Cade Cemetery in Streetman, Texas - StoppingPoints.com

Cade Cemetery in Streetman, Texas - StoppingPoints.com

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Making Family Heirlooms Accessable

Today, I was walking into the grocery store and there in front was a group of Shriners taking donations for their hospitals in Texas.  I walked up and donated because I know what a wonderful job their hospitals do.  I also asked whether my mason's apron would be viewable by the public if I were to donate it to them.  I received a resounding yes that anyone could go see it if desired at the museum in Waco.  I will be donating it to  the Masonic Grand Lodge in Waco, TX, which has a Library (that does genealogical research or allows you to do the research yourself) and a Museum,in December. I am excited that it will be available for any family member who desires to go to see it, because I can not always be available when others would like to make their visit.  This is a good thing.

Keeping Up With Pedigree Changes

I work with the New Family Search program which shares information with others and they can change and add to your pedigree.  At first I was very perturbed (that word probably dates me), then I understood the dynamics of the process and how it actually related to real life and personal perceptions of a family. Now I actually am enjoying the working together and how it widens your knowledge.

I made the picture above to demonstrate how my perceptions of this family has grown as others have shared their information with me otherwise, I would have been stuck, as I really am on some of this family, seeing them as youth never grown up.  I love finding out what happened to the members of the family.  Where they went, if they had children and what life held for them.  It is a wonderful adventure.

Reaching Across The Gulf Of Time

I spent the other day cruising through the website "Find a Grave".  I have contributed pictures for people from my area, but had not really searched and looked at the website itself.  I was excited to find the grave of my ancestor in Savannah, Georgia from the Colonial times.  I had heard about it from several different members of the family who had been able to visit it and was always sad I could not go there myself.  As I was reading the site, I realized it was not a family member who had presented the photograph, but a kind person who was assisting in building virtual cemetries yards.  Finally, I saw the call for someone to sponsor the page so it was not an advertisement.  The cost was not great and I thought, I never knew this ancestor, but she and her son and her grandson had had a huge effect on my family.  I decided, I must sponsor this site to let others know that she was a loved and cared for woman.  So many of graves of our ancestors from the 1800's and before are not remembered any longer, partially because we live so far away from where our origins were. 
I am thankful to those who conceived the idea of a virtual cemetery and made it possible for those of us far away to pay our respects to our kindred dead.   Sophia Sellick Gildon's Memorial

First You Have to Look to Find The Treasure

This week has been an awesome week for treasure hunting and finds beyond what was sought.  A sweet friend of mine who was intimidated by reaching out to try and find the real ancestor, sat down with me and we went on a hunt together.  At the end of two days of looking at all the possibilities, and offerings, we pinpointed her ancestor as well as back 3 generations.  She sat back and sighed and said "you just have to stand back and look at the big picture."  Ancestry was invaluable for comparing census, and family trees as well as Family Search.

 Now she is taking the next step.  She is emailing the

 people who have posted their trees and is filled with hope she will quickly get feed back and find the biggest treasure in the ancestor hunt...extended family.  Many time it is just a small clue or feeling "impressed" to pick up a book, that sends you down the path to the hidden treasures.

My personal experience was enhanced by finding proof of an ancestor in the land records when looking for a different ancestor.  All long term researchers have their moments of A HA!

Wordless Wednesday

The picture defines the need

The Coveted Treasure Chest

My wonderful grandmother (marked with the bow) always had a trunk.  I loved going into it to see what she had for me to look at.  When she died, she left the trunk to me.  My Aunt Lynn had saved it.  She took out all the pictures and misc items that my grandmother had always kept in it, and stored it in the barn until I had a home.  I was glad of the help because in a one bedroom apartment there isn't any room. 
Then I received the bad news.  A lightening storm had hit and the barn had burned to the ground along with my trunk.  I was very saddened.  The wonderful part was my aunts foresight.  She brought me wrapped in a box the contents, the pictures above and other items, of my beloved trunk.  I was thankful for that.  I used elements from  http://kreationsbysparky-lori.blogspot.com
Contact:  Lori Cobb - sparkyllc1@sbcglobal.net to try my hand at creating a backdrop for some of my treasures from my lost chest.