Involving Youth

We had our first 4-H family history project meeting last Saturday and it was terrific.  I am so thankful for Jennifer Holik and her Branching Out curriculum, as it kept me on track.  As you may recall, I tried this last year and it was really difficult.  With Jennifer's curriculum, it's on track and geared toward the correct ages. 

We are having 8 meetings (and some field trips), so I have to do two lessons each meeting.  I was worried about this, but it went just fine.  For our first meeting, we talked about:

• What is Genealogy and Why Should I Care?
• Where Do I Start and What Do I need?

The kids each shared some stories they have heard about their families.  Then we brainstormed on ways they could find out more about that story.  There are four students total, ranging from 6 to 13, so a nice mix and I'm glad I bought two levels of Jennifer's books!  Next meeting we will create family trees, so I’ll post some pictures of their creations.

I also brought them along to the Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society’s Heritage Happenings at the library.  They were greeters and helped people pin their birth places on the maps and directed them to get more information with the helpers in the back.  My son (the six year old) accosted people and literally hunted them down in the library.  “You didn’t put a pin in our map.  It’s right over there!”  His tiny 4-H hat covered head all in their face about it…  Cracked me up while mortifying me all at the same time.

Scary Photo

In honor of Halloween and Wordless Wednesday, I share with you the scariest photo of all.

The scrapbook my grandmother made for my father from when he was in the isolation ward at Santa Clara County Hospital at age 4 with polio.  It has cards and letters from family and friends.  But it was left out in the woods under tarps for about 15 years.  I saved what I could from inside.  Yes, those are egg sacs and caterpillar burrows.  And lots of water damage.

I Wrote a Book!

In August 2011, I visited my grandpa in Washington (State).  I took my Flip-Pal scanner and photo organizer boxes and we went through all his pictures that were literally in shoe boxes.  I organized them all in categories in the boxes after I scanned them and got each photo’s story from Grampa.

We sat at his kitchen table and while a photo scanned, he’d be telling me the story of the next photo.  I learned about his hometown, his snakebites, his nicknames, his college, his restaurants and everything in between.  I came home with over 500 photo scans and no plan to write a book.  Or plan at all, really.

I started writing website posts, but it then it started being a website all about Grampa.  And so I decided to try a book.  A little over a year later and I tried and did!  It’s here!  It’s been distributed to Grampa and aunts and uncles, so I can share now. 

With pride for my family, my Grampa, and his wonderful stories.

Surname Saturday: Åslund

My great grandmother, Inga Kristina Aslund, loved wrestling.  My aunt does a wonderful impression of her yelling in Swedish and shaking her fists at the wrestling on television. 

Inga was born at 1:00 a.m. on July 3, 1887 in Langsele, Västernorrland  County, Sweden.   Her twin sister, Beda Elisabet, was born at 2:00 a.m.  Family stories say that Beda died soon after birth.

Inga and Beda’s parents were Lars Petter Aslund (b. 1847) and Anna Stina Flemstrom (b. 1843).  Lars was a tailor from Aborrasen, Graninge, Vasternorrland County, Sweden.  He married Anna Stina Flemstrom on 30 January 1887. 

All the above info except the wrestling commentary and the notion that Beda Elisabet died soon after birth were provided by Ancestry.com’s below image:

I am confusified by this word:

I can't find it in Google or in Swedish dictionaries, which means it is probably a place name, but I can't figure out what it could be.  If you know... well, please leave in my comments!

Source Citation:  “Sweden, Indexed Birth Records, 1880-1920,” database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 October 2012), entry for Inga Kristina Åslund, 3 July 1887, Långsele, Västernorrland, Sweden; citing “Swedish Church Records Archive; Johanneshov, Sweden; Sweden, Indexed Birth Records, 1880-1920; GID Number: 100022.100.2100; Roll/Fiche Number: SC-1137; Volume:908; Record Type: Födde (Births); Year Range: 1887 - 1887.”

It's My Blogiversary!

 Where does the time go?!?  It was two whole years ago and 298 posts ago that I realized there was a side club for genealogy in the blogosphere and I had never known it.  I started Mascot Manor Genealogy and… well… here we are!

 It’s been a wonderful experience and a very supportive environment.  Through this blog, I have found several cousins and other relations, all of whom are very special to me.   

My cousin (and friend) in Scotland found me through this blog and helped me to find that we are indeed cousins and that we do indeed come from Ireland.  She also helped me through the very difficult time this year of losing my dad.   

Other cousins and family previously unknown have shown me pictures, maps, treasures and data.  I can never tell you enough the joy each of those emails brings.

Being known as, “That Meerkat Lady” makes me smile.  So thank you.

Looking forward to what this year of blogging brings!

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net