As a child, I loved hearing stories about my Mom’s childhood. Her exciting tales often made me laugh, while some made me wonder how she survived childhood at all. I believed she must have had wild angels watching over her, and I thought my Mama possessed just a wee bit of Irish luck. Still, one story she told made me shudder whenever she recounted it.
Continue reading “Out of Nowhere”
On a chilly Friday afternoon on October 24, 1997, snow began falling in Penrose, Colorado. By evening, winds blew and whistled around our home on Garden Drive. Icy temperatures dropped to the teens, but the wood stove in our home kept the place warm and cozy. With news of the impending storm, I stocked my home with groceries, stacked wood near the back door, and, of course, rented several movies to help us pass the time. My daughter and I settled in to wait out the developing storm. Continue reading “One for the Road”
The morning of my adventure, the day had dawned like all the others. Across the vast horizon, the sun slowly rose to its place of honor. The golden orb reflected rays of light that painted the desert in warm, vibrant colors. A cloudless blue sky stretched across the skyline then suddenly tipped and touched the rugged, open lands. Nearby an elderly Navaho woman shouted ancient commands to her dogs as she moved her herd of sheep and goats to precious grazing grounds. Another breathtaking morning had dawned on the Navaho Reservation in Chinle, Arizona. Continue reading “The Adventure: Canyon de Chelly”
This week’s challenge was to write about a story that hits close to home, so this week I wanted to write about my grandchildren. While, technically, I am not writing about an ancestor, I just could not pass this opportunity to share about each one, for they brighten my world. And it’s for them that I started this blog. Continue reading “Close to Home and Close to my Heart”
Who wouldn’t love a grandfather that chased pirates, battled ship-stealing marauders, and avenged the lives of friends and neighbors?
Who wouldn’t love a grandfather that loved the sea? Who wouldn’t love a grandfather that chased pirates, battled ship-stealing marauders, and avenged the lives of friends and neighbors? My 12x great grandfather was an adventurous man who sailed to a new land and cultivated a corner of this world and called it his own. On March 20, 1630, John Gallup left Plymouth, England on the John and Mary, and ten weeks later he arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. After he arrived, he set his sights on the lands around the Boston Harbor, and there he made his home. Continue reading “John Gallup ~ My Seafaring Grandfather”
The town of Cherryvale was nestled among the gentle sloping hills of southeastern Kansas. The town was aptly named for wild cherry trees bloomed every spring and an outpouring of wildflowers graced the landscape. By 1886, the railroad boom provided an atmosphere of adventure as this town began growing. The St. Louis-San Francisco Railway along with the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway had laid its tracks into this upcoming hamlet. Many businesses flourished and helped establish this developing area. Cherryvale had its own privately owned fire station. The town had six different brick factories; so many streets, sidewalks and buildings were built from sun-dried bricks. The city made use of the natural gas from the oil fields, for it was an inexpensive source of fuel. Electric streetcars ran the course of Main Street and provided access to the local businesses. Cherryvale had a bank, churches, and a school. This growing community boasted three newspapers, The Herald and the Cherryvale Torch, and the Cherryvale Republican. It even had its very own opera house. The population had grown to about 2400, and life flourished in Cherryvale.
Continue reading “Finding Annie Part Two”
The camera only captured a glimpse of her…
Since I began researching my family tree, one great grandmother has eluded me. This great grandmother, Anna Strassburg, has initiated many restless nights as I have tried exploring her life. She has haunted me as I have searched record after record and web site after website. I have always wanted to learn more about her, but for a long time, it appeared that Annie just vanished. Once she left her home in Cherryvale, Kansas and arrived in Colorado, all trails ended in Gunnison. Continue reading “Finding Annie – Part One”
My writing challenge for the year stems from this challenge by Amy Crow Johnson. Several months ago, I came across her family history site, No Story Too Small.
Although the challenge took place two years ago, I decided to follow the selections for this upcoming year. I am excited! Letting the writing begin!
Christmas Joy? Bah Humbug! (21 Dec 2016)
1. Fresh Start ~ Crossing Paths with Anne Bradstreet (1 Jan 2017)
2. King ~ The King’s Daughters (6 Jan 2017)
Filles du Roi (6 Jan 2017)
Chrétien, Madeleine Madeleine Chrétien: Filles du Roi
Damise, Claude Claude Damise: Filles du Roi
Deshays, Marie Marie Deshays: Filles du Roi
Faucheaux, Jeanne Jeanne Faucheaux: Filles du Roi
Fressel, Jeanne Jeanne Fressel: Filles du Roi
Lagou, Marie-Anne Marie Anne Lagou: Filles du Roi Marie Anne Lagou: A New Life in New France
Moisan, Francoise Francoise Moisan: Filles du Roi
Peuvrier, Marguerite Marguerit Peuvrier: Filles du Roi
Pillard, Catherine Catherine Pillard: Filles du Roi
Prat, Claud Claud Prat: Filles du Roi
Toussaint, Jeanne Jeanne Toussaint: Filles du Roi
3. Tough Women ~ Finding Annie – Part One (12 Jan 2017)
4. Ploughing Through ~ Finding Annie ~ Part 2 (21 Jan 2017)
5. Closest to Your Birthday ~ Birthday Celebrations (24 Jan 2017)
6. So Far Away ~ My Seafaring Grandfather ~ John Gallup (10 Feb 2017)
7. Love ~ Grandma’s Cottage (11 Feb 2017)
8. Good Deeds ~ General James Cudworth: A Man of Conviction (20 Feb)
9. Close to Home and Close to my Heart (25 Feb 2017)
10. Stormy Weather ~ One for the Road (10 Mar 2017)
11. Luck of the Irish ~ Out of Nowhere (10 Mar 2017)
12 Same ~ Marie Anne Lagou: A New Life in New France (27 Mar 2017)
13. Different ~ Denial (1 Apr 2017)
14. Favorite Photo ~ Favorite Family Photos (1 Apr 2017)
15. How do you Spell That? ~ Le What? (7 Apr 2017)
16. Live Long ~ Mary Buzzard Hupp: Colonial Wife and Mother (23 Apr 2017)
17. Prosper ~ And to Think, it all Started with a Mouse! (25 Apr 2017)
18. Where There’s a Will ~ Heroine of Buffalo Creek Valley: Anne Rowe Hupp (13 May 2017)
19. There’s a Way ~ The Road to Freedom: Abolitionists, Levi and Catharine Coffin (25 May 2017)
20. Black Sheep ~ The Preacher’s Son (5 June 2017)
21. Military ~ Heroes and Patriots
22. New Beginnings ~ New Beginnings: Hamtramck, Michigan (9 June 2017)
23. Wedding ~ Wedding Bells (10 Jun 2017)
24. Heirloom ~ The Elf on the Shelf (14 Jun 2017)
25. The Old Homestead ~ No Place Like Home (16 June 2017)
26. Halfway ~ Elva Marie Bryant Allen: Grandma’s Timeline (17 Jun 2017)
227. Independent ~ The Adventures of Philip Hupp (25 June 2017)
28. Road Trip ~ The UnExpected Road Trip: Birthday Surprise Party (4 Aug 2017)
29. Musical ~ Sweet Sounds (19 Apr 2017)
30. Challenging ~ Elva Marie Bryant Allen: Grandma’s Timeline (17 Jun 2017; Updated 6 Jul 2017)
31. Easy ~ Uncle Walter (24 Sept 2017)
32. 32 ~ Clarissa Amelia (23 Sept 2017)
33. In place of Defective, Dependent & Delinquent ~ The Mysterious Tombstone (1 Aug 2017)
34. In place of Non-Population ~ The Toothbrush (1 Aug 2017)
35. School Days ~ Anything But Math! (8 Oct 2017)
36. Working for a Living ~ Motherhood — All for Family (26 Nov 2017)
37. Large Family ~ Yours, Mine and Ours — 20 Kids! (15 Oct 2017)
38. Favorite Place ~ Finding my Way Home (22 Oct 2017)
39. Unusual ~ The Ghost on Lincoln Avenue (29 Oct 2017)
40. October ~ in place of ~ Crossing a River (19 Jan 2018)
41. Colorful Ancestor ~ Our Little Terror (24 Oct 2017)
42 Proud. ~ A Man of Character (8 Nov 2017)
43 Oops ~ Rest in Peace Grandma Rebecca: When Research Goes Awry (22 Oct. 2017)
44. Frightening ~ The Haunting of Salem (27 Oct 2017)
45. Free ~ The Ghost on Lincoln Avenue (29 Oct 2017
46. Changes ~ Singing With Mama (10 Nov 2017)
47. Sporting ~ Partners In Crime (7 Dec 2017)
48. Thankful ~ My Daughter, My Blessing (21 Nov 2017)
49. Holidays ~ Santa’s Blunder (7 Dec 2017)
50. Naughty ~ Confessions of a Imp (23 Nov 2017)
51. Nice ~ David’s Gift (24 Dec 2017)
52. Resolution ~ My Tales — A Writing Challenge to Preserve Family Memories
53. Looking Back: A Review of 2017
The other day, after digging through some old papers, I came across some assignments from a poetry class that I took in college. Today, I found a poem in which I had to take a conversation and turn it into a poem. This assignment did bring tears to my eyes because I used my mom as my subject. Until today, I had forgotten about that conversation about her life on the ranch with her family.
Continue reading “Life Was Simple”
Too often life becomes hectic, and we forget to slow down and enjoy sweet moments along the way, especially at this time of the year. As a gramma, I have started this blog to preserve our family tree. But suddenly it occurred to me that I also need to capture and record our little stories that brighten our day. So here I go…one of my many special moments with my youngest grandson, Jaxon.
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“There are two lasting bequests we can give our children: One is roots, the other is wings.” Teaching children values and giving them the opportunity to excel is essential to good parenting. However, I feel I must also provide my children (and myself) insight into the ones who came before us: our ancestors whose lives and stories have shaped us into who we are. This is my journey; these are their stories…
~creating a legacy through story genealogy
Tales of a Family 