A new season of "Who Do You Think You Are?" starts on Friday, February, 3rd. Can't wait!
This season includes Martin Sheen, Helen Hunt, Rob Lowe, Reba McIntyre, Blair Underwood, Rita Wilson, and an NFL Football player. I'm not much into football but my hubby is so he'll watch that one for sure.
Mark your calendar for 8pm on the 3rd. I'm setting my DVR to record.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Write it down! Blog it!
If there is anything that I've learned in blogging about my family history, my roots, and genealogy, is the absolute importance of writing things down. That is the point of this blog.
This lesson is not a strange concept in my Flanagan Family. My ancestor, Richard Flanagan started writing things down in the farm account books in 1773 in Termonfeckin, Louth, Ireland. The fact that those books were retained by the family is probably a bit of a miracle. To his credit he must have set the trend in the family. His son, Patrick Flanagan, continued with the farm account books. The importance of the written word was not lost on Patrick's children or his grandchildren.
From Richard Flanagan (my 5th great grandfather) to his great grandson, Patrick Flanagan (my great great grandfather), there is an evident tradition in the ability and desire to write things down. While my great great grandfather, Patrick, may have been a pretty busy farmer in Napa, California, information still flowed home to Ireland from another source. Michael Flanagan, Patrick's brother, wrote letters and kept a diary in which he wrote of the events and experiences of his life.
Michael Flanagan is definitely a huge inspiration for me. Just to sit and read some of his letters is quite moving and motivation for me to continue blazing my family tree and "writing" it all down.
Whether my writing appeals to a wide range of readers or just to a select few relatives, I find that the torch has been passed to me. Instead of having to pull out a typewriter like my grandfather's sister, Ellen Maxwell Flanagan, I can easily and quickly type my thoughts and post them here. Aunt Ellen blazed away on our family tree with more of an emphasis on the McLaughlin side of our family. I now understand her desire to find our family roots and have taken all of it on.
My hobby is sometimes a bit of an addiction but not yet an obsession. Maybe someday this can become a full time job for me. I've got to win that lottery!
This lesson is not a strange concept in my Flanagan Family. My ancestor, Richard Flanagan started writing things down in the farm account books in 1773 in Termonfeckin, Louth, Ireland. The fact that those books were retained by the family is probably a bit of a miracle. To his credit he must have set the trend in the family. His son, Patrick Flanagan, continued with the farm account books. The importance of the written word was not lost on Patrick's children or his grandchildren.
From Richard Flanagan (my 5th great grandfather) to his great grandson, Patrick Flanagan (my great great grandfather), there is an evident tradition in the ability and desire to write things down. While my great great grandfather, Patrick, may have been a pretty busy farmer in Napa, California, information still flowed home to Ireland from another source. Michael Flanagan, Patrick's brother, wrote letters and kept a diary in which he wrote of the events and experiences of his life.
Michael Flanagan is definitely a huge inspiration for me. Just to sit and read some of his letters is quite moving and motivation for me to continue blazing my family tree and "writing" it all down.
Whether my writing appeals to a wide range of readers or just to a select few relatives, I find that the torch has been passed to me. Instead of having to pull out a typewriter like my grandfather's sister, Ellen Maxwell Flanagan, I can easily and quickly type my thoughts and post them here. Aunt Ellen blazed away on our family tree with more of an emphasis on the McLaughlin side of our family. I now understand her desire to find our family roots and have taken all of it on.
My hobby is sometimes a bit of an addiction but not yet an obsession. Maybe someday this can become a full time job for me. I've got to win that lottery!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
A Good Day for Genealogy
Today, could actually be the coldest day of the year for the Sacramento Valley in California. I woke up to 20 degree weather. While the sun is shining, the grass is coated with white. As my children would say, Jack Frost visited us last night as he has every night since around the end of December. Even at 9am, it's only 23F (-5C) degrees. Brrrrrrr!
How does this relate to genealogy? Well, not much except to shed some light on why my ancestors came Northern California and to give me a great reason to stay inside today and work on my research.
My ancestors certainly knew a good thing. Northern California has upwards of 10 months of growing season with 2 months off. If you are in Southern California, there is no time off because of the much warmer weather. That time off also gives the soil and plants their dormancy required for some great crops in the Spring. Now, if we'd just get some of our typical winter rain. It's pretty dry out there right now.
So, on these cold days, gardening is out and genealogy is in. I am not setting much in the way of goals for today but I do have a bit of information to look over relating to my Vienop line.
Happy researching to all!
How does this relate to genealogy? Well, not much except to shed some light on why my ancestors came Northern California and to give me a great reason to stay inside today and work on my research.
My ancestors certainly knew a good thing. Northern California has upwards of 10 months of growing season with 2 months off. If you are in Southern California, there is no time off because of the much warmer weather. That time off also gives the soil and plants their dormancy required for some great crops in the Spring. Now, if we'd just get some of our typical winter rain. It's pretty dry out there right now.
So, on these cold days, gardening is out and genealogy is in. I am not setting much in the way of goals for today but I do have a bit of information to look over relating to my Vienop line.
Happy researching to all!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
When There Were Trees In Ireland
When there were trees in Ireland animals could run through the forest fleeing from a predator or chasing prey.
When there trees in Ireland children could climb to their hearts content and chase butterflies off branches as they flew scattering away.
When there were trees in Ireland
I started writing this (and have not yet finished as that will be for another day) when I recently read something about a tree planting program in Ireland. There really aren't a lot of trees there as there probably were in ancient times. Most of the trees were cut down and used for various things like fuel, buildings, farm implements, furniture, and you name it.
Not unlike the United States, especially in the "West", Ireland is replanting trees hundreds of years after they were taken down and used. Here in California, we are working to replant trees only 50-100 years after they were taken down and used. We continue to take them down but there are tree planting programs and "tree-huggers" all over this fine state to encourage replacement of the trees and preservation of the forest.
I just had to make note of this for future reference in my online diary here at blogspot.com.
When there trees in Ireland children could climb to their hearts content and chase butterflies off branches as they flew scattering away.
When there were trees in Ireland
I started writing this (and have not yet finished as that will be for another day) when I recently read something about a tree planting program in Ireland. There really aren't a lot of trees there as there probably were in ancient times. Most of the trees were cut down and used for various things like fuel, buildings, farm implements, furniture, and you name it.
Not unlike the United States, especially in the "West", Ireland is replanting trees hundreds of years after they were taken down and used. Here in California, we are working to replant trees only 50-100 years after they were taken down and used. We continue to take them down but there are tree planting programs and "tree-huggers" all over this fine state to encourage replacement of the trees and preservation of the forest.
I just had to make note of this for future reference in my online diary here at blogspot.com.
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