Thanksgiving Holiday 2013

Thanks to Fonzy's very generous friend/employer, we were able to spend the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend in a hunting lodge in Crook County, Wyoming. The weather was perfect, and we had a chance to go elk hunting on Friday afternoon.

The memories I have about Thanksgiving were nothing like this. We always stayed home. We used a beautiful lace tablecloth that my grandmother had crocheted, along with the best china and silver. We used our best manners, remembering to keep our elbows off the table.

My mother prepared the entire meal, and when I was old enough, I was allowed into the kitchen to observe and fetch items for her. One year, someone was giving away pies, and my father had something to do with it. The only detail I remember about it was that someone delivered a mince pie to the house and it was for me. That was my first taste, and to this day, I always love mince pie for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I think that Jason and Stephen are the only kids who like mince pie.

Learning about Google+ Hangouts and Hangouts On Air

I have spent an hour or more every evening for the past 8 days learning about using Google+ Hangouts and Hangouts On Air. We all learned a lot and had fun doing it. Thanks to Pat Richley Erickson, aka DearMYRTLE and her cousin, Russ Worthington, we were able to show each other what we were learning. We had people from all over the world participating.

There are some good videos on YouTube that can show you how to get an account with Google+ and set up both kinds of Hangouts.

Now I can see so many ways to use this in my life.

*  Planning our family reunion for 2014

*  Sending birthday greetings to family members

*  Visiting with family members in our "free" time

*  Sharing training sessions and other meetings with co-workers

*  Having genealogy discussions with others

Have you tried using Google+ Hangouts and Hangouts On Air?

Kemmerer, WY Family History Conference

Yesterday, I drove about 90 miles to Kemmerer to attend their Family History Conference.  It was the first time I've been to a smaller one put on by a stake.  It will not be the last time, for sure.
It was a very nice experience.  I learned some great things that I can put to use immediately.  Here are a few.

1.  Record and share family stories to help family members and others develop an appreciation for our ancestors.

2.  Learn about and use Mailing Lists, such as Rootsweb, to help you in your research.

3.  Family Search has some new tutorial videos to help us share stories and photos about our ancestors.  These videos are great!

4.  Www.findagrave.com is a wonderful site that we can use for sharing and acquiring information about our dear departed one.

5.  Last but not least, we can have a conference in our stake, just like they did.  It was a quality experience, to say the least.

Passing of Doris Audrey (Davison) Cotte

It is with sadness that I am reporting the passing of my Aunt Doris on July 31, 2010 in Port Jefferson, New York. I am named after her, and she was my Godmother. I have such fond memories of her. Whenever we were able to be together, she was always fun to be around.

My first bicycle was handed down from her. It was too big for me when I got it, but I didn't care. I learned how to ride it anyway. I remember how she wore her hair in a "Pageboy" style, and rolled it up in socks and tied them to curl it.

I have a scrapbook that she made for her big sister, and it will always be a treasure.

We attended the wedding when she married her high school sweetheart, Kenneth Russell Cotte. She was such a beautiful bride, and he was as handsome as he could be. They had both been born in the same hospital, which stood on the line between Lynbrook and East Rockaway. So, she was born in one village and he was born in the other.

She had three children, Susan, David and Kenny. She was a very loving mother, and raised them the very best that she could. She enjoyed baking, and watching it disappear.

She always loved spending time

Genealogy conference this week

I'm heading to Salt Lake City this week for the Gen Tech 2012 Conference. Didn't have a chance to go to any conferences last year, so I'm more than ready for this one. I'll look first for sessions that will help me with my own research. Then I'll look for sessions that will help me with the Family History Center. My last focus will be to help other people with their research. Maybe I'll finally be able to clear up the confusion we've had on my great grandfather, John Buckley.

I wasn't able to get a room at the Plaza because I waited so long, but I think I'll be in at the Holiday Inn Express a little farther south.

We were blessed to have a new son-in-law six months ago, and his family entries on New FamilySearch need some correcting, so I have been working with him on that. He didn't make the entries, so I emailed the person who had made the entries. Valu is bright and wonderful to be around, and he treats our daughter like a queen.

New Discovery - Goal Accomplished!

We had a chance to travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, so I set a goal to try (again) to find the Certificate of Naturalization for John Buckley. I had found the index card on microfilm, and have had a hard time finding the image of the original document because I didn't really know how to look for it. The index card said that John was naturalized on 4 November 1876 in the United States District Court in Boston, Mass.

The thing that caused me trouble was that I didn't focus on the volume and page number where the certificate was located. Fortunately, I had the sense to print a copy of the index card and had time to ponder what was on it. Finally, I was able to look up at home, the film number for the actual certificate. I called the Family History Library and told them I would be visiting them in three days and would like to be able to view the film. It was in the vault and they agreed to order it.

We arrived in Salt Lake City on schedule, and Friday morning I went to the FH Library. They had the film ready and waiting for me, so I placed it on the viewer, and. . . . voila!!!

Not only did I see the Certificate of Naturalization, but there was also a Declaration of Intention!
He had come into the United States at the age of 17, so it had not been necessary for him to make a declaration. What a bonus! What did I get from all of this?

I saw his actual signature.
He said he was born 23 December 1830 in Carrigaline, County Cork, Ireland
He said he had arrived at Boston on or about 20 July 1846.
Two people had stated that they had known him for at least five years and that he was a person of good character. One was a lawyer and one was a laborer.

Now I hope to find his passenger information to see who came with him.

His son, my grandfather, William Buckley, filled out a passport application and stated that his father came from Ireland and was born 23 December 1830 in County Cork. He also stated that John Buckley died on 4 January 1901 in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Focus on family

For several years, I've been researching my family tree. I have some great info on the Buckley line, and hope to be able to add to the width and length of the branches. The people in this tree have been in Massachusetts, where I was born, since the middle 1800's. I'm trying to find out if John Buckley, who lived in Lexington in the middle to late 1800's had any siblings. If you're interested in learning what I alread have, or if you're interested in sharing your Buckley info, I'd love to hear from you.