a 1.6 rating, 6 share in adults 18-49 and 6.8 million viewers overall in "most current" results for its season thus far. In preliminary results for last Friday, "Who Do You Think You Are?" won the 8-9 p.m. ET hour in adults 18-49, marking the first time any regular competitor in this slot has beaten an original episode of CBS's "Ghost Whisperer" in 18-49 rating since November 17, 2006. "Who Do You Think You Are?" has improved the time period by 23 percent in adult 18-49 rating versus NBC's average for the traditional 2008-09 season in "live plus same day" results.
If you've missed any of the episodes of "Who Do You Think You Are," you may view them here.
Nebraska State Genealogical Society meeting a success!
The 33rd annual conference of the Nebraska State Genealogical Society was held in Norfolk this weekend. Excellent sessions providing tips for finding your long lost relatives were given by Paula Stuart-Warren. Paula was a captivating speaker who held everyone's attention for two full days. Jeff Kappeler of the Nebraska Humanities Council presented an informative and entertaining lecture on what life was like for our immigrant ancestors.
The conference ended with a trip to Prospect Hill Cemetery for a demonstration of grave witching by Judy Carlson. With her two copper rods, Judy showed how she is able to determine the location of graves, if the deceased is male or female, and sometimes, the age of a child. I'm not one of the skeptics and I believe everyone found her demonstration quite interesting!
Judy Carlson demonstrates Grave Witching at the Prospect Hill Cemetery in Norfolk, Nebraska. Behind her (light green pullover) is conference speaker Paula Stuart-Warren.
The conference ended with a trip to Prospect Hill Cemetery for a demonstration of grave witching by Judy Carlson. With her two copper rods, Judy showed how she is able to determine the location of graves, if the deceased is male or female, and sometimes, the age of a child. I'm not one of the skeptics and I believe everyone found her demonstration quite interesting!
Judy Carlson demonstrates Grave Witching at the Prospect Hill Cemetery in Norfolk, Nebraska. Behind her (light green pullover) is conference speaker Paula Stuart-Warren.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Honoring Arbor Day in Nebraska
Arbor Day was created by J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska in 1872. It was a day to be set aside for planting trees.
Check out the interactive history book about Arbor Day on the Arbor Day Foundation website and Mr. Morton's diary entry for Arbor Day in his journal on the Nebraska State Historical Society web site.
Check out the interactive history book about Arbor Day on the Arbor Day Foundation website and Mr. Morton's diary entry for Arbor Day in his journal on the Nebraska State Historical Society web site.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)