Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Follow Friday–Fab Finds for November 9, 2012

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

Big Finds in the Smallest Places by The In-Depth Genealogist
Murder in Macon--Final Chapter-- The Trial by A Southern Sleuth
Why I Recommend the NGS Home Study Course by A Sense of Family
A different kind of census by The Legal Genealogist
Telegram! by Who Knew?
It's My Blogiversary! by Ancestors Live Here
My Ancestry DNA Results AND See Full Results in the Ancestry.com DNA Test by The We Tree Genealogy Blog
Workday Wednesday: The Pipeline Accident by Yvonne’s Genealogy Blog
Pinterest Tutorial #1: Creating a Board & Pinning by Olive Tree Genealogy Blog
Wordless Wednesday ~ Time Frame, Anyone? by Adventures in Genealogy
Nearly missed my day.... by Geniaus
Genealogy: The Next Generation by Ancestral Breezes
Saved from Dumpster: Amazing map collection by UPFRONT WITH NGS
The National Archives of Ireland Launches Genealogy Site by Genealogy Insider/Family Tree Magazine
Follow Friday - An accumulation of my weekly research – 6 by Family Stories: Photographs and Memories

New Blog Discoveries

Thanks for reading!

Monday, November 5, 2012

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Ella Eliza Engle Gray

In a previous post, I introduced you to Sarah Amanda Waterman, my 2nd great- grandaunt, who lived to be 103 years old. She was married to Richard Engle, a Civil War soldier.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to one of Sarah and Richard’s daughters, Ella Eliza Engle.

Ella Eliza Engle Gray

Photo Courtesy of Norma Gardiner

Ella was the first of seven children born to Sarah and Richard Engle. She was born on June 16, 1858 in Plymouth, Ohio. Ella married John O. Gray on April 7, 1880 in Blackhawk County, Iowa. They were the parents of five children:

Baby Boy – born in 1881
Carl William Gray – (1883-1935)
Earl Gray – (1883-before 1900)
Mary Luella Gray – (1886-1969)
Harold Edwin Gray – (1891-1973)

Ella’s death certificate states she was a retired school teacher. And according to the obituary for her mother, Sarah, in the South Pasadena Review newspaper, Ella was also the principal of the Marengo School in South Pasadena.

Ella passed away on December 10, 1951 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. She was 93 years old at the time of her death. Ella’s grave is located at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California.

If you’d like to view Ella’s FindaGrave.com memorial page, just click HERE.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Sepia Saturday 150 ~ Bullfights in Irapuato

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

Today’s Sepia Saturday photo prompt (at bottom of post) shows men in hats playing the Irish sport of "hurling." I don’t have a photo in my collection showing this unique Irish sport. But I did find these two vintage postcards showing men in hats at a sporting event.

The two vintage postcards I'm sharing with you today are from my Webster Grandparents’ collection. In 1955, Grandpa Debs and Grandma Willis Webster took a trip to Mexico. Why a trip to Mexico? One very important reason was to visit Debs’ sister, Carlota Webster Guerrero, who was living in Mexico City.

While they were in Mexico, my grandparents visited Irapuato, which is a city in the state of Guanajuato. Again comes the question, why? Why visit Irapuato? Well, it turns out my "Traveling Dentist Great-Grandpa Frederick Webster" and his son, Debs Webster, once lived in Irapuato. For those new to my blog, Frederick Webster was my Grandpa Debs’ father. It looks like Grandpa Debs wanted to visit where he had once lived, however briefly, as a child.

The two vintage postcards below show many men in hats. And they show the sport of bullfighting. And while I've never actually been to a bullfight, I’m quite sure I’m not a fan of this sport. I just don’t like the whole concept of it. But, for some reason my grandparents bought these postcards in 1955. Who knows? Maybe they attended a bullfight.

The interesting thing about this first postcard is that it looks like the bullfighter is a woman.

Plaza Revolucion

Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico

Vintage Postcard circa 1955

Here’s a close-up view of the woman bullfighter.

Plaza Revolucion

Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico

Vintage Postcard circa 1955

And here’s the other vintage postcard.

Plaza Revolucion

Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico

Vintage Postcard circa 1955

Here’s a close-up view showing lots and lots of men in hats…and a woman with a bonnet too! Can you spot the bonnet?

Plaza Revolucion

Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico

Vintage Postcard circa 1955

To see more posts of men in hats, sporting events, random bonnets...or anything else our super Sepia Saturday participants have written about, just click HERE.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Friday, November 2, 2012

Follow Friday–Fab Finds for November 2, 2012

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

Calif. cemetery-turned-dog-park keeps tombstone from burial site AND What Better Day Than Halloween... by The Graveyard Rabbit of the California Central Coast
Murder in Macon AND Murder in Macon--Part 2 by A Southern Sleuth
What Do I Do With All Of This Stuff: The Process of Processing by Laura Cosgrove Lorenzana via Archives.com
Wordless Wednesday: A Tricky Treat by Jollett etc.
Early American Roads and Trails: Tuesday's Tip by A Sense of Family
Photo Manipulation Before Photo Shop by Maureen A. Taylor
Copyright and Copy Wrong by Michael J. Leclerc
Thankful Thursday - Happiness is a Dry Collection by The Last Leaf On This Branch
Treasure Chest Thursday: Autograph Book by Attics and Old Lace
Genealogy Toolkit: Were they workin’ on the railroad? by On Granny’s Trail

New Blog Discoveries

Thanks for reading!

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Those Places Thursday–Webster Family Road Trip: Utah ~ Manti

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

My Grandpa Debs Webster and his family had a lovely respite from their road trip as they spent time with extended family, enjoying balloons, teeter-totters, and watermelon.

But, it’s time to pile back into their crowded, non-air conditioned car and hit the road again. Where to now? It's time to head south toward Manti, Utah.

For those who don’t know just where Manti, Utah is, here’s a map showing it’s location.

Manti, Utah
Googlemaps.com
Click to Enlarge

While Grandpa Debs and his family were in Manti, they visited the LDS Manti Utah Temple.

Manti Utah Temple
Photo from lds.org
Click to Enlarge

And I’m so glad Grandpa took photos of their visit there.

And now, here are the photos of the Manti Utah Temple from Grandpa Debs Webster’s 1952 Photo Album ~

The beautiful Manti Utah Temple.

Manti Utah Temple - 1952
Click to Enlarge

Looks like my Grandpa took a photo of a lovely flower bed. Too bad it’s not in color. It must have been so pretty!

Manti Utah Temple Grounds - 1952
Click to Enlarge

A view from the temple grounds.

View from Manti Utah Temple - 1952
Click to Enlarge

A group photo of the Webster family.

Webster Family at the
Manti Utah Temple - 1952
Click to Enlarge

Close-up of the Webster Family from the previous photo. Left to right: my two uncles and my mom, Helena Quillin, Willis Quillin Webster.

Webster Family at the
Manti Utah Temple 1952
Click to Enlarge

As I look at this photo of these immigrants from Brazil, I can't help but wonder what they thought as they traveled across the U.S.A. It's important to remember that they didn't speak English. The only person in this family who could speak English was my Grandpa Debs, the person taking this photo. This whole trip must have been quite an adventure for them, including this stop at the Manti Utah Temple.

Amazingly, almost exactly 50 years after my Grandpa Debs took his photos of the Manti Utah Temple, I stood on the same ground he did and also took photos of this magnificent temple. Our family was on vacation in Utah at the time and on July 25, 2002 we stopped there for a visit.

Here’s a sampling of the photos I took.