Sepia Saturday 149–Recife, Brazil ~ A Vintage Postcard

Sepia Saturday provides an opportunity for genealogy bloggers to share their family history through photographs.

Well, I'm taking you on a virtual trip to Brazil again today!  This vintage postcard of Recife, Brazil is a far cry from the somewhat sad scene of today’s Sepia Saturday photo prompt (shown at the bottom of this post).

It does, however, show a woman near a body of water.  But that is where the similarity ends.  This postcard is part of my Grandpa Debs Webster’s collection of vintage postcards.

Recife, Brazil Vintage Postcard

Back of Recife, Brazil Vintage Postcard

In case you are wondering just where Recife is located within Brazil, here's a map ~

GoogleMaps.com
Click to Enlarge

According to Wikipedia.org,

Recife (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁeˈsifi] ( listen), Reef) is the sixth-largest^[1] metropolitan area in Brazil with 3,743,854 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the North/Northeast Regions, the 5th-largest metropolitan influence area in Brazil, and the capital and largest city of the state of Pernambuco. The population of the city proper was 1.555.039 in 2012.^[2]

Recife is located where the Beberibe River meets the Capibaribe River to flow into the Atlantic Ocean. It is a major port on the Atlantic Ocean. Its name is an allusion to the coral reefs that are present by the city's shores. The many rivers, small islands and over 50 bridges found in Recife city center characterize its geography and gives it the moniker of the "Brazilian Venice."

And now...sit back, relax, and enjoy the sights of Recife, Brazil.

To see what other Sepia Saturday participants have written today, just click HERE.




Thanks for reading!

Jana


Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Follow Friday–Fab Finds for October 26, 2012

My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order) -

1. Want more cousins to visit your genealogy blog? by Blogging Genealogy
2. And Now We Are Two: My Blogiversary by A Sense of Family
3. He Really Was There by A Family Tapestry
4. Gasp! GENEALOGY TREASURE! by TWIGS and TREES
5. Bounce Rates High? Why? by Pro Blogger
6. European Private Equity Firm to Purchase Ancestry.com by Genealogy Insider
7. Mystery Monday: Part 4 Man on the Run - Annie Found AND DAR - Gathering Documents by Jollett etc.
8. Official Announcement of FamilySearch Family Tree on the way by Genealogy’s Star
9. Digital Collections ~ FamilySearch Wiki by Family History with the Lineagekeeper
10. Santa Claus for Sepia Saturday 148 by Boekerietje
11. Here’s my take on 99 Genealogy Things by Cindy Freed’s Genealogy Circle
12. Uncle Alfred's Treasured Papers by Grace and Glory
13. Thankful Thursday: the Iowa GenWeb Project by Branch and Leaf…a family history blog
14. DAR Library Launches New Series of Revolutionary War Research Source Guides by Little Bytes of Life
15. Trying Out the RootsSearch Chrome Extension - Part 1 AND Trying Out the RootsSearch Chrome Extension - Part 2 by Genea-Musings
16. Thrifty Thursday:  Lancashire Parish Records by Tangled Trees
17. Thankful Thursday: A Priceless Find by Many Branches, One Tree

New Blog Discovery

• Family Stories:  Photographs and Memories

Thanks for reading!


Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Those Places Thursday–Webster Family Road Trip: Utah ~ Balloons, Teeter-Totters, and Watermelon

This is part of a series of posts dedicated to the immigration story of Debs Webster and his family.

It looks like my Grandpa Debs and his family had a great time visiting with some extended family in Utah.

A photo through the front window ~

I wonder why my Grandpa decided to take this photo through the front window of the house.  Was it a candid shot?  Was he outside, saw the group at the window, and just decided to take their picture?  If so, what was everyone looking at outside?  Or was it a planned shot?  Did he ask them all to come to the window so he could go outside and take their photo through it?

Pictured are my Grandma Willis Webster, my mom, my two uncles and two girls from the family they were visiting.   Looks like the kids were having a fun time with balloons!



Willis Webster, My Mom, and My Uncles
with Extended Family in Utah - 1952
Click to Enlarge

Teeter-totter time ~

Is this a park or a backyard?  Whatever it is, it looks like fun!  My uncle is the little boy on the end of the teeter-totter.



My Uncle (far left) with
Extended Family in Utah - 1952
Click to Enlarge

My mom is the girl on the teeter-totter in the photo below.  Is it just me, or are those some rustic-looking teeter-totters?  And there’s Great-Grandma Helena serenely sitting in the background.




Webster Family with Extended
Family in Utah - 1952
Click to Enlarge

Yummy watermelon ~

The two little boys are my uncles and the girl on the far right is my mom.  Great watermelon-eating technique guys!  Way to keep from getting messy! 




Webster Kids (far right) with
Extended Family in Utah - 1952
Click to Enlarge

Thanks for joining my Grandpa Debs Webster and his family for some summertime fun in Utah!  Next stop is Manti, Utah.

Thanks for reading!

Jana


Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Tuesday's Tip ~ Two Interesting Websites for Genealogy

I recently became aware of two interesting websites that I’d like to share with you.



http://www.influenzaarchive.org/index.html
Click to Enlarge

Have you ever wondered what life was like for your ancestor during the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918-1919?  The website The American Influenza Epidemic of 1918:  A Digital Encylcopedia provides the reader with essays, timelines and images from 50 U.S. cities during this epidemic.

Click to Enlarge

Here’s a screenshot of Salt Lake City’s timeline.  You can click on different dates to see what was happening at that time regarding the epidemic.

A big thank you goes to the website Rootsonomy via their Facebook page for alerting us to this interesting website about the Spanish Flu.




http://www.biblerecords.com/
Click to Enlarge

Wouldn’t it be fabulous to finally track down that elusive family bible you’ve dreamed of finding?  Perhaps the website Bible Records Online could help you out!

Here is Bible Records Online’s description of their website:

“Bible Records Online is a site dedicated to transcribing and digitizing the contents of family records that were written inside family Bibles and in other important documents from as early as the 1500s through today. Often, these were the only written records of births, marriages and deaths of a family, and these remain solid components to proving a family genealogy.”

Click to Enlarge

This is a screenshot showing the “Browse the Bibles” page of the Bible Records Online website.  Can you tell that I love the idea of family bibles finding their way home?

Hope these websites prove useful to you in your genealogy research!

Thanks for reading!

Jana

Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Sepia Saturday 148–A Visit to Corcovado

Sepia Saturday provides an opportunity for genealogy bloggers to share their family history through photographs.

Today’s Sepia Saturday photo prompt is a curious one.  It shows a group of men, two of whom are police officers.  It appears that one of the officers is handing what looks like a firearm to another man.  But, if you look at the building behind this group of men, you see a person at the window.  Hmm, What was he doing there and why was he watching this group of men?  We may never know.




I wasn’t sure in what direction I was going to go for today’s Sepia Saturday post, but once again my Grandpa Debs Webster’s 1952 photo album came to my rescue.  In this album I found this photo (below) showing two people at a window.  So ya, I'm going with the "person in the window" theme this week.

This photo is one of a series of photos from a visit to Corcovado. Before my Grandpa Debs Webster and his family immigrated to the United States, they made a trip to Corcovado, which is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Building at Corcovado

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

May 24, 1952

Atop Corcovado mountain stands the well-known 125-ft. statue of Jesus Christ, entitled Cristo Redentor, or “Christ the Redeemer.”

Corcovado Mountain Photo from
Wikimedia Commons  - Copyright Released
Click to Enlarge

Cristo Redentor
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Click to Enlarge

 

How does a tourist get to the top of this mountain?  One way is by the Corcovado Rack Railway.  And this is how my Grandpa Debs, Grandma Willis, and my mom visited Corcovado on May 24, 1952.

Here is a group photo showing tourists at the railway station.  I’ve labeled my grandparents and mom.  My Grandpa Debs wrote on the photo’s edge, “Upper Station” and “May 24, 1952.”

Group Photo at

Corcovado Upper Station

May 24, 1952

Here are a couple photos of the station -



Corcovado Upper Station

May 24, 1952

See the train coming?


Corcovado Upper Station

May 24, 1952

Cristo Redentor or “Christ the Redeemer”

Cristo Redentor or "Christ the Redeemer"

at Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

May 24, 1952

The following photos show fabulous views of Rio de Janiero and the surrounding area.

Notice Corcovado's observation deck where the tourists are standing?

View of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

from Observation Deck

at Corcovado May 24, 1952

See the city down by the ocean?

View from Corcovado May 24, 1952


Another amazing view!

View from Corcovado May 24, 1952


And still another awesome view.

View from Corcovado May 24, 1952



My mom and Willis Webster at the base of the statue of Cristo Redentor or "Christ the Redeemer."

 

L-R:  My Mom and Willis Webster

at Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

May 24 1952

And below is a panoramic photo taken by "The Lucky Toast" from Wikimedia Commons.  The description was in German.  The translation basically says, "Views of Rio de Janeiro from the Corcovado over Ipanema, Copacabana, Sugarloaf, Botafogo, Santa Teresa and the center.  At the top left is Niterói and Rio-Niterói Bridge."

I think it’s absolutely gorgeous!

Panoramic View from Corcovado
Wikimedia Commons
Photo by "The Lucky Toast"
Click to Enlarge

If you would like to see more photos of Corcovado as well as views of Rio de Janeiro and the surrounding areas, including a color photo of the building near the beginning of this post (first album photo above), please click this link:   Rio de Janeiro Photo Guide.  It's worth a look.  There are some beautiful photos at this website, including views at night.

And now, I will leave you with this short Youtube video about the statue, Cristo Redentor or “Christ the Redeemer.”

 

To see what other Sepia Saturday participants have written this week, click HERE.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Follow Friday–Fab Finds for October 19, 2012

My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order) -

1. Court rules book scanning is fair use, suggesting Google Books victory by ars technica
2. Sepia Saturday - A Military Dad by Peter’s Blog
3. How Do You Pronounce "Ye"? by Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter
4. Mystery Monday: Part 3 Man on the Run - The Letters by Jollett etc.
5. 10 Reasons to Join a Genealogy Society by Finding Our Ancestors
6. FamilySearch Adds 19 Million New Indexed Records and Digital Images by FamilySearch Blog
7. Tuesday’s Tip: Public Profiler Worldnames by Finding Forgotten Stories
8. Tuesday's Tip - FamilySearch Family Tree Learning Tools by Genea-Musings
9. How to Write a "Cousin Bait" Genealogy Blog Post by The We Tree Genealogy Blog
10. Top 12 Tips For Using Pinterest For Family History by Family Cherished
11. What is a pedigree chart? by 4 Your Family Story
12. NEW! Legacy QuickGuide®s for Genealogy Research by GeneaBloggers
13. The Georgia Archives To Stay Open by Begin with ‘Craft’

New Blog Discoveries

• Beyond a Sapling
• Honoring Our Ancestors
• Ancestoring
• The Spiraling Chains:  Kowalski - Bellan Family Trees
• Corduroy & Silk Genes

Thanks for reading!


Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Those Places Thursday–Webster Family Road Trip: Utah ~ Vintage Postcards

This is part of a series of posts dedicated to the immigration story of Debs Webster and his family.

For those of you who may be new to my blog, I’ve been sharing the 1952 Immigration Story of my Grandpa Debs Webster and his family through a series of blog posts.  My Grandpa Debs took many photos and purchased lots of postcards along the way.

In last week’s post, I said I would share some cool vintage postcards from Utah that were in my Grandpa Debs’ scrapbook. Well, I’m happy to say it’s finally time to share them!  There are way too many of them to share all at one time.  So, today I’ll just share three vintage postcards with you.

The first vintage postcard shows the beautiful Salt Lake Tabernacle while it was under construction.



Construction of Tabernacle Roof, Salt Lake City
1952 Vintage Postcard
Click to Enlarge

Construction of Tabernacle Roof, Salt Lake City
Back of 1952 Vintage Postcard
Click to Enlarge

Transcription from Back of Postcard:

THIS CONSTRUCTION began in 1863 and was first used for a conference of the Church in 1867.  The roof, the principal portion of the building, rests upon 44 sandstone buttresses 3 feet thick, 14 to 20 feet high and 9 feet wide.  The arches are of a lattice truss construction, securely fastened, where necessary, with cowhide and wooden pegs.  The Tabernacle is 250 feet long, 150 feet wide, and 80 feet high, and seats approximately 8,000 people.

This remarkable and historic building has been designated as a national historic landmark as well as a national civil engineering landmark.

The world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir has performed in the Tabernacle since it’s earliest days.

The Salt Lake Tabernacle has amazing acoustics.  One of the ways the tour guides demonstrate this is by dropping a pin at the pulpit.  It can be heard by those sitting in the back of the hall, 170 feet away.

Below are a few photos from our family’s vacation to Utah this past summer, as well as a couple photos from our trip to Utah in 2011.

The first photo shows the Salt Lake Tabernacle as it appears today.

Salt Lake Tabernacle

July 2012

And here is a photo from June 2011 showing the inside of the Salt Lake Tabernacle.

Inside the Salt Lake Tabernacle

June 2011

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has a weekly broadcast called Music and the Spoken Word.  This weekly radio and television broadcast started on July 15, 1929. It is the world’s longest running continuous network broadcast.

Music and the Spoken Word is broadcast from the Salt Lake Tabernacle every Sunday morning from January – May and September – November.

During the summer months, June – August, and during the month of December, Music and the Spoken Word is broadcast from the absolutely gorgeous Conference Center.  The broadcast takes place in the Conference Center's 21,000-seat auditorium.

Here's a photo of the Conference Center from our family vacation in July 2012.

Conference Center

July 2012

And here we have a photo showing the inside of the Conference Center (photo from lds.org).  One of the amazing features of this beautiful auditorium is that no matter where you sit, you get an unobstructed view of the front of the auditorium.  There are no pillars to block your view.  This is truly an awe-inspiring engineering achievement.

Inside the Conference Center
Photo from lds.org
Click to Enlarge

My family and I were able to attend the live broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word on July 22, 2012.  The Orchestra at Temple Square accompanied the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for this broadcast.  We were allowed to take photos while they practiced before going "live."

Here’s one of the photos we took:

Mormon Tabernacle Choir

at Conference Center

July 2012

Now it's time for more vintage postcards from Grandpa Debs' scrapbook ~

The second vintage postcard I’m sharing with you shows Main Street in Salt Lake City at night.



Main Street at Night, Salt Lake City
1952 Vintage Postcard
Click to Enlarge

Main Street at Night, Salt Lake City
Back of 1952 Vintage Postcard
Click to Enlarge

Here’s the third vintage postcard.  It shows Salt Lake City and the Wasatch Mountains.

Salt Lake City and Wasatch Mountains
from Airplane, Looking East
1952 Vintage Postcard
Click to Enlarge

Salt Lake City and Wasatch Mountains
from Airplane, Looking East
Back of 1952 Vintage Postcard
Click to Enlarge

Though the following photographs weren't taken from the same vantage point as the vintage postcard above, I thought they were interesting enough to share with you.

They were taken from the 26th-floor observation deck of the Church Office Building, headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City in June 2011.



View from 26th-Floor Observation Deck

Church Office Building

Utah State Capital in the Distance

June 2011

View from 26th-Floor Observation Deck

Church Office Building

Looking East Toward Wasatch Mountain Range

June 2011

I hope you enjoyed taking this virtual trip to Salt Lake City via photographs and vintage postcards.

Thanks for reading!

Jana


Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Sepia Saturday 147 ~ You're In The Army Now

Sepia Saturday provides an opportunity for genealogy bloggers to share their family history through photographs.



Today's Sepia Saturday photo could very well point the Sepia Saturday participant in the direction of a military theme.  So, did I go with the obvious and stick with this military theme?  Why, yes…yes, I did.

I thought I’d share a couple photos of my Dad, Jan Albert Iverson, taken during his service in the Army.  During a part of this service he was stationed in Korea.

As I was searching my Dad's Personal History for information about his Army service, I saw that he had written a bit about it.  Hurray!  So, I thought I would just go ahead and share with you what he wrote regarding this time in his life.

From the Personal History of Jan Albert Iverson (abridged):

“In the Summer of 1958 I received my induction notice to serve in the United States Army.” 

“From August 1958 to October 1958 I was in Basic Training at Fort Ord, California. My first assignment after that was to serve at the Presidio of San Francisco, California.”

Jan Albert Iverson

“It was here at the Presidio, and at the San Francisco Bay Ward that I met my future wife.”  



My Mom

“We became engaged during the Spring of 1959 and then I received orders to serve overseas to Korea. My Captain tried to get the orders rescinded because 1) I didn't have the 13 months yet to serve overseas as that was the time allotment, and 2) I had just received a Secret Clearance to work in the Secret Document Room. But, to no avail, they sent me anyway.”

“I left my sweetheart, in August of 1959 and spent eleven months overseas.”

Jan Albert Iverson in Korea

“While there, I had the opportunity to serve as the Group Leader of the LDS Church in the Eighth Army Headquarters in Seoul, Korea.  I also was able to go to Japan for R & R for seven days. Japan was so unlike Korea. Korea was still recovering from the Korean War....”  

“I arrived home in July of 1960 and was released from the U.S. Army on July 11, 1960.”

A few months after my Dad returned home, he and his sweetheart, my mom, were married.

Jan Albert Iverson and My Mom

on Their Wedding Day

To see if other Sepia Saturday participants decided to stick with the obvious military theme, march on over to the Sepia Saturday website by clicking HERE.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

Copyright © Jana Last 2012