Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for March 21, 2014

March 21, 2014, 8:09 am

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Just a reminder...I've created a new board on Pinterest called Genealogy Fab Finds. And, I'll be sharing my weekly Fab Finds posts there. If you'd like to check out this new board, click HERE.

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

1. Civil War Quick Tip for your New Jersey Ancestor and Civil War Quick Tip for Researching Your Veteran by Cindy Freed, author of Cindy Freed's Genealogy Circle
2. Why is Walking Arizona moving to Utah? by James Tanner, author of Genealogy's Star
3. Backup!! Another lesson learned by Karen Blackmore, author of Karen's Genealogy Oasis
4. Connecting Through Find-A-Grave by Becky Jamison, author of Grace and Glory
5. Census Keyring Thing by Beverly McGowan Norman, author of Roots, Branches, and a Few Nuts
6. Learning: Making a Timeline... for your BLOG! by Heather Collins for Young & Savvy Genealogists
7. Kansas Online Historical Newspapers Summary by Kenneth R. Marks, author of THE ANCESTOR HUNT
8. Tuesday Tip - Citing Sources vs Starting an Archives? by Laura Cosgrove Lorenzana, author of The Last Leaf On This Branch
9. Eyes on Oklahoma AND An image citation how-to by Judy G. Russell, author of The Legal Genealogist
10. Yet Another Good Reason to Source Your Research by Beth Foulk, author of Genealogy Decoded Blog  - Ah Ha Moments for Genealogists
11. One Year–That was Fast! by Tracy Meyers, author of Family Preserves
12. Creating a Digital Time Capsule for Genealogy by Nancy Loe, author of Sassy Jane Genealogy
13. Have You Registered ? AND Family Friends Friday-Well Maybe.... by Cheri Hudson Passey, author of Carolina Girl Genealogy
14. RootsTech 2014 Video Presentations Now Available Online by Steve Anderson for FamilySearch Blog
15. A Sticky Situation - Removing Photos from Those Evil Albums by Lynn Palermo, author of The Armchair Genealogist
16. New Records Available for Research Online by Ohio Historical Society Collections Blog
17. Keeping Busy With My Writing by Amy Johnson Crow, author of No Story Too Small
18. A Fun Family Tree Feature by Larry Cragun, author of Larry Cragun Family And Genealogy Blog
19. Newspapers.com: A Second Look by Rorey Cathcart, author of The Who Hunter

The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge by Amy Johnson Crow, author of No Story Too Small -

• 52 Ancestors Challenge: Week 11 Recap

New Blog Discoveries

• CHASING HANNAH
• Climbing The Family Trees
• Letters from Martin
• Roots of Kinship
• Saffron Hill
• Voices Inside My Head

In Case You Missed Them….My Contributions to the Genealogy, Photo Blog, and Vintage Postcard Blogosphere This Week

Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

• 52 Ancestors: #11 ~ William Barker Engle ~ The Other Bachelor Brother
• William Barker Engle's Death Certificate

Grandpa's Postcards

• Rio De Janeiro, A Good Neighbor City

Jana's Photo Journal

• Mossy Cave Trail – Bryce Canyon National Park ~ Part 2

Thanks for reading!

© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

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52 Ancestors: #12 ~ Happy Birthday Dad! We Miss You!

March 24, 2014, 1:33 pm

≫ Next: Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for March 28, 2014

≪ Previous: Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for March 21, 2014

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This is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Challenge begun by Amy Johnson Crow, author of the blog No Story Too Small.

Yesterday was my dad's birthday. He would have turned 78 years old. He passed away almost five years ago.

Jan Albert Iverson ~ 2 Years Old

My dad, Jan Albert Iverson, was born on March 23, 1936 to his parents, Ingrid Anna Gillberg and Arthur Harry Iverson. He was the second of four children born to Ingrid and Arthur. Jan had an older sister named Joan and two younger siblings. His younger siblings are still living, so I won't give their names here for privacy reasons. His older sister, Joan, passed away in 1993 from cancer.

This is a picture of my dad at his home in North Hollywood, California. I love that this picture of my dad shows the inside of the home that his father, Arthur, built with the help of others.



My dad spent the first ten years of his life in the Los Angeles area of California. When he was ten years old, his family moved to Portland, Oregon. This was after his mother, Ingrid, had remarried following the death of my dad's father, Arthur. Ingrid and her second husband, Wayne, had three children. One of Ingrid and Wayne's children, Pamela, passed away in 1972 at only 24 years of age. She had leukemia. Their other two children are still living, so again, I won't give their names here for privacy reasons.

My dad loved sports and played basketball, football, and track during his sophomore year of high school.

This is a picture of my dad when he was 15 years old.



My dad served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the East Central States Mission from May 1956 until May 1958. This is a picture of him taken in 1956 before his mission. He was 20 years old at the time this photo was taken. In his Mission Journal, he mentioned living and traveling in the following states: Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, Mississippi, and Maryland.



In the summer of 1958, my dad was inducted into the United States Army. He went to Basic Training at Fort Ord, California from August 1958 to October 1958. This photo of my dad was taken in October of 1959.



After he completed Basic Training, my dad served at the Presidio in San Francisco, California. While he was there, he met his future wife (my mom). Her name is Elizabeth.

They became engaged in the spring of 1959. Then came news that my dad was being sent to Korea. In August of 1959 he left for Seoul, Korea and served overseas for eleven months. He and Elizabeth wrote letters to each other while they were apart. They even sent tapes to each other. My dad was a wonderful artist. He loved to draw and paint. We have a cartoon that he had drawn showing himself sitting at a desk listening to one of the tapes Elizabeth had sent to him. I will be sharing that cute cartoon in a future post.

After his return to the United States, he and Elizabeth were married. This is a photo of my dad and mom on their wedding day.



My dad was a wonderful husband and father. He loved his family. He also had a strong testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He served in many callings in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during his lifetime.

He worked hard to provide for his family. He worked as a computer programmer for many years.

My dad had a love for genealogy and family history. He served as the Family History Center Director at our local Family History Center for about five years. My mom served as an Assistant Director alongside my dad.

It was while my dad was serving as a Family History Director that he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He hadn't smoked during his life. The suspected cause of his cancer was acid reflux that he suffered from for years. He bravely and patiently endured the trials that went along with his cancer diagnosis. He had major surgery to remove the cancerous portion of his esophagus and then had chemotherapy and radiation treatments.



On April 29, 2009, a year and a half after being diagnosed with cancer, my dad passed away. He is very much missed by all who knew and loved him. But, we are comforted by the knowledge that we will see him again someday.

Happy Birthday Dad! We love you!

Thanks for reading!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for March 28, 2014

March 28, 2014, 11:54 am

≫ Next: 52 Ancestors: #13 ~ Ella Eliza Engle

≪ Previous: 52 Ancestors: #12 ~ Happy Birthday Dad! We Miss You!

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

1. Minnesota Online Historical Newspapers Summary by Kenneth R. Marks, author of THE ANCESTOR HUNT
2. Using Books at Google by Midge Frazel, author of Granite in My Blood
3. Student Genealogy Grant Recipients: Checking in with Elyse Doerflinger by Denise Levenick, author of The Family Curator
4. A Timeline for William Gow. by Caitlin Gow, author of Genealogically Speaking.
5. And now I’m 3! by Debi Austen, author of Who Knew?
6. FamilySearch Catalog Will Soon Link to the OCLC World Catalog by Steve Anderson for FamilySearch Blog
7. “Reasonably exhaustive” research as a process of elimination by Michael Hait, author of Planting the Seeds
8. Concord, Massachusetts -- Civil War Memorial by Barbara Poole, author of Life From The Roots
9. Which Way Do I Go Now? Organize a Genealogy Research Plan by Lisa Louise Cook, author of Lisa Louise Cook's Genealogy Gems
10. Wash Day and Our Ancestors by Thomas MacEntee for Saving Memories Forever Blog
11. Take Your Kids to Cemeteries (Please) by Emily Kowalski Schroeder, author of The Spiraling Chains: Kowalski – Bellan Family Trees
12. Obfuscated FamilySearch Family Tree Manual by Ancestry Insider, author of The Ancestry Insider
13. Family Tree DNA Announces the March mtDNA Madness Sale - The Benefits of Full Mitochondrial DNA Sequencing by CeCe Moore, author of Your Genetic Genealogist
14. A Trip Down Memory Lane by Julie Goucher, author of Anglers Rest
15. Get your free e-book! 'Family History: A New Start' by Robin Foster, author of Saving Stories
16. Why Having a Family History Blog is SOOO Important! by L. L. Moore, author of Moore History – Deep In The Heart of Texas
17. Finding Female Ancestors in the Newspaper by Kimberly Powell for About.com Genealogy
18. Family Search seeking volunteer indexers AND Don’t let the backlog get you down by Janine Adams, author of Organize Your Family History
19. Haplogroup Comparisons Between Family Tree DNA and 23andMe by Roberta Estes, author of DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy
20. Weird Search Terms 2014 by Heather Wilkinson Rojo, author of Nutfield Genealogy

The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge by Amy Johnson Crow, author of No Story Too Small -

• 52 Ancestors Challenge: Week 12 Recap

New Blog Discoveries

• Wickliffe family history blog
• Brooks/Norton Beginnings
• Life in the Past Lane
• KJN Genealogy ~ Dead Reckoning
• My People in History
• Ancestors in Aprons
• Trace Your Genealogy

In Case You Missed Them….My Contributions to the Genealogy, Photo Blog, and Vintage Postcard Blogosphere This Week

Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

• 52 Ancestors: #12 ~ Happy Birthday Dad! We Miss You!

Grandpa's Postcards

• The Tropicana Hotel – Las Vegas, Nevada

Jana's Photo Journal

• Grandpa's Shop

Thanks for reading!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

52 Ancestors: #13 ~ Ella Eliza Engle

April 1, 2014, 12:44 pm

≫ Next: Engle Family Postcards ~ Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, Cal. – 1905

≪ Previous: Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for March 28, 2014

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This is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Challenge begun by Amy Johnson Crow, author of the blog No Story Too Small.



This is Ella Eliza Engle as a child. She was one of the daughters of Sarah Amanda (Waterman) Engle and Richard Engle. Ella's father, Richard, was a Civil War veteran. Ella is my 1st cousin 3 times removed.

I've written about three of Ella's siblings, Mary Albertina, Charles Albert, and William Barker in recent 52 Ancestors posts. I've also written about Ella in a previous post in November 2012.

I haven't shared this photo of Ella as a child before, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to do so in today's 52 Ancestors post.

Ella was the oldest child of Sarah and Richard Engle. She was born on 16 June 1858 in Plymouth, Ohio. Ella married John O. Gray on 7 April 1880 in Black Hawk, Iowa. They were the parents of five children.

Ella's death certificate states that she was a retired school teacher. And according to her mom's obituary, Ella was the principal of Marengo Elementary School in South Pasadena, California.

I've shared this lovely photo of Ella in my previous post about her, but thought I'd share it again.



These beautiful photos of Ella were found in one or both of the photo albums of Ella's aunt and uncle, Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster and Cynthia Maria (Waterman) Webster. Ella's mother, Sarah, was Cynthia's sister. I'm not sure which album they were from because both of these albums contain pages that have "Ella Engle" written on them.

These first two album pages are from Cynthia's album. Ella's name is on the left side in the first photo and on the right side of the page in the second photo.





And this is a page from Ebenezer's album. Ella's name is at the bottom of the page on the right.



I've shared photos of these amazing albums before on my blog. If you haven't seen them yet and would like to, click HERE, HERE, and HERE. My 3rd cousin inherited these priceless albums. Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster was a Civil War veteran.

So, now I'm wondering why there are three spaces for photos of Ella. I've only seen these two photos of her that I'm sharing with you today. Is there another photo of her somewhere that was lost? Or perhaps both albums contained a copy of the same photo of Ella. In any case, I'm very thankful to have copies of these and other photos of my ancestors and family members. They are priceless family history treasures!

Thanks for reading!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Engle Family Postcards ~ Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, Cal. – 1905

April 2, 2014, 11:03 am

≫ Next: Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for April 4, 2014

≪ Previous: 52 Ancestors: #13 ~ Ella Eliza Engle

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It's time to share another postcard from the Engle family vintage postcard collection.

This postcard was addressed to Mrs. R. Engle, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Mrs. R. Engle was Sarah Amanda (Waterman) Engle. Her husband was Richard Engle. Sarah was my maternal 2nd great-grandaunt.

The writing on the front of the postcard says 6-30-05 and Chas. A. Engle.

Chas. A. Engle is short for Charles A. Engle. And Charles A. is short for Charles Albert.  You may remember Charles from a previous 52 Ancestors post I shared here on my blog. Charles was one of Sarah and Richard Engle's sons.

On June 30, 1905, Charles sent this postcard to his mother, Sarah.

Richard and Sarah Engle lived in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for many years. In 1909, Sarah moved to California. Richard joined her in California a few years later. Richard, who was a Civil War veteran, was living in a U.S. National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in Sioux Falls from 1908-1909. I found Richard in the 1910 U.S. Federal Census living in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.¹ He was 78 years old at the time and was listed as one of the many lodgers living in a home on Main Street. Perhaps he was recuperating before he moved to California to join his wife.

I'm not sure when Charles A. Engle moved to California. I know he was still living in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1900, because that's where he is listed in the 1900 U.S. Federal Census.² I found him living in South Pasadena, California in the 1920 U.S. Federal Census.³ But, I haven't found him in the 1910 census yet. Perhaps he came to California ahead of his parents and sent this postcard to his mother.

This beautiful postcard is a 1903 postcard by the Detroit Photographic Co. It shows Avalon, which is a city on Santa Catalina Island. Santa Catalina Island is off the coast of California near Los Angeles.

Unfortunately, Charles didn't write any message to his mom that would give us a clue about why he was in California in June of 1905. But the postcard he sent to his mom is interesting and gives us a special glimpse into what Avalon looked like in the early 1900s.

This photo of Avalon was taken in 2004, about 100 years after the image of Avalon in the postcard above was published.

Avalon Bay in Santa Catalina California Photo by Aaron Logan - Wikimedia Commons

Thanks for stopping by!

© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 Year: 1910; Census Place: Sioux Falls Ward 2, Minnehaha, South Dakota; Roll: T624_1485; Page: 8B. Line 58; Enumeration District: 0334; FHL microfilm: 1375498.^↩

2 Year: 1900; Census Place: Sioux Falls Ward 6, Minnehaha, South Dakota; Roll: 1553; Page: 12A; Enumeration District: 0265; FHL microfilm: 1241553. Line 15.^↩

3 Year: 1920; Census Place: South Pasadena, Los Angeles, California; Roll: T625_119; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 614; Image: 975. Line 47.^↩

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for April 4, 2014

April 4, 2014, 9:20 am

≫ Next: It's My 2nd Blogiversary!

≪ Previous: Engle Family Postcards ~ Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, Cal. – 1905

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

1. Civil War Quick Tip For You! by Cindy Freed, author of Cindy Freed's Genealogy Circle
2. Nice to meet you, Mr. President by Debi Austen, author of Who Knew?
3. The Importance of Sharing the Slave History from your Family Trees. by Valerie Hughes, author of Genealogy With Valerie
4. Courtesy, ethics and law AND The not-yet widow by Judy G. Russell, author of The Legal Genealogist
5. The Two Most Important Things Genealogists Can Do Now by Shelley Bishop, author of A Sense of Family
6. Dead Poets Society by Schalene Dagutis, author of Tangled Roots and Trees
7. No Better Time but the Right Now Time - Family Stories by Yvette Porter Moore, author of The Ancestors Have Spoken
8. Two New Updates to Family Tree—March, 2014 by Jeff Hawkins for FamilySearch Blog
9. Using Evernote to Make Virtual Binders for Genealogy Organization by Lorine McGinnis Schulze, author of The Olive Tree Genealogy
10. The "Genealogical Artifact Review Process" or The Whirl According to G.A.R.P. -- No Foolin' (April 1, 2014) by John D. Tew, author of Filiopietism Prism
11. CreateFan.com Offers New Charts, Features by Ancestry Insider, author of The Ancestry Insider
12. A to Z April Challenge: B is for Buss by Wendy, author of Jollett Etc.
13. How to Research Your Ancestor’s Part in Major Historical Events by Gena Philibert-Ortega for GenealogyBank.com Blog
14. B is for Bait (Cousin, that is) by Ann Hinds, author of Yeakley/Jones Family History
15. Dreaming of Peaches by Vera Marie Badertscher, author of Ancestors in Aprons
16. MyHeritage.com Project for BillionGraves.com by James Tanner, author of Genealogy's Star
17. Blogging our history by Kelly Martin, author of Wickliffe family history blog
18. Military Monday: The Telegram by Susan W. Mosey, author of Pages from the Ancestry Binders
19. Why do I blog? by Kathleen Scarlett O'Hara Naylor, author of You Are Where You Came From
20. Do Ancestor Landing Pages Work? by Marian Burk Wood, author of Climbing My Family Tree
21. FACEBOOK – HOW IT CAN BE VERY USEFUL IN YOUR RESEARCH by Diane Gould Hall, author of MICHIGAN FAMILY TRAILS
22. Success: Using Facebook Groups for Genealogy by Heather Collins for Young & Savvy Genealogists

The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge by Amy Johnson Crow, author of No Story Too Small -

• 52 Ancestors Challenge: Week 13 Recap

New Blog Discoveries

• My Genealogical Adventures
• Budding Genealogists
• Orlandel Creations
• Passage to the Past's Blog
• Empty Branches on the Family Tree

In Case You Missed Them….My Contributions to the Genealogy, Photo Blog, and Vintage Postcard Blogosphere This Week

Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

• 52 Ancestors: #13 ~ Ella Eliza Engle
• Engle Family Postcards ~ Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, Cal. – 1905

Grandpa's Postcards

• I Should Be Home Soon

Jana's Photo Journal

• A Yellow Canna Lily

Thanks for reading!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

It's My 2nd Blogiversary!

April 5, 2014, 12:27 pm

≫ Next: 52 Ancestors: #14 ~ Lura Elizabeth Webster - Daughter of a Civil War Veteran

≪ Previous: Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for April 4, 2014

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Wow! Is it really my 2nd blogiversary already? Time has flown since I started this blog two years ago.

First of all, I want to thank all of you, my wonderful readers, for taking the time to read my blog posts.

Writing a blog isn't always easy and it does take time and effort. But the benefits far outweigh the costs.

BENEFITS AND BLESSINGS OF BLOGGING

The thought that someday my future grandchildren may read about their ancestors on my blog is exciting. It makes all of the time and effort I put into writing my blog worth it. I hope that my blog will bless the lives of my descendants.

One of the benefits of writing my blog is that I've come to learn about my ancestors as I write about them. They were real people with real lives. They were much like you and me. They had their likes and dislikes. They loved and were loved. They endured hardships and had trials of their own. It's an honor, a blessing, and a privilege to write about them. Each of our ancestors deserves to be remembered.

Cousin Connections and Vintage Postcards

Another blessing of writing my blog and having my family tree online is that I've made cousin connections.

A 2nd cousin on my dad's side recently found me on WikiTree.com and contacted me by leaving a message on my blog's Facebook page. I'm now part of his family history group on Facebook, which is awesome!

Another cousin, this time on my mom's side, found my blog and then left a message on my blog's Facebook page.

Another possible cousin contacted me by leaving a message on my blog's Facebook page. We've sent messages to each other several times. It looks promising that she is a descendant of my 2nd great-grandfather's brother, Ole Iverson, who was from Norway.

And just last night I had a new cousin connection. I received an email message through WikiTree's private message system. This new cousin found her grandmother's memorial page on Find A Grave, which I am maintaining. I sent her an email and am now awaiting her response.

And, of course, I can't forget the exciting Engle Family Postcard Adventure that started on November 11, 2013. A very kind woman named Ann, who lives in Ireland, came across some vintage postcards that were sent to my 2nd great-grandaunt, Sarah Amanda (Waterman) Engle. Ann purchased the postcards, found me connected to this family by doing an online search, and left a private message via WikiTree's message system. Because of Ann, I'm now in possession of over 50 of these amazing vintage postcards from the Engle family. And I'm in the process of sharing them here on my blog. If you would like to read more of this story, click HERE.

In addition to cousins finding me through WikiTree, my blog, and Find A Grave, I've also had cousins contact me because my family tree is on Ancestry.com. I have found that it's been very beneficial to have my family tree online.

STATISTICS

Statistics can be quite interesting. Last year on my 1st blogiversary I shared some of my blog stats. I thought I'd do so again today.

Referring Sites

These are the top ten referring sites to my blog according to Google Analytics.



These stats are from April 5, 2013 until April 4, 2014. Of special interest to me is number four – Pinterest. That really has been a surprisingly big referrer to my blog. Also, thank you Randy Seaver, author of Genea-Musings, John D. Tew, author of Filiopietismprism, and Cyndi's List for referring traffic to my blog as well!

These are the top ten referring sites according to Blogger.




Unfortunately, Blogger doesn't have the capability to limit these statistics within certain dates like Google Analytics does. So, these stats refer to the entire time I've had my blog. Pinterest is at number ten in this list.

Most Popular Posts

And now for my most popular blog posts.

According to Blogger's statistics, these are my top ten blog posts of all time -

1. Tech Tuesday: Rootsmapper.com ~ Ya, this is pretty cool!
2. Tech Tuesday - OneNote For Genealogy ~ Research Bookmarks
3. My Family Finder DNA Results Are In ~ Grandma Was Right!
4. Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for September 13, 2013
5. Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for September 20, 2013
6. Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for September 6, 2013
7. Follow Friday–Fab Finds for December 28, 2012
8. 52 Ancestors: #4 ~ The Photo Album of a Civil War Veteran – Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster
9. Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for August 2, 2013
10. Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for November 1, 2013

My top ten list of all time is quite different according to Google Feedburner.

1. Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for June 7, 2013
2. Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for May 31, 2013
3. Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for June 21, 2013
4. "Left Forefinger Off"
5. The Other Watson E. Webster
6. Carl Albert Gillberg's Two Declarations of Intention
7. Follow Friday–Fab Finds for March 22, 2013
8. Happy Father's Day
9. Thanks for Traveling Frederick! – A September 1913 Passenger List
10. Will You Be Watching?

Again, thank you to my family members, friends, fellow geneabloggers and everyone else who has taken the time to read my blog posts. And thank you for leaving comments, sharing my blog posts on Twitter, Google+, Facebook, Pinterest, RebelMouse, and on any other social media platform. I appreciate it very much!

Thanks for reading!

© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

52 Ancestors: #14 ~ Lura Elizabeth Webster - Daughter of a Civil War Veteran

April 7, 2014, 4:34 pm

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This is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Challenge begun by Amy Johnson Crow, author of the blog No Story Too Small. 

Lura Elizabeth Webster

This is Lura Elizabeth Webster.  She was one of the sisters of my great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster, a.k.a. "The Traveling Dentist" here on my blog. Lura is also a direct ancestor of my sweet 3rd cousin Norma. Norma inherited the photo albums of our common direct ancestors, Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster and Cynthia Maria Waterman. I've shared pictures of these photo albums here on my blog. If you'd like to see them, click HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Lura Elizabeth Webster was born on October 4, 1862 in Winnebago, Winnebago, Illinois.  She was the second of six children born to Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster, who was a Civil War veteran, and his wife Cynthia Maria Waterman.

Lura married Paul Anderson Hammett on September 15, 1880 in Marysville, Marshall, Kansas.¹ This is a picture of Paul.

Paul Anderson Hammett

Lura and Paul were the parents of seven children:

1. Mabel Hammett (1881-1881)
2. Claude Elmer Hammett (1882-1885)
3. Edgar Allen Hammett (1884-1982)
4. Olive Dell Hammett (1889-1962)
5. Merlin Joy Hammett (1891-1965)
6. Hazel Marie Hammett (1893-1941)
7. Sidney Raymond Hammett (1900-1974)

Sadly, the two oldest children didn't survive to adulthood. Lura and Paul and their surviving children lived in Kansas for many years. They were living in Elm Creek, Marshall, Kansas in 1900.²

By 1910, Lura and Paul and their children had moved from Kansas to California. They are listed in the 1910 U.S. Federal Census living in Long Beach, California.³

Lura's husband, Paul, passed away on March 14, 1918 in Long Beach, Los Angeles, California at 62 years of age. Lura and Paul had been married for 37 years at the time of his death. It appears that Lura, along with some of her children, then moved back to Kansas after Paul's death.

On February 1, 1919, Lura married James Perry Burket in Marysville, Marshall, Kansas.⁴  James happened to be the widower of Lura's sister, Lillian Dell Webster, who had passed away on August 28, 1914.  James Perry Burket passed away on March 28, 1919, only one month after he and Lura were married.

Lura was listed in the 1920 U.S. Federal Census living in Manhattan, Riley, Kansas.⁵ She moved back to California sometime after the 1920 census was taken.

On July 8, 1922 Lura married a widower named Jonathan James Serry in Los Angeles, California.⁶  I found them in the 1930 U.S. Federal Census living in Alhambra, Los Angeles, California.⁷ After twelve years of marriage, Jonathan passed away. He died on July 11, 1934 in Los Angeles, California.

Lura married again after the death of her husband, Jonathan Serry. Lura's fourth husband was William D. Colborn. Unfortunately, I don't have William and Lura's marriage date. By the time the 1940 U.S. Federal Census was taken, Lura was listed as a widow.⁸

Lura passed away on January 12, 1946 at 83 years of age in Alhambra, Los Angeles, California. She is buried next to her first husband, Paul Hammett, at the Marysville Cemetery in Marysville, Marshall County, Kansas.

Thanks for reading!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 Marriage Record for Lura and Paul ^↩
2 "United States Census, 1900," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12118-39871-26?cc=1325221 : accessed 07 Apr 2014), Kansas > Marshall > ED 60 Elm Creek & Walnut Townships > image 12 of 27; citing NARA microfilm publication T623. Line 51.↩
3 "United States Census, 1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11711-149601-19?cc=1727033 : accessed 06 Apr 2014), California > Los Angeles > Long Beach Ward 1 > 0037 > image 39 of 58; citing NARA microfilm publication T624. Line 5.^↩
4 Marriage Record for Lura and James ^↩
5 "United States Census, 1920," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12869-8389-52?cc=1488411 : accessed 06 Apr 2014), Kansas > Riley > Manhattan Ward 3 > 0127 > image 5 of 52; citing NARA microfilm publication T625. Line 43.^↩
6 Marriage Record for Lura and Jonathan. "California, County Marriages, 1850-1952," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K8NM-XPW : accessed 08 May 2013), John J Serry and Lura E Burket, 1922.^↩
7 "United States Census, 1930," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-159393-347881-80?cc=1810731 : accessed 06 Apr 2014), California > Los Angeles > Alhambra > 1399 > image 3 of 23; citing NARA microfilm publication T626. Line 41.^↩
8 "United States Census, 1940," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-27794-6530-92?cc=2000219 : accessed 06 Apr 2014), California > Los Angeles > San Gabriel Judicial Township, Alhambra, Tract 476 > 19-664 San Gabriel Judicial Township, Alhambra City (Tract 476 - part) bounded by (N) Alhambra Rd; (E) Hidalgo Av; (S) Main; (W) Garfield Av > image 12 of 36; citing NARA digital publication of T627. Line 71.^↩

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Happy National Siblings Day!

April 10, 2014, 2:58 pm

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Today is National Siblings Day. I saw something about it on Facebook and went to GeneaBloggers and sure enough, Thomas MacEntee, author of the GeneaBloggers website noted that today is in fact, National Siblings Day. He kindly included a link about it on his website. If you'd like to learn more about National Siblings Day, click HERE.

Patricia Biallas, author of the GeneaJourneys blog, wrote a blog post about National Siblings Day in which she shared several precious photos of herself and her siblings.

That inspired me to do the same thing here on my blog. So, I'll share a couple of photos of my brothers and myself.

This first photo was taken in Redwood City, California. I was probably about four or five years old.



I'm not sure where this photo was taken, but I think we were at a party.



I'm so grateful for my two brothers and I love them both very much.

Happy Siblings Day everyone!

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for April 11, 2014

April 11, 2014, 11:23 am

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

1. “Paying It Forward”: The Importance of Sharing the Slave History from your Family Trees Part Two AND Airing Your Dirty Laundry!! by Valerie, author of Genealogy With Valerie
2. All Aboard! by Debi Austen, author of Who Knew?
3. 2014: Most bang for DNA bucks AND Copyright, terms of use and Flipboard by Judy G. Russell, author of The Legal Genealogist
4. How to Save and Print Images from Chronicling America by Miriam J. Robbins, author of AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors
5. Data Mining and Screen Scraping – Right or Wrong? by Roberta Estes, author of DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy
6. Truth Revealed About African-American Undertaker Buried in Fairview Cemetery AND A Surprise Waiting Deep in Fairview Cemetery by Robin Foster, author of Saving Stories
7. Heritage Scrapbooking: Sneak Peak by Devon Lee, author of A Patient Genealogist
8. A Pressing Engagement by Sheri Fenley, author of THE EDUCATED GENEALOGIST
9. 4 Bonus Postcards – Sepia Saturday by Kristin Cleage Williams, author of Finding Eliza
10. Typhoid Falls on the Eggleston Home by Cynthia Mulcahy, author of We're All Relative
11. 3 Writing Lessons from a New Genealogy Blogger by Lynn Palermo, author of The Armchair Genealogist
12. More Ways to Use Evernote to Create Virtual Genealogy Binders by Lorine McGinnis Schulze, author of The Olive Tree Genealogy
13. More Ohio Newspapers Added to Chronicling America! by Ohio Historical Society Collections Blog
14. I’ve Moved…to www.LisaLisson.com by Lisa Lisson, author of Are You My Cousin?
15. Genealogical Information Gleaned From Photographs by Lisa Lisson, author of Lisa Lisson
16. Really? A Month? Yeah A Month! BUT....

"National Siblings Day" Blog Posts

1. National Siblings Day by Beth Gatlin, author of So Many Ancestors!
2. Really? There’s a National Siblings Day?! by Patricia Desmond Biallas, author of GeneaJourneys
3. National Siblings Day by Sally Knudsen, author of Sally Searches
4. National Siblings Day by Emily Kowalski Schroeder, author of The Spiraling Chains: Kowalski – Bellan Family Trees
5. "National Siblings Day" -? Okay - here's mine! by Celia Lewis, author of TWIGS and TREES

The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge by Amy Johnson Crow, author of No Story Too Small -

• 52 Ancestors Challenge: Week 14 Recap

New Blog Discoveries

• Lewis Family Genealogy
• Digging For Ancestors
• So Many Ancestors!
• starryblackness
• Getting to Know You - A Journey into Ancestry
• Wandering Through My Roots
• The Stories Found Among the Leaves.
• Questions and Ancestors
• FamilyHistory4u

In Case You Missed Them….My Contributions to the Blogosphere This Week

Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

• It's My 2nd Blogiversary!
• 52 Ancestors: #14 ~ Lura Elizabeth Webster - Daughter of a Civil War Veteran
• Happy National Siblings Day!

Grandpa's Postcards

• Great Salt Lake Cut-Off at Sunset, Great Salt Lake, Utah

Jana's Photo Journal

• Grandpa C's Peanut Clusters

Thanks for reading!

© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

52 Ancestors: #15 ~ Rollin Waterman Webster – Such a Dapper Young Fellow

April 14, 2014, 3:08 pm

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This is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Challenge begun by Amy Johnson Crow, author of the blog No Story Too Small.



I love this picture of my maternal great-granduncle, Rollin Waterman Webster. Wasn't he dapper? I love his high starched collar and bowler hat. This photo was taken when Rollin was 25 years old, which would have been around 1895.

Rollin was a brother of my great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster. My regular readers may already know that I affectionately refer to my great-grandfather, Watson, as "The Traveling Dentist" here on my blog.

Rollin and Frederick had another brother named Frank. This photo shows the three of them together. It was taken around 1884. On the back of the photo, my grandfather, Debs Webster, son of Watson (Frederick) and nephew of Rollin and Frank, wrote the following:

Webster Brothers

From Left To Right

Rollin  13 years                   Frank  18 years                   Emory (Fred)  20 years

Rollin was born on 21 October 1870 in Blairstown, Benton, Iowa to his parents Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster and Cynthia Maria Waterman. He was the youngest of six children born to Ebenezer and Cynthia.

Unlike his brothers, Frederick and Frank, Rollin did not become a dentist. Instead, he spent years working for the railroad. But, that is a topic for a future post.

Rollin married twice. His first wife was named Cecelia A. Jennings. She was from Ireland. They were married on 1 June 1901 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. They were the parents of four children. Sadly, she passed away on 7 May 1915.

Cecelia had a younger sister named Ellen who also emigrated from Ireland. And this is who Rollin married after Cecelia passed away. Rollin and Ellen were married on 26 June 1916 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. They didn't have any children.

Rollin spent most of his life living in Chicago. He passed away on 9 October 1962 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. He was just shy of his 92nd birthday. He is buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois.

I will share more about Rollin's life in future posts.

Thanks for reading!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for April 18, 2014

April 18, 2014, 6:32 am

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

1. Of Genealogy and UFOs. (It’s Not What You Think) by Amy Johnson Crow, author of No Story Too Small
2. Central City's Masonic Cemetery AND Twitter Coaching Available in 2014 by Jen Baldwin, author of Ancestral Breezes
3. Google Drive to the Rescue! by Deb Ruth, author of Adventures in Genealogy
4. I’m Lonely for My Missing Ancestors by mulberrygrrl, author of We're All Relative
5. Levy Brothers by Debi Austen, author of Who Knew?
6. Access the Civil War Collection by Trevor for Fold3 Blog
7. A celebration of siblings by Judy G. Russell, author of The Legal Genealogist
8. Genea-Musings is 8 Years Old Today by Randy Seaver, author of Genea-Musings
9. Tuesday's Tip ~Tax Day Came For Our Ancestors Too! by Cheri Hudson Passey, author of Carolina Girl Genealogy
10. Win Ancestry.com Subscription, DNA Test, and Research Package by Ancestry Insider, author of The Ancestry Insider
11. DNA Hints - Providing More Clarity To My DNA Results by Anna Swayne for Ancestry.com Blog
12. Post Conference Review -- RootsTech 2014 AND Beginning your search for your Swedish Roots with Rötter by James Tanner, author of Genealogy's Star
13. Using Footnotes with Blogger by Tony Proctor, author of Parallax View
14. Did You Turn the Page? by Kimberly Powell for About.com Genealogy
15. Researching Your Ancestors in Latin America—Part 1 by Deborah S. Gurtler for FamilySearch Blog
16. Tuesday's Tip/Digital Newspaper Search by Ellie, author of Ellie's Ancestors
17. Keeping my genealogy database in tip top shape by Michele Simmons Lewis, author of Ancestoring
18. Tips and Tricks: Writing a Good Reason Statement for Changing a Record by Sally Benedict for FamilySearch Blog
19. Connected Cousins is Launching! by Gwen Eads, author of Eads and Allied Families

The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge by Amy Johnson Crow, author of No Story Too Small -

• 52 Ancestors Challenge: Week 15 Recap

New Blog Discoveries

• Genealogy Adventures
• The Allen Gazette
• RootStories
• Reflections
• THEGENEALOGYGIRL
• Remember Me - Heritage from the Past

In Case You Missed Them….My Contributions to the Blogosphere This Week

Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

• 52 Ancestors: #15 ~ Rollin Waterman Webster – Such a Dapper Young Fellow

Grandpa's Postcards

• Jones Beach – Long Island, New York

Jana's Photo Journal

• Because of Him

Thanks for reading!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Because of Him ~ Happy Easter!

April 20, 2014, 9:33 am

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On this beautiful Easter morning, I'd like to wish each of you a very Happy Easter. And I'd like to share this special video with you today. It's called "Because of Him." I hope you'll take a few moments to watch it.

May each of us remember the many blessings we've been given because of Him.

Happy Easter!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

52 Ancestors: #16 ~ Beautiful Eunice

April 21, 2014, 3:21 pm

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This is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Challenge begun by Amy Johnson Crow, author of the blog No Story Too Small.



This is Eunice Amelia Paulk. She's my 1st cousin 4 times removed. Our common ancestor was her grandfather and my 4th great-grandfather, Reverend Cyrus Paulk, Sr.

My 3rd cousin, Norma, emailed this amazing photo to me. Wasn't Eunice a beauty?

Eunice, who also went by Una, was born in 1842 in Ohio. She was the third of seven children born to Ferdinando Paulk and Amelia Lindsay Humphrey.

In 1860, she was 19 years old and was living with her parents and siblings in Washington, Lee, Iowa. And her occupation was listed as a "teacher in common school."¹

She was still living in Washington, Iowa in 1870.² However, she wasn't living with her parents then. She was 28 years old and was living with William and Laura Davis. I don't know of any family connection with the Davis family, so Eunice may have just been boarding with them. She was still teaching school at the time.

Eunice moved to California sometime after the 1870 census was taken. Each of her six siblings also moved to California.

On 2 March 1876, Eunice married Franklin Lafayette Johnson in San Joaquin, California. They had one child, a daughter, named Mary Grace Johnson.³

By the time the 1900 U.S. census was taken, Eunice was a widow. A nephew, John Ferdinando Paulk, Jr., and a niece, Mary Amelia Paulk, both children of Eunice's brother, John Ferdinando Paulk, Sr. were living with Eunice and her daughter Mary Grace in 1900.⁴

By 1910, Eunice had moved to Pasadena.⁵ Two of her nieces, Amelia (Amy) E. O'Neil and Mary A. Paulk, were living with her.

Eunice passed away on 20 February 1913 in San Joaquin, California.⁶

Thanks for reading!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 Year: 1860; Census Place: Washington, Lee, Iowa; Roll: M653_330; Page: 652; Image: 660; Family History Library Film: 803330. Line 23.^↩
2 ] Year: 1870; Census Place: Washington, Lee, Iowa; Roll: M593_404; Page: 450B; Image: 527; Family History Library Film: 545903. Line 38.^↩
3 Ancestry.com. California, Select Marriages, 1850-1945 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2014. Original data: California, Marriages, 1850-1945. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.^↩
4 ] Year: 1900; Census Place: Dent, San Joaquin, California; Roll: 108; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 0100; FHL microfilm: 1240108. Line 58.^↩
5 Year: 1910; Census Place: Pasadena Ward 6, Los Angeles, California; Roll: T624_86; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 0311; FHL microfilm: 1374099. Line 44.^↩
46 Ancestry.com. California, Death Index, 1905-1939 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.Original data: California Department of Health and Welfare. California Vital Records-Vitalsearch (www.vitalsearch-worldwide.com). The Vitalsearch Company Worldwide, Inc., Pleasanton, California.^↩

My AncestryDNA Results Are In ~ Some Surprises

April 23, 2014, 10:00 am

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I received my AncestryDNA test results the other day. They arrived a lot earlier than I was expecting, which was awesome. And, they revealeda coupleof surprises too.

AncestryDNA  Test Results

The AncestryDNA test results provide some very interesting and helpful tools and charts. Here's my EthnicityEstimate Chart.




In case the chart above is difficult to read, this is the percentage breakdown for my Ethnicity Estimate Chart:

North Africa – 5%
Native American – 10%
Scandinavia – 34%
Europe West – 20%
Great Britain – 9%
Ireland – 8%
Iberian Peninsula – 7%

I didn't include the TraceRegions. According to AncestryDNA, they may or may not actually be part of my ancestry.

A ReallyCool Feature

This is what happened when I clicked on Scandinavia. A bar graph shows up and on the right side of the screen some interesting information about Scandinavia appears. I've blurred the map because of copyright issues. You can also see that they've included a bar graph that  shows how my averageethnicity percentage compareswith a typical native Scandinavian.

This is a screen shot of the top portion of the page. As I scrolled down the page, additional informationsuch as genetic diversity and population history can be found. You can see portions of those sections in the next two screenshots.







NoSurprises

I'm not surprised by the Native American result. Last year I took the Family Finder (autosomal) DNA test with FamilyTreeDNA. I shared those results here on my blog. It was quite exciting to see these results because they showedthat I have Native American ancestry, specifically Mayan ancestry. This verified something that my mom'sstepmother had told her a long time ago. She said my mom had Mayan ancestry, and she was right. My maternal great-grandmother, Esther Matus Villatoro, was born in Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico. TheMayan people inhabited parts of Chiapas and other areas, so this could explain the Native American result.

Esther Matus Villatoro

I'm not at all surprised by the Scandinavian result. My father, Jan Albert Iverson, was Swedish and Norwegian. His maternal grandparents, Carl Albert Gillberg and Hilda Maria Carlsson, emigrated from Swedento the United States in the early 1900's and his paternal great-grandfather, Iver Iverson, emigrated from Norway to the United States shortly before the U.S. Civil War.

Jan Albert Iverson

Carl Albert Gillberg and Hilda Maria (Carlsson) Gillberg

The Family Finder DNA test I took last year didn't include Scandinavia in my results. But, it did include North Africa. My maternal grandmother, Sarah Vasques Madeira, was Portuguese. Some of her ancestors came from the Azores and the Island of Madeira. I'm wondering if this accounts for the North Africaethnicity result. The Island of Madeira is quite close to Morocco, which is in North Africa.

Sarah Vasques Madeira

The Great Britain and Iberian Peninsula results also don't surprise me. My Webster and Waterman ancestors are originally from England. And the Iberian Peninsula includes Spain and Portugal. As I already mentioned, mymaternal grandmother, Sarah Vasques Madeira, was Portuguese. So, this could account for the IberianPeninsularesult.

Surprises

The ethnicity results that surprised me were the Ireland and Europe West results. They did not show up in my Family Finder DNA test results.  And I don't have know of anyone in my family tree from Ireland or the countries represented in the Europe West region.

Matches

The Member Matches feature of the AncestryDNA test is really awesome. I have lots of matches. At the top of thelist is my 1st cousin one time removed. She and I had already been in touch with each other. There aresome great features included in the Member Matches including lists of shared surnames, a map showingbirth locations that appear in both your family tree and your potential cousin's family tree, and even a shared ancestor hint feature.

Conclusion

I'm really glad that I took the AncestryDNA test in addition to the FamilyTreeDNA tests I've taken. I also took the mtDNAPlustest with Family Tree DNA. But, I haven't shared those results on my blog yet.

I love the Member Matches feature on AncestryDNA. I have a long list of matches to look through. And hopefully, I willbe able to make new cousin connections soon.

Thanks for reading!


© 2014 Copyrightby Jana Last, All RightsReserved

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Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for April 25, 2014

April 25, 2014, 12:35 pm

≫ Next: 52 Ancestors: #17 ~ Happy 100th Birthday Grandpa Debs! We Miss You!

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

1. Fun Civil War Quick Tip by Cindy Freed, author of Cindy Freed's Genealogy Circle
2. Using Excel in Genealogy by Jen Baldwin, author of Ancestral Breezes
3. Saving a Slice of Family History by Maureen Taylor, author of Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective
4. Attaching Historical Records to Entire Families in FamilySearch Family Tree - Part 1 AND Attaching Historical Records to Entire Families in FamilySearch Family Tree - Part 2: A Significant Problem by Randy Seaver, author of Genea-Musings
5. From JPEG to TIFF - Tuesday's Tip by Nancy, author of My Ancestors and Me
6. Everything in one place by Michele Simmons Lewis, author of Ancestoring
7. Google adds back in time to Street View by James Tanner, author of Genealogy's Star
8. So…What Did I Get In The Mail? by Cheryl Palmer, author of Heritage Happens
9. Alone, but Not Forgotten by Michelle G. Taggart, author of A Southern Sleuth
10. I Thought I ‘d Have More Time! by Valerie Hughes, author of Genealogy With Valerie
11. Tuesday's Tip: Vital Records Aren’t Always Accurate by Yvonne Demoskoff, author of Yvonne's Genealogy Blog
12. 45 Reasons to Research Immigration Records by Kenneth R. Marks, author of THE ANCESTOR HUNT
13. Google Maps Street View Delivers a Taste of Time Travel by Lisa Louise Cooke, author of Lisa Louise Cooke's Genealogy Gems
14. Sometimes the Best Find Comes When You Least Expect it! by Lorine McGinnis Schulze, author of The Olive Tree Genealogy
15. War Rationing -- When The Greatest Generation Went "All In" by John D. Tew, author of Filiopietism Prism
16. Treasure Chest Thursday~From Cedar Chest to FB Success! by Cheri Hudson Passey, author of Carolina Girl Genealogy
17. 10 Genealogy Things I Do With My Smart Phone by Diane Boumenot, author of One Rhode Island Family
18. The Naturalization Puzzle by Sheri Fenley, author of THE EDUCATED GENEALOGIST
19. Researching Your Ancestors in Latin America—Part 2 by Deborah S. Gurtler for FamilySearch Blog

The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge by Amy Johnson Crow, author of No Story Too Small -

• 52 Ancestors Challenge: Week 16 Recap

New Blog Discoveries

• Answering The Ancestors' Call
• My Journey: Breaking down the walls
• Honoring Our History
• Journey into Genealogy
• My Ancestor's Name
• TravelGenee.com

In Case You Missed Them….My Contributions to the Blogosphere This Week

Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

• Because of Him ~ Happy Easter!
• 52 Ancestors: #16 ~ Beautiful Eunice
• My AncestryDNA Results Are In ~ Some Surprises

Grandpa's Postcards

• Early Home of Joseph Smith, Near Palmyra, New York

Jana's Photo Journal

• Mossy Cave Trail – Bryce Canyon National Park ~ Part 3 – We Arrived at Mossy Cave

Thanks for reading!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

52 Ancestors: #17 ~ Happy 100th Birthday Grandpa Debs! We Miss You!

April 28, 2014, 12:45 pm

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This is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Challenge begun by Amy Johnson Crow, author of the blog No Story Too Small.

Yesterday my maternal grandfather, Debs Warren Webster, would have turned 100 years old. In August of this year it will be 20 years since he passed away. I've written about him a lot on my blog in the past. Specifically, about his family's immigration story. Today, I'm going to share a little about him personally.

Debs Warren Webster

Debs Warren Webster was born on 27 April 1914 in Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil to his parents Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster and Esther Matus Villatoro. Debs was the third of five children born to Frederick and Esther.

You may have noticed that I referred to Debs' father as Frederick instead of Watson. That's because Watson changed his name to Frederick at some point in his life. My regular readers may also recognize his name because he is known as "The Traveling Dentist" here on my blog.

Yes, Debs' father traveled a great deal during his life. And that meant that Debs did too. I really don't know how Debs attended school when he was young. But, he was very smart and spoke three languages – Spanish, Portuguese, and English. He also became a dentist in two different countries – Brazil and the United States.

Debs met his first wife, Sarah Vasques Madeira, in Brazil. They fell in love and were married on 4 April 1936 in Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Sarah Vasques Madeira and Debs Warren Webster

They were so very happy. Their happiness increased with the birth of their first and only child, a daughter (my mom).

Tragically, only six years after Debs and Sarah were married, Sarah passed away. She died on 15 July 1942 in Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. My mom was only four years old at the time of her mom's death.

Debs was left a widower with a small child. He hadn't completed his college degree yet. He was working and going to dental school. How was he going to take care of his little daughter? Thankfully, family members helped him. My mom was taken care of by a couple of her mom's sisters, Isabel and Lucia, and then by her father's Aunt Crecenciana.

Debs found happiness again when he met and married Willis Quillin. They were married on 16 March 1944 in Dobrada, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Willis Quillin Webster

They had one child together, a son. They also adopted a little boy in Brazil. Now they were a family of five – my mom, from Debs' first marriage, and two sons.

Almost a year after Debs married Willis, he received his dental diploma. Debs received his diploma on 13 February 1945 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Debs Warren Webster

In the early 1950s, Debs and his family joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They decided to move to the United States. In July of 1952, they boarded the ocean liner S.S. Brazil and sailed to a new country and a new life. They took this family photo on 10 June 1952, about a month before they left Brazil.



Debs thought he was going to be able to practice dentistry in the United States. But he later found out that he wasn't allowed to practice here because he hadn't graduated from a United States college. So, Debs went back to school and eventually became a dentist here in the United States. What an accomplishment! And how difficult this must have been for him and his family.

Debs was a very hard worker and was also very kind and generous. Over the years he opened his home to family members who also immigrated to the United States from Brazil. They were welcome to stay at his home until they were able to get on their feet and become acclimated to their new country.

Debs didn't like his first name and legally changed it after arriving in the United States. He then went by Warren Debs Webster. He passed away on 15 August 1994 in Petaluma, Sonoma, California at 80 years of age. He is buried at Oakmont Memorial Park in Lafayette, Contra Costa, California.



I began researching our family history after my Grandpa Debs passed away. When my mom and I were going through some of my grandpa's personal belongings, we found a photo of his great-grandfather, Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster, who was a Civil War veteran. I had never seen that photo before and had no idea who Ebenezer was or that we had any ancestry connected with the Civil War.

I don't remember my grandfather talking about his childhood or his family history. I think he had a difficult childhood and didn't want to talk about it. It must have been painful for him. His mother died when he was a boy and three of his four siblings didn't survive to adulthood. I wish I had started my family history research before my Grandpa Debs had passed away. There are so many questions I wish I could ask him now.

My Grandpa Debs was a wonderful and loving grandpa. We miss him.

Thanks for reading!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

5 Years Ago Today

April 29, 2014, 11:28 am

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Five years ago today, on April 29, 2009, my father, Jan Albert Iverson, passed away.

In August of 2007, he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He hadn't smoked during his life. The cancer was a result of years of acid reflux problems.

On September 9, 2007, we traveled up to Oakland, California where my dad would have surgery to remove the cancerous tumor the next day.

We took this family photo the day before his surgery in Oakland. One of my sisters-in-law couldn't be with us. From left to right: my husband Brent, myself, my brother, my dad, my mom, my brother and his wife.



My dad's surgery took around 10-12 hours. The surgeon removed the cancerous tumor which was in the lower part of my dad's esophagus. After the surgery, my dad had radiation and chemotherapy treatments. He also had a feeding tube inserted in his stomach. During my dad's struggle with cancer and the complications associated with it, he lost about 100 pounds. He also seemed to age 20 years. A once active, vibrant man had become so frail. But, my dad was an inspiring example of enduring to the end. He patiently and bravely faced the trials he was going through.

These two pictures were taken only six months after my dad's surgery. We were celebrating his 72nd birthday.





This photo was taken on September of 2008, one year after my dad's surgery. He was hugging one of our sons.



I took a photography class in the fall of 2008 at a local junior college. As part of an assignment, I took this photo of my dad and mom. This was also taken in September of 2008. How much my dad's appearance had changed in just one year!



My dad became weaker and weaker over time. I stubbornly refused to believe that he he was going to die. I thought he would regain his strength when he was going to physical therapy. But, he was wasting away before our eyes.

I took a beginning Photoshop class in early 2009 at the same junior college I had taken the photography class. My dad passed away near the end of the semester. This was my final assignment for that class. It's titled "Broken Heart." I know it could have been much better, but I was just learning Photoshop at the time.



Because my dad was a Korean War veteran, he was buried with military honors.







We all miss my dad very much. But we know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we will be able to see and be with my dad again. Our family can be together for eternity. What comfort the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings. This life is not the end. We can see and be with our loved ones again. That knowledge is what helps with the grief and sadness of missing our family members when they pass away.

To end this post, I'll leave you with a few pictures of my dad from happier times before his cancer diagnosis.

This was taken in March of 2006 at a local restaurant. We were celebrating my dad's 70th birthday.



Here's a photo of my dad goofing around with his one of his brothers. My dad is the one sitting in the chair.



These next three are photos of my dad with some of his grandchildren when they were little kids.







My dad loved his family and we love him.

Thanks for reading!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for May 2, 2014

May 2, 2014, 10:30 am

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

1. My Big Find at the Georgia Archives by Tonia Kendrick, author of Tonia's Roots
2. Preservation Week 2014 Family Photographs AND MayDay Genealogy Data by Nancy Loe, author of Sassy Jane Genealogy
3. Suggestion: The Time to Digitize Historic Items is NOW by Dick Eastman, author of Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter
4. Returning from Sabbatical: Back and open for business! AND Happy Birthday Great Grandma! by Smadar Belkind Gerson, author of Past-Present-Future
5. Who is this adorable girl named Cuba? by Susan Saunders-King, author of Susan's California Roots
6. How Important Was the Car to the Lives of Your Ancestors? by Ralph Poore, author of Root, Branch and Twig
7. Out On A Wing For His Country by Valerie Hughes, author of Genealogy With Valerie
8. Source vs. Record by Beth Foulk, author of Genealogy Decoded – Ah Ha Moments for Genealogists
9. Talented Tuesday: Doing Her Bit by Linda Huesca Tully, author of Many Branches, One Tree
10. Using Twitter for genealogy research AND 5 reasons why the new free Skype group calling is great news for genealogy societies by Gail Dever, author of Genealogy à la carte
11. The Story Trek Season Premiere by Renee Zamora, author of Renee's Genealogy Blog
12. Exploring genetic genealogy by Janine Adams, author of Organize Your Family History
13. The National Archives of Ireland, findmypast, and FamilySearch Bring Lost Irish Records to the Internet by Thom Reed for FamilySearch Blog
14. Cleanliness Takes Effort by Cindy Eppich, author of Remembering Family
15. An Heirloom’s Journey – Treasure Chest Thursday by Wendy Malinowski, author of Our Lineage
16. GeneaBloggers Members Invited to Celebrate Military Ancestor Memories by Thomas MacEntee, author of GeneaBloggers
17. FAN Club: Looking for Mary Ennis by Kathleen Scarlett O'Hara Naylor, author of You Are Where You Came From

The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge by Amy Johnson Crow, author of No Story Too Small -

• 52 Ancestors Challenge: Week 17 Recap

New Blog Discoveries

• THE ART OF GENEALOGY
• My Genealogy Life
• Genealogy à la carte
• family history daily
• Cyndi's List - Evernote for Every Genealogist

In Case You Missed Them….My Contributions to the Blogosphere This Week

Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog

• 52 Ancestors: #17 ~ Happy 100th Birthday Grandpa Debs! We Miss You!
• 5 Years Ago Today

Grandpa's Postcards

• This Is The Place Monument – Salt Lake City, Utah

Thanks for reading!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

52 Ancestors: #18 ~ Grandma Ingrid's Grade School

May 5, 2014, 11:35 am

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This is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Challenge begun by Amy Johnson Crow, author of the blog No Story Too Small.



My paternal grandmother, Ingrid Anna Gillberg, was a wonderful family historian. She put together not one, but two, Books of Remembrance. Inside one of these books is this photo of where she attended grade school when she was a child in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Ingrid's parents, Carl and Hilda Gillberg emigrated from Sweden in 1909 and 1910, respectively. They first settled in Salt Lake City, where Ingrid was born. Later the family moved to the Los Angeles area. Ingrid was born on 5 November 1913.

This is a photo of Ingrid taken in 1923 when she was about 10 years old.



Isn't this a fun photo? I wonder what the occasion was for having this picture taken. See how she's holding the skirt of her dress? Perhaps her mother made this dress for her and wanted to get a photo of Ingrid wearing it.

Whatever the reason for the photo, I'm glad it was taken. This photo is also in the same Book of Remembrance as the photo of Ingrid's grade school. It's so fun to see Ingrid at the age she was when she attended grade school. Can't you almost picture her skipping along on her way to school?

I think the name of Ingrid's school is Donlas Grade School, but when I did an online search for this school in Salt Lake City, it didn't showup in the results. Either I'm not reading my grandmother's handwriting correctly, the school'sname has been changed, or it no longer exists.

If any of my readers have heard of this school, or can help me find any information about it, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks for reading!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved