Family History: The blessing of a name

My baby turns 12 soon.  Thinking back reminds me of how we came upon her name.  She is Gabrielle Marie.  But we call her Elle, not Gabby.  That was the one thing my husband and I both wanted too.  We did not want our daughter called Gabby.  And you know she is not Gabby.  Elle is more appropriate for this beautiful girl.  Although we all love this name for her it wasn't the name that we were originally going to give her.  We were going to name her......

Mary Irene.  Mary after my mother and my grandmother Millers mother, and Irene after my mothers mother and and my grandmother.  But my mother seemed to not want us to call her Mary, or perhaps she was just being modest. I also wanted to name her Mary because my mother is my best friend. I always wanted to have a little girl so I could have a best friend type relationship like I have with my mom with her.  My husband does not think this will happen. I can still hope.  My mother is just a wonderful person who has always inspired me to be the best I could be, and to work hard.
  It just so happened that I got a movie called Rigoletto while I was pregnant and in it there is a beautiful fairy princess who is a wonderful singer named Princess Gabriella.  And from that point on my little baby was going to be Princess Gabriella.  Well Princess Gabrielle.  Because her Nana (my wonderful mother-in-law)  Was a beautiful singing princess.  So I thought perhaps I'd get a beautiful singer too.  She can sing OK, but nothing like her Nana.  But she is a beautiful princess to me.  Perhaps a little spoiled too. She takes after me and is very good at sports.  She is taking Karate right now and soon will be playing basketball too. 

Her middle name I wanted to be Mary for my mom, but Mary doesn't go to well with Gabrielle and so we changed it a little to be Marie.  Gabrielle Marie... 
Have you wondered where you got your name or what it means.  I often tell my daughter where her name has come from and why.  Then I tell her do you know what your name means?  There are many baby websites that allow you to look up the meaning of your name.  Her name means "The Lord is my strength."  I think looking back I might have stuck with Mary.  I'm not sure what Mary means.  But I know this the Lord is strong.  My daughter has a strong will.  She is not one to cross.   

Here she is with her grandmother when she was eight.  This was a special day for her it was her baptism day.  She was so happy that all her family came for this special day.

Here are the two beautiful princesses too.  Elle and her Nana.  This was at her first fashion show with her Nana.  She definitely got her blue eyes from her Nana's family.  So in the theme of names I've dedicated this page to my daughter and how she got her name.  If she was a boy we were going to name her Calvin John.  Although I think I might have gotten my husband to do John Calvin instead.  When I get closer to my son's name I'll tell you about how he got his name.  Hope this post makes you think about your name and who you may be named after, or perhaps makes you think about what your name means and if perhaps that has been a part of who you are.  Good luck on your family history search.
G.G.

There is meaning in names when searching your family tree.

This is a picture of a "Lightening Splitter House"  Isn't it a cool structure!  My great grandparents lived in this house and owned a huge amount of farm land.  My Great Grandfathers name was "Benjamin Randall Eastman."  He was the ancestor who taught me the meaning of names when searching for family members.

Here is a photo of Ben with his oxen. I love all the farm photo's that I have found. Once our family went to the Shelburne museum in Massachusetts and saw some oxen.  It is a very interesting place to visit if you want to see how people farmed in the old days.   One thing I learned from Benjamin is that names get passed down through generations.  He is named after his maternal grandfather Benjamin Sargent. And his middle name is from his uncle Randall Sargent.
I also learned that sometime on census records a child will be listed by their middle name instead of their first name.  Many of the census records from when he was young and living in Ohio were under the name Randall.  This at first frustrated me, until I realized that it was a key to finding other relatives. Many of my Husbands Bowlby cousins have the middle name Dineen.  As I learned more about his family I saw how the family preserved Lewis Bowlby's wifes maiden name.  You can read more about them in one of my previous posts.

I learned that in the old day's children were named after other family members.  That middle names can be used as first names, and that many middle names are the mothers maiden name or another surname from the family line.  As you learn these things, you realize just how important a name can be in your search.  This is Benjamin's son who they called Benny.  And he then had a son named Ben.  This young Ben Eastman actually gave me much of my Eastman and Sargent family information and showed us the cemeteries where my great grandparents were buried.  I find the Eastman family very interesting because they moved from New Hampshire to Clear Field Ohio and then back to Massachusetts.  Perhaps that is where I get my itch to move from.

On a non-family history note I am looking for ways to keep hydrated out here in the desert.  So my tip of the day is to take shorter showers and not hot showers.  Oh how this makes me sad.  I love hot showers.  But my skin is not liking it.  So if you are feeling a bit dry due to winter weather try this tip.  I'm going to start today.
G.G.

What Web sites should I use to search for my family?

Here is a photo of my Grandmother Irene Boyd Eastman.  She always thought she was part Native American.  She loved anything Native American.  She loved to be outside, loved to have a dog.  She grew up moving between Windham Vermont, and Colrain Massachusetts.  I think that she lived a very rough life.  She lived with her sisters and Father during her childhood in the logging camps in Vermont.  I don't think she knew much about her family.  I think she thought she was Native American because of her dark black hair, which I always remember her wearing long and straight.  It never turned grey.  I don't have black hair but I hope I get that gene that keeps your hair from turning grey.

Finding information about my grandmother is what helped me learn about the different web sites to use when researching family history.  The first website that I used was Ancestry.com.  I like this website and use it often.  But there are many other websites out there to use.  Ancestry.com helped me with my grandmother as I was able to get a letter made to  request her original social security application.  When I received this information I had both her parents names and the town she was born in.   Then I hit a brick wall.  No matter what I put in I could find no more information.  She never told her children much about her childhood, so there was not much to go by. 
One day in desperation I googled her name and the town she was born in. It was my lucky break.  Someone had published online a history of her Boyd family all the way back to the 1700's.  I found out that her family line came from Scotland.   I'm not sure if that is where her black hair comes from as there are a few unknown fathers in her family line.  I've always wanted to have a DNA test done to see if their is any Native American blood in our family lines.

From this one search into my past I learned to find people in your family line you need to look outside the box.  Use the different web sites, but also just do google searches of names.  There are many free sites out there that you can look through.  Of course once you find information you need to do research to make sure it is correct, but it may be the break in your family search brick wall.  From this one search we were able to find a small cemetery out in the woods of Vermont where all my great grandparents on my grandmothers family side were buried.  There was a house in a neighboring town that was owned by one of her uncles that had been turned into a bank.  It was fun to find and share with my mother. 

Here is my grandmothers great grandmother's tomb stone.  It was fun to search and find this little cemetery in the woods.  My parents did a lot of site seeing and camping in this area after we found this information.  So as you begin your search remember to think outside of the normal websites you will be surprised at what you find.  Just the other week I hit a wall with one of the family names I was searching.  I googled the name and found a town write up about one of the people I was researching and with it they named the persons grandparents.  My wall was opened and I was able to find more information on the family that I had been struggling to find.  If you are looking for Boyd family members check out the "CLAN BOYD"  website.  It may help you.  It surely helped me years ago.  I love reading about all the Scottish Ancestors that I have and seeing photo's of the castles they lived in.

Some day I hope to go to Scotland, and see all these places in my family history.  That would be so cool.  Have a good weekend, and good luck in your search.

G.G.

Where do I begin with my Family History?

Many people ask me 'where should I begin when I do family history."  The answer is you begin with yourself.  My church likes every member to find their first 5 generations.  Yourself, your parents, your grandparents, your great grandparents and your great-great grandparents.  You also want to add your siblings, your cousins, your aunts and uncles and so on.  Of course you also want to add in some stories about each person too.  When you start with yourself.  Keep a journal of your life, what things are important to you, where you work, and what your beliefs are.  I used to be really good at this.  I would make a scrapbook for every year.  I've kind of fallen off that in the past two years.  One of my goals this year is to make a scrapbook of this year and the things we do.  I'm not going to go back and do the last two years.  This blog has been record enough for me.  And I call those two years "The Lost Years."  I think in the scrapbook I start this year I'll do a page for each of those two years and note that to me they were "Lost".
Many people I meet out here in Utah, who are members of my church have this to say about family history "my great aunt or uncle did all the work."  I guess that could be true, but I still think it is important that you study what is done.  Don't let your great aunt or uncle be the only one who really knows your family.  Learn about your family, where they came from, what stories are told about different members and perhaps the different time periods they lived in.  In my church we believe that we will live in families in Heaven.  That we will all be connected, if that is true, and I beleive it is, you should start learning about all these people who came before you.  Think of questions you might ask them when you meet them.  I have many ancestors who came from Scotland.  I love to learn about Scotland, and see photo's of it.  My big dream would be to some day go to Scotland.  I've been thinking I'd like to learn a little Galelic.  I'd like to hear some words in this language.   
So perhaps this year I'll share some of what I learn about Scotland as I continue on this Journey of a year of Family History.  I hope I inspire someone to start learning about their family.

Another part of Family History that is very important in my church is Temple worship.  I'm so glad to have moved to Utah where there are so many temples to go to.  And I don't have to travel or spend a lot of money to get there.  I have been trying to go to my Temple twice a week.  The interesting thing about Temple worship is you start with yourself.  Then you continue to go for your ancestors.  I have found I'm such a babe in the woods with Temple worship.  I've a lot to learn.  I have finnished reading a book on Temple worship that I'm now reading through again.  I hope to share qoutes from this book with you.  If you are a member of my church and want a good book to read this is the title
" House of Glory finding personal meaning in the Temple." By S. Micheal Wilcox.   This book has not only opened my eyes to understanding Temple worship, but it has shown me also how to look more differently at the world too.  It is teaching me to think and ask questions more often.  I like this one quote "It is the meaning of things that count in life..."  sometimes I think I go through the day without really stopping and thinking about what things mean around me.  I want to become more aware of things this year.  Both physically and spiritually.
Have a good day.
G.G.

Why do people search for their Ancestors?

One of the questions you may ask about Family History is "Why do people do it?"  There are so many reasons why.  Some people want to find out if they are related to any famous people, some people want to connect to those who came before them, some people are interested in where their family lines originated from.  For me I started because someone told me as a member of my church I should do it.  Then I kept doing it because it was challenging.  It also helped me to understand families and all their crazy problems.  I do not come from a very stable family.  Mines one of those ripped apart and patched together type.  When I started I only had my parents and grandparents information.  I didn't think I'd get much further than that.  My mom was always being teased and told she was Irish.  It was fun when I finally found information about her family to be able to tell her she was not Irish, but Scottish.  There is healing in Family history.  My mom found out the reason why she never met her grandparents.  It wasn't that they didn't love her, but that they had died before she was born. 
One thing you should know is that most families have some secret, a black sheep, a problem that they wish to hide.  The Book I'm currently reading says it best " What I'm about to tell you is our family's big secret.  Every family's got one, you can be sure of that.  Some are just bigger than others..." Pg. 20 " The Forgotten Garden." By Kate Morton.  Another quote I like is " ....The things we take for granted are important. You know, family, blood, the past... They're the things that make us who we are...."  It is fun to uncover the secret in the closet.  But what I love most about researching family history is finding the "Love Stories." 
I'm  a big romantic at heart.  I love to read at least one romance novel a month.  I'm not reading them for the explicit scenes which I skip over.  I love to read about people falling in love, when they realize it, and that wonderful first kiss.  I also like the books that take place in the times of kings, queens, dukes and such.  It's a bit silly but still it's my escape from the world.

So here is the first of many love stories I've found along the way as I've researched my family tree.  Well this one is actually from my Husbands family tree.  But I love it.  It's love, and going against parents wishes and a skeleton in the closet all at once.  But who can deny a young couple when they are in love?

Here is Lewis Bowlby....He fell in love with Minnie Dineen...  English Presbyterian falls for Irish Catholic Lass.... Oh the troubles will abound...

Here is their story:
Just as John and Margaret Dineen where pillars of the Catholic Church, Peter Bowlby was a pillar of the Presbyterian church.  Their respective children, Minnie and Lewis were very much in love but could not reach an agreement as to what faith any children they might have would be brought up in.  So they ended their relationship.  They didn't "See" each other for over a year but did manage to keep tabs on each other through mutual friends.  They were both thoroughly miserable without each other.  So finally Lewis in order to be with Minnie went to her and her parents proposing marriage and promising that their children would be raised as Catholics.  And so Minnie and Lewis where married in a catholic wedding ceremony and all of their children were raised as Catholics.  Much to the dismay and consternation of Lewis' father peter as well as the rest of the Bowlby family.

After they were married awhile Lewis promised Minnie that he would convert to Catholicism, but only after his father had passed away.  Lewis was working in the rail yard of the central rail road of New Jersey in Jersey city when he was critically injured in an accident at the yards.  Realizing how serious his injuries were he asked that a priest be called to the scene.  When the Priest arrived he baptized Lewis shortly before he died.  And so Lewis Bowlby died a Catholic.  Unfortunately Peter Bowlby was still alive and this was almost too much for him, not only had his son died but he had died a Catholic!  He never really got over it and remained bitter up to the time of his death at age 96.

For years Minnie Bowlby had asked the nuns at St. Joseph's grammar school in Bound Brook (where the Bowlby Children attended school) to have the children pray for a special intention. (Namely that her husband would convert to Catholicism)  Only the principal of the school knew what the intention was.  The day after Lewis died Aunt Minnie was sent by her mother to school to tell the principal what had happened and explain that was why some of the Bowlby children would be missing school for awhile.  Aunt Minnie made sure to tell the principal that her father had died a Catholic.  So  the Principal went from classroom to classroom telling the children to pray for the soul of Lewis Bowlby and to offer a prayer of thanks also because their special intention had been answered.

I hope you enjoyed this love story.  I find it funny when my husband talks about his family being "Catholic" Or "Cult"   As the Bowlby's really were not Catholic until Lewis fell in love.
G.G.

A Year of Family History

As I prepare for 2012, I have thought a lot about this blog and where I want to take it in the next year. I feel I've had little focus since I've left the original losing my job subject.  That seems so far away now.  If you have read from the beginning you know I started this blog when I lost my precious job as a library assistant.  Then I kept you up to date on the struggles I went through as both my husband and I went through unemployment and new jobs.  I have to say I fared better than my husband.  His job loss led us to the move to the west, which you have been reading about this past year.  And I apologize as I have not been to focused in this blog writing.  I often go off in strange directions.  So as I have been pondering my life and my path for 2012, I have finally found a focus for the coming year.  I'm going to share all things that have to do with Family History.

I may not have ever mentioned this before but I am a Family Historian.  In fact it is one of my greatest passions in life.  I spend hours a week researching my family history.  I have a great talent for this, I find about 10 new names in my family line each time I go on to my family history sites.  I have collected some great stories about my ancestors.  And so this year I feel compelled to share their stories.  I will also look for books that are written about family histories with skeletons in their closets, and I hope to put my own book together.  I will tell you I am no great writer so bear with me on this.  But this book and it's characters continue to bug me.  So I need to sit down and type their story.

I will also share with you my love of Temple worship.  I have been reading some awesome books about worshiping in the Temple.  I find my self a babe in the woods.  I'm at the just dipping my toes in the waters of the river of worship.  I want this year to learn how to swim in this river.  I hope to go to the Temple at least twice a week.  I hope to find the questions to ask, so I may learn the answers that help move us in this world.  A Latter Day Saints biggest job in this dispensation is to do Temple work.  I want to be there and do this.  Over the Christmas season, I have felt a longing for a place that I could not understand.  Then I realized, I long to go home.  Not to an earthly home, but to my Heavenly Home.  I long to be in that peaceful world.  But I know it is not my time.  The closest I can get to that home is to go to the Temple.  And so I hope to go often.  I hope you will enjoy my new focus this year.
My first novel is "The Forgotten Garden."  By Kate Morton.  Funny thing many of the novels I've read lately focus on England and Scotland.  Could it be my ancestors calling to me.  Showing me what their world was like?  I look forward to this new book.  I got it as a Christmas gift.  The funny thing is it fits just perfect with my focus. 
Happy New Year to you all!
G.G.

Christmas City Lights, When in Salt Lake In December you must go see them..

I must admit that all the while I lived in New Jersey, I never once went to New York city to see it decorated in lights for Christmas.  New York City was just a very big and scary place for me.  But here in Utah, I feel so much more at ease, and begged my husband to take us to the city to see the lights.
Finally it all worked out and here are some photo's we took.  I find it amazing how many lights they get wrapped around the trees.

Be advised that there will be tons of people out looking at the lights with you.  My husband thought the best way to be spotted was by raising their arms up.  It just happened that at this point no one else was in the way.

With my camera I learned when taking photo's with people use the flash.  I didn't in this photo.  When taking photo's without people, don't use the flash.  So that is why this photo is a little blurry. But look at all the lights.  It hurt your eyes there were so many!

The Temple just looks so beautiful!  It took the saints 40 years to build this.

My son took this photo!

My daughter took this photo. I'm frozen by this time. You actually had to wait in line to get a photo in this spot.  We took a second one to get the whole temple in.

The best part was as we entered the Temple area out side the gates a man was playing the bagpipes all dressed in the Scottish Kilts!  I just thought that was so cool.  It brought me to tears.  We also had hot coco and cookies.  We didn't like the cookies though, they had candy canes crushed into them.  It just didn't go well.

See the man with no coat on.  He must be super man!  It was freezing out. We left after about an hour.  My husband could have stayed longer but the rest of us were frozen!

There is so much to see. Luminaries, nativities from different countries, ton's of trees all covered with lights.  There are horse and carriage rides, hot coco and cookies, movies, the live nativity.  It was wonderful.  So if you are ever in Utah in December you need to go!