Saturday, December 31, 2011

Grandma's Diary, Parts 51 & 52

(To read prior entries from my maternal grandmother's 1933 diary, please click on the tab "Posts by Topic" and then go to the topic "California." All posts are listed there.)

Key:


The writer is Ethel Ranney Tapley.
Alice is her sister.
Kenneth is her brother.
Her parents.
H = her boyfriend, Hazel Avery Plumlee
Delma = Hazel's little sister
Earl = Hazel's brother
Verda = Earl's wife
Dorothy Lee = Hazel's niece (Earl's child)
Otho is Otho Hesser, her father's cousin.
Viella is Mary Viella Crites Hesser, Otho's wife.
Ruth & Kathryn are Otho and Viella's daughters.
Uncle Jont is Jonathan Hesser, Otho's father and her father's uncle.
Aunt Kate is Sarah Katherine Hall Hesser, Jonathan's wife and Otho's mother
Herman (Williams) is Alice's husband.

Kenneth's wife is also named Alice; her maiden name is unknown.

Sunday, December 24:  "We went to L.A., ate dinner at Hazels.  We went to Redlands to take Alice.  Got in a terrible fog comming home.  Mrs. Williams gave me a fern."

Monday, December 25, Christmas:  "Mama & Dad ate at Hessers.  Hazel & I ate at his folks.  Hazel left for L.A. about 3.  I went to Hessers."

 Tuesday, December 26:  "Dad worked on the C.W.A.  Mama & I had a big washing.  We tried to clean house.  Went to Yucaipa in the evening."

Wednesday, December 27:  "We did a big ironing.  I read all afternoon.  Dad plowed."

Thursday, December 28:  "Mama & I went to town.  Had dinner at Livingoods.  Took Mrs. Harmon to town.  Got our interest.  Went to Hesser's but they weren't home."

Friday, December 29:  "Dad worked on the C.W.A.  I walked to Shultzs & mailed Hazel & Alice a letter.  Mama made me a print dress."

Saturday, December 30:  "Dad worked again, until noon as it rained.  Dad & I went to Yucaipa.  Read all evening."

Sunday, December 31:  "It is still raining.  Mr. Cooper called.  Kinghams came up & re-rented the house.  Read most of the day."

This concludes my grandmother's 1933 diary.  Thank you for sticking with me as I recorded her thoughts over that year of her life.  She did make entries in 1934, but only sporadically after the first couple of months of the year.  I will continue to share her writings during 2012.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Grandma's Diary, Parts 49 and 50

(To read prior entries from my maternal grandmother's 1933 diary, please click on the tab "Posts by Topic" and then go to the topic "California." All posts are listed there.)

Key:


The writer is Ethel Ranney Tapley.
Alice is her sister.
Kenneth is her brother.
Her parents.
H = her boyfriend, Hazel Avery Plumlee
Delma = Hazel's little sister
Earl = Hazel's brother
Verda = Earl's wife
Dorothy Lee = Hazel's niece (Earl's child)
Otho is Otho Hesser, her father's cousin.
Viella is Mary Viella Crites Hesser, Otho's wife.
Ruth & Kathryn are Otho and Viella's daughters.
Uncle Jont is Jonathan Hesser, Otho's father and her father's uncle.
Aunt Kate is Sarah Katherine Hall Hesser, Jonathan's wife and Otho's mother
Herman (Williams) is Alice's husband.

Kenneth's wife is also named Alice; her maiden name is unknown.

Sunday, December 10:  "Hazel froze us some ice cream.  Cathearts were here to dinner.  Livengoods visited in the afternoon.  Hazel & I went to town in the eve."


Monday, December 11:  "I went to school.  Hazel came after me at noon.  I helped him pick up walnuts in the afternoon.  We went to town."

Tuesday, December 12:  "I went to school.  Hazel & Joe brot me home after school.  Hazel stayed with Joe all night."

Wednesday, December 13:  "I went to school.  Hazel went to L.A.  Mama went with me to town.  (Mistake)  It rained to hard to go."

Thursday, December 14:  "I went to school.  Mama & Hazel went to town.  We made some pop corn in the evening."

Friday, December 15:  "I stayed home.  In the evening H. & I went up & visited Plumlees.  Dad got stuck in the mud as he started to go over to Petes.  Couldn't get it out."

Saturday, December 16:  "Dad & Hazel got the car out.  Hazel, Mama & I started for Alices.  Met Viella & pushed her to Berdo.  Went to Gertrudes to a dance in the eve."

Sunday, December 17:  "We made holly wreathes.  Started for L.A. about 10 'clock.  Went by way of Bouquet Canyon.  Left Hazel there & got home about six.  Alice came home with us."

 Monday, December 18:  "I went to school.  Alice & Mama came after me.  We went to Berdo.  Dad plowed at home."

Tuesday, December 19:  "I went to school.  Mama & Alice came after me & we went to the show.  Saw Marie Dressler in Christopher Bean.  Went to Berdo."


Wednesday, December 20:  "I went to school.  Mama & Alice came after me.  Visited Norah & Aunt Kate."

Thursday, December 21:  "Dad worked on the C.W.A.  We sewed. In the afternoon we quilted or rather tied a comforter for Alice."

Friday, December 22:  "Dad worked on the C.W.A.  Alice, Mama & I went to Berdo.  Saw Kinghams have to move the first on acct. of  _______.  Saw Norah in the afternoon."

Saturday, December 23:  "Dad worked on the C.W.A.  We finished tying Alice's comforter.  Finished up sewing for Alice."

And from child Liz:  

December 21, 1974:  "I went Xmas carolling to old people."  

December 23, 1974:  "My Aunt went in the hospitl."  (I have no recollection which aunt this was.)

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Grandma's Diary, Part 48

(To read prior entries from my maternal grandmother's 1933 diary, please click on the tab "Posts by Topic" and then go to the topic "California." All posts are listed there.)

Key:

The writer is Ethel Ranney Tapley.
Alice is her sister.
Kenneth is her brother.
Her parents.
H = her boyfriend, Hazel Avery Plumlee
Delma = Hazel's little sister
Earl = Hazel's brother
Verda = Earl's wife
Dorothy Lee = Hazel's niece (Earl's child)
Otho is Otho Hesser, her father's cousin.
Viella is Mary Viella Crites Hesser, Otho's wife.
Ruth & Kathryn are Otho and Viella's daughters.
Uncle Jont is Jonathan Hesser, Otho's father and her father's uncle.
Aunt Kate is Sarah Katherine Hall Hesser, Jonathan's wife and Otho's mother
Herman (Williams) is Alice's husband.

Kenneth's wife is also named Alice; her maiden name is unknown.

Sunday, December 3:  "We had an early dinner & Alice & Herman left for home about 1, o'clock.  I went over to Yucaipa & got some cough drops."

Monday, December 4:  "Hazel's birthday, he is 22.  I went to school and registered for C.W.A. work**."



Tuesday, December 5:  "I went to school.  Dad has to go register at Yucaipa today.  Mama & I went to Mrs. Trowbridges & she gave me a skirt."

Wednesday, December 6:  "I went to school.  Kids went on their treasure hunt today.  Dad went to work on the CWA project."

Thursday, December 7:  "I went to school.  I took Mama over to Laura's & dad to work before school.  Dad I went after Mama in the eve."

Friday, December 8:  "I went to school.  My cold went to my left eye.  Dorthy Pate & her boy friend came over & took me for a ride."

Saturday, December 9:  "Mama worked on my dress & finished a skirt for me.  I met Hazel on the way to Yucaipa about 6 pm."


** "The Civil Works Administration was established by the New Deal during the Great Depression to create manual labor jobs for millions of unemployed. The jobs were merely temporary, for the duration of the hard winter."  "President Franklin D. Roosevelt unveiled the CWA on November 8, 1933.

The CWA was a project created under the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA). The CWA created construction jobs, mainly improving or constructing buildings and bridges. It ended on March 31, 1934, after spending $200 million a month and giving jobs to 4 million people."

- Civil Works Administration. (2011, December 7). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 06:57, December 10, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Civil_Works_Administration&oldid=464495868

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

A Freebie from My Memories!

 
If you haven't checked out the My Memories Store, Blog, or Facebook page, then you are missing out!  The company gives out FREEBIES almost daily on Facebook, plus they have a large FREEBIE section in their store.  In addition, their software is great and so easy to use.  This is a software for any scrapper - you build layouts just like you do when paper scrapping... only digitally.  There's not the huge learning curve like with Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop. 

If you are interested in the My Memories Suite V3 (the latest version just released!!) software, here's a coupon for you!  You can get $10.00 off your purchase with the coupon code:
STMMMS80144.
 

  I would also like to share a link to some awesome FREE quick pages.  These quick pages work in My Memories Suite, of course, but in any other program as well!

DOWNLOAD HERE
 Here's what I did with the freebie in literally less than 15 minutes!

 

Enjoy!!!


Sunday, December 4, 2011

The Hypothetical Ancestor Trade-Off

Amy Coffin of the We Tree Genealogy Blog wrote a blog post recently about "The Hypothetical Ancestor Trade-Off."  You can read that post and the one that sparked it here.  I decided to participate, and I ask you, dear readers, as Amy asked hers:

"Do you have an ancestor who is a challenge to research?  Would you like to hand him or her off to another genealogist for a couple of weeks and let someone else worry about it?

Tell us which one and why."

Boy!  Would I?!  I am sure any of you who has read this blog for any length of time can easily guess who I would trade off.  No question. 

My great-great-grandfather, George W. Schwalls.  He is a mystery wrapped in an enigma.  Or however that saying goes.

That is George, front row, 3rd from left.
He, like Amy's ancestor, seems to have landed on this earth, in the United States, in Johnson County, Georgia, with no parents or back story of any kind.  I have hit brick wall after brick wall while researching this man, and I have no idea where to go from here.

While George indicated at different times that he was born in Germany (Once he stated Bavaria.), I can find no record of a naturalization for him.  Therefore, I do not know exactly when he came to this country.  He was born January 1, 1837 and by 1862, he was serving in the Confederate Army.  Where he was at any point in between is anyone's guess. 

To research someone's ancestry in their home country of Germany, it is imperative to know what village or town or city they were from.  I cannot find that information for George.  Nowhere, not on the census nor his Civil War Pension File nor obituaries for his children nor anywhere that I can find, does he or anyone else list the town in Germany where he was born.

I've searched ship passenger lists for him.  The couple of George Schwall(s) I found did not seem to match.  The family legend is that he slipped into this country under a false name.  That may be true since I find no record of him anywhere.

There was a George Michael Schwall living in the next county over that I feel sure was related to him somehow.  Probably a cousin.  I've tried to research Michael's ancestry to find a link.  No luck so far there either.

So I am stuck.  Please, won't someone take his file for a couple of weeks?!  If someone else can figure it out, more power to them. 

Now it's your turn.  Who's file would you like to trade to another genealogist in the hypothetical ancestor trade-off?

(Thanks, Amy and her readers, for coming up with this blog topic.)


Saturday, December 3, 2011

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Your Dear Genea-Santa Letter

From Randy over at Genea-Musings:

 It's Saturday Night - take some time from the Christmas shopping frenzy - and have a little Genealogy Fun!!

Come on, everybody, join in and accept the mission and execute it with precision. Here's your chance to sit on Genea-Santa's lap (virtually) and tell him your Christmas genealogy-oriented dreams:

1) Write your Genea-Santa letter. Have you been a good genealogy girl or boy? What genealogy-oriented items are on your Christmas wish list? They could be family history items, technology items, or things that you want to pursue your ancestral quest.

2) Tell us about them in your own blog post, in a comment on this post, or in a Facebook status or Google Stream post.

Here's mine:

Dear Genea-Santa,

I tried to be a good girl this year, but my genealogy did take a hit.  Not as many blog posts as I would have liked, but I did attend two genealogy conferences.  I also was more diligent in adding source citations to my Family Tree Maker file, and helped any and all cousins who contacted me in any way I could.  So hopefully, I still deserve a couple of holiday surprises.

All I want for Christmas this year:

(1)  An IPad or other tablet computer would so much lighter and more compact than my laptop to take with me on genealogy-related trips.

(2)  To learn the ancestry of my great-great-grandfather, George W. Schwalls. 

Thank you,Genea-Santa!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Grandma's Diary, Parts 46 and 47

(To read prior entries from my maternal grandmother's 1933 diary, please click on the tab "Posts by Topic" and then go to the topic "California." All posts are listed there.)

Key:
The writer is Ethel Ranney Tapley.
Alice is her sister.
Kenneth is her brother.
Her parents.
H = her boyfriend, Hazel Avery Plumlee
Delma = Hazel's little sister
Earl = Hazel's brother
Verda = Earl's wife
Dorothy Lee = Hazel's niece (Earl's child)
Otho is Otho Hesser, her father's cousin.
Viella is Mary Viella Crites Hesser, Otho's wife.
Ruth & Kathryn are Otho and Viella's daughters.
Uncle Jont is Jonathan Hesser, Otho's father and her father's uncle.
Aunt Kate is Sarah Katherine Hall Hesser, Jonathan's wife and Otho's mother
Herman (Williams) is Alice's husband.

Kenneth's wife is also named Alice; her maiden name is unknown.

Sunday, November 19:  "Mama finished up Alice's dress.  Alice got mad & they went home about 4 o'clock.  Mama & I went for a ride to Redlands."

Monday, November 20:  "I went to school.  Mama cleaned the bedroom.  Viella was here to dinner.  Dad worked at Trowbridges."

Tuesday, November 21:  "I went to school.  Dad worked at Trowbridges."

Wednesday, November 22:  "I went to school.  I walked up to Clara's & she waved my hair.  I got two big blisters on my heals."

Thursday, November 23:  "I went to school.  My heals are pretty sore.  Dad worked in the afternoon at Trowbridges."

Friday, November 24:  "I went to school.  Plumlee's were over for a min. to asked me to a party."

Saturday, November 25:  "Mama & I sewed.  Elsie & Jimmy brought Hazel up, he got here about midnight."


Sunday, November 26:  "Hazel & I went on a picnic.  Livengoods were here for dinner.  Hazel & I went to Yucaipa in the eve."

Monday, November 27:  "Mama, Clara & I took Hazel to Pomona.  Mama & I had dinner at Livengoods.  It rained today."

Tuesday, November 28:  "I went to school.  It was today instead of yesterday that we took H. to Pomona."

Wednesday, November 29:  "I went to school.  Was to Luciles for dinner.  Busy getting ready for tomorrow's dinner."

Thursday, November 30 - Thanksgiving:  "Uncle Jont's, Othos' & Herman's were here for dinner.  Herman, Alice & I went to Jim Perry's wedding.  There was snow on the ground this morning."


Friday, December 1:  "Has warmed up quite a bit.  Laura was here to dinner.  Mama, Alice & Herman & I went to the show in San Berdo. at the Temple."

Saturday, December 2:  "We went to San Berdo.  Herman & Alice got a studio couch.  The family went over to Hessers in the eve.  I stayed home by myself."

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

My Memories Suite Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Shelley Bishop of the A Sense of Family blog for winning the My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software giveaway here on my blog! 


However everyone is a winner with My Memories.  They are also providing all my readers a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software (v.3 now available!) and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - a $20 value!

Use code STMMMS80144 at checkout for your discount/coupon.


I used Random.org to randomly choose the winner of this giveaway.


Saturday, November 26, 2011

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Historical County Boundaries

From Randy over at Genea-Musings:

Hey Genea-philes, have you recovered from your tryptophan coma on Thursday?  Wake up - it's SATURDAY NIGHT!  Time for more GENEALOGY FUN!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1)  Go to the Historical U.S. County Maps page on Randy Majors website ( http://randymajors.com/p/maps.html ) .Read the whole page for tips on how to use the tool by entering a current geographical place in the United States and a year (from the drop down list) at the top of the page.

2)  Pick one place of interest and enter the name of the place (a current town/city or county) and choose a year from the dropdown list.  Use the Back < and Forward > arrow links to move forward or backward in time.

3)  Note the Historical jurisdiction for the place you selected for each year.  Write down the list from 1790 to 1900.

4)  Post the place you selected and the historical jurisdictions for that place in a blog post of your own, in a comment to this blog post, or in a Facebook Status or google Plus Stream post.

5) Think about  the jurisdictions that came up - have you looked in those jurisdictions for information about your ancestral families that were in that place?

Here's mine:

I chose Johnson County, Georgia.  The jurisdictions it was in from 1790 to 1900 were:

1790:  Washington County, Georgia
1800:  Montgomery County, Georgia
1810:  Montgomery County, Georgia
1820:  Emanuel County, Georgia
1830:  Emanuel County, Georgia
1840:  Emanuel County, Georgia
1850:  Emanuel County, Georgia
1860:  Johnson County, Georgia (created December 11, 1858)

1870:  Johnson County, Georgia
1880:  Johnson County, Georgia
1890:  Johnson County, Georgia
1900:  Johnson County, Georgia

I have done research in Washington County.  Emanuel County has had too many courthouse fires to be of much help.  However, I have not done ANY research in Montgomery County.  I'd better get on that!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

My Memories Suite Giveaway

Well, dear readers, it's an exciting day here.  That's because I am having my first giveaway! 

As many of you know, I scrapbook.  Or at least I used to.  I will get back to it.  However, since my move, all of my scrapbooking supplies are still packed in boxes, with no time frame in sight of when it will be unpacked.  So if I have an itch to be creative... to make a scrapbook page or a greeting card...what can I do?  My glue, paper cutter, and scissors are all packed away!  Enter... digital scrapbooking!  

Now I had not tried digital scrapbooking in the past just because I always said I liked to play with paper and glue.  Feel the products in my hands.  However, I find myself in this unique situation of being unable to use my tactile supplies... so trying out digital scrapbooking makes a lot of sense.  

I recently was given the chance to try out the My Memories Suite software.  Now this is more than just a scrapbooking program.  You can make scrapbook pages or an album, sure, but you can also make greeting cards, calendars, videos, invitations, and much more!  You are only limited by your imagination!  They include lots of templates in the software, plus if you don't see something that strikes your fancy, there are tons of templates, kits, and accessories on their site.  

Now you have the opportunity to receive this fabulous scrapbook software for free (worth $40)!  Plus a $20 savings for everyone!

I made three projects using the program this afternoon.  It was very easy to do. I used an album template for my first project.  These are several scrapbook pages already designed, and all you have to do is drop your pictures onto the pages.  If you don't even want to do that, the program will add your pictures for you!  I also wanted to demonstrate how you can use the album templates for a theme other than the one originally suggested.  For instance the album I chose was originally designed for girl pages; I adapted it for my doggie!




Then I made a heritage page, cause that's what I do.  This page I built from "scratch," using background paper and embellishments included in the software.  It's a simple page, but effective.


Also, because I hate paying $3.00 for a greeting card, I made one myself!  Here's the original layout from the software:


And here it is cropped into pieces so you won't have to stand on your head to read the verse:



(Remember you can click on any of the above images to view them larger and then click the back arrow to return to this post.)

So as you can see, the software is very versatile.  Now on to the good part:  a coupon code!


My Memories is offering all of you, my readers, $10 off your purchase of the My Memories Suite v2.0 plus a $10 credit toward any purchase at their store!  That's $20 in savings!

Just use the code STMMMS80144 when checking out.  Be sure to let others know too; it would make an excellent Christmas gift!  (I would suggest copying and pasting the code so there are no typos.)

Now you're thinking, "But Liz, what about that giveaway you mentioned at the top of this post?!"  No fear, I haven't forgotten about that!


To receive the free scrapbook software, all you have to do is enter!  Here's how:

1.  Visit www.mymemories.com, find your favorite product(s), come back here, and let me know what it is in a comment.

2. "Like" My Memories on Facebook, follow on Twitter (and you'll also receive a $5 coupon to their online store!) or follow their blog and let me know in a comment here on this blog.

3.  Let others know about the giveaway (through Facebook or Twitter); again let me know in a comment!

Please leave a separate comment for each entry!

Giveaway ends Sunday, November 27 at midnight.  The winner will be announced on Monday, November 28th. 


Good luck!

Disclosure:  I was given a copy of My Memories Suite v2.0 in order to evaluate it and share my impressions with you.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Thanksgiving Edition

 From Randy over at Genea-Musings:

 Hey genea-philes ... it's SATURDAY NIGHT again - time for more GENEALOGY FUN!!!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1)  Think about the answers to these questions:

a.  Which ancestor are you most thankful for, and why?

b.  Which author (book, periodical, website, etc.) are you most thankful for, and why?

c.  Which historical record set (paper or website) are you most thankful for, and why?

2)  Tell us about it in a blog post of your own; in a comment to this blog post; in a Facebook status line or a Google Plus stream post.

Here's mine:

1-a:   This is a tough one!  I am thankful for so many of my ancestors for different reasons!  I guess I will have to choose my maternal grandfather, Charles Morgan "Pop Pop" Tapley (1907-1973) because he was the one who sparked my interest in genealogy.  It was his steno pad full of family charts and information that I inherited after he died.  Those pages (which I still have and cherish, of course!) have grown into a database of over 3,800 individuals with additional notes on many of them. 

1-b:  I know I am going to sound like a stalker... or a kiss up... but honestly, my favorite author is Thomas MacEntee, author of the Geneabloggers blog, among others.  Not only did Thomas spark my interest in starting my own genealogy blog, but the information he has available for bloggers on Geneabloggers is invaluable!  From either Thomas or his blog, I learned how to write a Disclosure Statement, how to add a Posts by Topics roll up to my blog, and the importance of adding a research toolbox to assist my readers.  In addition, the links to thousands of other genealogy blogs and visiting them has expanded my knowledge base ten-fold!  I can e-mail Thomas anytime, and no matter how busy he is (and we all know he is extremely in demand), he takes the time to reply and answer my questions.

1-c:  The historical record I am most thankful for is the United States Census.  Even though many times it has incorrect ages and misspelled names, it has been invaluable in helping me find the location of an ancestor, or the names of children (or spouses!) I didn't know they had, or where they or their parents were born.  I have just learned to take the information "with a grain of salt" and use it as a starting point in my research.  


Friday, November 18, 2011

Grandma's Diary, Part 45

(To read prior entries from my maternal grandmother's 1933 diary, please click on the tab "Posts by Topic" and then go to the topic "California." All posts are listed there.)

Key:

The writer is Ethel Ranney Tapley.
Alice is her sister.
Kenneth is her brother.
Her parents.
H = her boyfriend, Hazel Avery Plumlee
Delma = Hazel's little sister
Earl = Hazel's brother
Verda = Earl's wife
Dorothy Lee = Hazel's niece (Earl's child)
Otho is Otho Hesser, her father's cousin.
Viella is Otho's wife.
Ruth & Kathryn are Otho and Viella's daughters.
Uncle Jont is Jonathan Hesser, Otho's father and her father's uncle.
Aunt Kate is Sarah Katherine Hall Hesser, Jonathan's wife and Otho's mother
Herman (Williams) is Alice's husband.

Kenneth's wife is also named Alice; her maiden name is unknown. 

Sunday, November 12:  "Hazel came home with us from L.A.  In the afternoon we visited Plumlees."

Monday, November 13:  "Hazel & I stayed all night at Trowbridges.  I went to school.  Dad came after to me at noon."

Tuesday, November 14:  "I stayed all night at Trowbridges.  Took Hazel to Pomona on his way to L.A.  Clara & Lucile rode along."

Wednesday, November 15:  "Drove the car to school.  Saw Lucile & Clara.  We went to the show in the eve."

Thursday, November 16:  "I went to school.  Folks came after me about 2.  Visited Aunt Kate.  Took a ride thru Smiley Heights."

Friday, November 17:  "I went to school.  Alice & Mama came after me & we went to Berdo.  Went to Viellas for supper."

Saturday, November 18:  "Tried to clean house a little bit.  Mama & I went to Berdo.  We sewed in the afternoon."  

More contributions from child Liz:


Mon, November 12, 1973:  "My Gradpa died and My Gradma died Too."


November 12, 1975:  "My mother's and Daddy wedding anuvshe."  (anniversary)


November 17, 1969:  "My Nefu was born."  (nephew) (This would have referred to Harry, Jr., but he was actually born in 1968.)