Genie Road Trip

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer and I plan to celebrate the season on the blog.

So, my photo of the week goes back to a beach with my Great Great Grandmother, Flora Jane Packer, and her pseudo-older brother–George William Garbutt. I have yet to figure out if she was fostered, adopted, or mysteriously related to the Garbutts but there’s no ignoring the ties between her, the Garbutts and the Packer family.

I am not sure whether this one is taken in Ontario or Michigan… but don’t they look all comfy lounging on the beach?

Happy hunting,

Jess

P.s. I’m always looking to hear from relatives but if there are any Garbutt researchers in particular, drop me a line!

To all the many who didn’t make it back home and the families they left behind. We remember.

In my family that includes:

Two of my first cousins thrice removed…

Lt. Eugene Robert Baker, 370^th and 401^st Fighter Squadrons of the U.S. Air Corps, the son of Ethan Rex and Grace (Van Vyven) Baker—named for his grandfather (and my 3rd Great Grandfather), Eugene Smith Baker. He was killed in action 13 Aug 1944 in Chartres, France.

Sgt. Robert S. Baker, Co M 119^th Infantry 30^th Division, the son of Hollis Lapham and Nora (Beers) Baker, died 13 Sep 1944 also in France.

And my 3rd Great Grand Uncle, Americus G. Holden, Co H, 21^st Infantry Regiment of Michigan, the son of Charles and Sarah (Skiff) Holden. He was sent home sick from his post in Tennessee and died of his illness 30 Aug 1864.

All three have military headstones at Rockford Cemetery, Rockford, Michigan.

Happy hunting,

Jess

P.s. I made a large error at the end there… Americus Holden is buried in Courtland Cemetery. Thank you for the correction, Carole!

It is time for picnics, parks, and playing outside.

This was at a gathering including both sides of my family (the Detroit side and the Kent Co, MI side) in Lansing, MI. Evidently their version of playing outside is backgammon. These are two of my Trotter uncles—Chris and Eric—and my Great Uncle Louis Johnson.

Happy hunting,

Jess

Michigan weather! Spring might be back tomorrow and there’s a chance of summer at the end of the week, which is a nice switch from the frigid temperatures through the weekend. Who’s ready for the beach? They are!

These are my 2nd great grandparents Flora Jane (Massy) and Cornelius Packer. I’m not sure who the person is over Cornelius’s right shoulder. They all look very proper sitting in the sand sometime in the nineteen teens or early 1920s and my guess is that this is either Grand Haven or Pere Marquette Park on Lake Michigan…. but as noted I’ll take corrections. Anyone out there recognize the background?

Happy hunting,

Jess

No matter how much progress I have made in my family research I continue to enjoy attending the annual Lansing History Center’s annual Family History Seminar. I find it useful for the variety of presentations and presenters—in fact I have knowingly repeated a couple of courses because I figure either I or the presenters are in a different place in our research and I’ll get something new out of it. I also find it interesting as a presenter to see what works for other instructors. And I always, always come away with new sites to play with, new ideas, and a refreshed outlook for my research.

This year’s seminar was no exception. On Saturday I attended presentations on Scottish research, Ontario border crossings, Irish research pre-1860, and one on ways to interest children in genealogy. The Scottish class gave me a long list of new sites to play with which I want to use to track down Harry Alison’s line. The border crossings class is one I’m pretty sure I’ve taken before but now I have more information about my Ontario family and I have a better feel for who I should be looking for in the records. The Irish research class was packed full of information and ideas that I still need to work through, but I think it will help me add some depth to our Massy and Byrne lines.

And finally the class on ideas for interesting younger generations in family history was reassuring in that it covered a lot of the ideas we’d played with at work when discussing youth genealogy programming. Also, it reinforced my ideas for “corrupting” my nephews and niece.

Add to all that, I had a lovely lunch at a table with a number of presenters and took an hour to do some research in the Family History Center where I took advantage of some of their premium databases—I’ve got to get down there to research more often.

It was a great experience and I would highly recommend it almost regardless of your research level. Hope to see you next year!

Happy hunting,

Jess

For Mom… Thank you, for more than I can say!!!

I had to be under the age of two in this shot. Mom was probably a good 10 years younger than I am now, which is a little funny to get my head around.

And again it’s one of those shots where nothing looks the same anymore if you were to stand in the same spot and take a picture–I’m not even sure if the house behind my parents’ is still yellow.

Happy hunting,

Jess

It’s my annual nod… If I do it to everyone else around their birthday then I must be fair and post my own kid pictures around mine.

Another one of those fine (dated) fashion and design shots.

A) My mom owned knee high boots (thigh high on me)… and she let me borrow them.

B) There is nothing in the visible section of my parents’ kitchen or living room that looks like this anymore. No red shag, no wooden captain’s chairs, or dark brown anything.  The tiles were swapped out and the runners have changed. It’s almost like a whole different—and significantly lighter—house.

C) What is it with kids and big people’s shoes?

Happy hunting,

Jess

Seriously… what can I say. 1970s fashion at it’s best? Look at those ruffles!

This is my Uncle Michael dressed for Prom. His was the third child after my dad and third to last of my Grandparents large family. He was also unfortunately the first to pass, in 1993.

Happy hunting,

Jess