It is difficult for me to write about my mother. She will forever be a multi-faceted, precious gem of constantly changing hue. She could “fish the brook” behind my grandmother’s house in silk stockings as easily as she could drive a bulk truck beneath the harvester, her thick hair bound in a satin kerchief.
They say, be careful what you wish for, because you might just get it. Unfortunately, that’s as true in genealogy as elsewhere. When my family and I started on our quest, our wish was to quickly find our ancestral roots to get back the “old country.” What we hadn’t taken into account was the fact that once you start using records from another country, they stop writing in English! Yikes!
Lesson No. 12: You may one day experience the “mean girl” syndrome and even if it breaks your heart, do not let it break your spirit.
Local high school athletes take to the baseball and softball diamonds this week as another sports season gets under way. The start of any new sports season comes with the hopes and wonderment of what lies ahead for the student athletes.
Will the new year bring a championship to one of our local teams? Will the regular contenders continue to have success or will some new group rise to the challenge? Who will step up and provide key leadership when it is needed most?
The last two school districts in southern Aroostook County are on the verge of eliminating a time-honored tradition. It seems like every few years, the notion of discontinuing the harvest break comes up for discussion.
It was a humid day in mid-August and I was visiting with my cousin Peggy, who lived on a farm on the outskirts of Caribou. Beneath our feet, a fine layer of hay and dry corn decorated the barnyard floor like long forgotten confetti. As was customary, we were on the edge of some sort of adventure; bored with constant days of bright sun and muggy, sleepless nights.
Most people who have been doing genealogy for a while begin to accumulate books and other resources that we have found in our search. The truly lucky ones will also have a few genealogies relating to their own families that someone else has already published.
From the moment I was told that I had rectal cancer, I have been consumed with guilt. I have asked myself a million times why? Why did I fail to have a colonoscopy at the age of 50? Why did I convince myself that cancer would never invade my life?
The Census is arguably the most valuable tool for genealogical research. The census was taken every 10 years since 1790, becoming particularly helpful in 1850 when every household member was enumerated, and even more so in 1880 when relationships were finally asked. As I write this, I am eagerly awaiting the public release of the 1940 census. (Census data cannot be viewed by the public until 72 years after it is taken.)
