Who Are You? Who. Who. Who. Who.

I have been immersed in a genealogy conundrum for the last two days!!

I found Martha, who was married to William John.  Yippee!  Back another generation.

As I pursued my search, there are three accounts of Martha and William John.  One search reveals they had four children.  One search reveals they had only one child--a daughter.  One search reveals HER parents.  YAY.

Which search is correct?  I go digging for Martha, because I already know all I need to know about William.

What's this?  Martha, born in the same town as her husband in Ireland, dies and is buried in Massachusetts?  That's odd.

I find her MA death certificate and even a photo of her tombstone.  Her death certificate has her maiden name and those of her parents.  Correct.  It states her husband's name as John.  Hm-mm.  Maybe William John called himself John, to distinguish between him and his father who was also William John?

So I copy the photo of the D.C. and the tombstone and store them in the appropriate picture file for the genealogy I am working on.  Cool!

Wait a minute!  Here is another search that shows Martha, married to William John, died and is buried in the same cemetery as her husband in IRELAND!!!

I do believe my exact words were, "What the hell?"

So--back to the beginning.  Instead of just looking at each search on my computer screen, I print them out--the better to see my dear.

They both make sense.

The one from MA shows her buried in Pine Grove Cemetery--along with a son, named John.  This is the account that shows she had four children: one being John, but not showing the daughter that I knew thought she had--with William John.

The other account shows her buried in the cemetery in Ireland, with her husband WILLIAM John.

But...how can this be?  The same first name, the same parents listed!  "What the hell?"

Questions:  Okay--why would this woman, leave Ireland at the age of 60 something and go off to MA?  Perhaps to live with her son, John?  Why wouldn't she stay in Ireland with her daughter?

Check out immigrations.  She is not listed.
Check out census reports for MA.  She IS listed, but she is in MA BEFORE her husband died?  I think not!

AHA!  Maybe I have the wrong person!  Maybe she is not the wife of William John?

Start another search on William John.  Three searches tell me she IS the wife of William John from Ireland!  There is proof of her birth and his.  Proof of their marriage.  She has the same maiden name as the women in MA!

Egads and little fish hooks!
==================
When doing a genealogy, the facts MUST be correct.  I can not interject my thoughts or ideas in a person's life.  I did that once and I was so incorrect it was embarrassing!  I HAVE to take the facts from my searches to add to the person's "life story" or I am assuming things that may not be true.  

These searches on ancestry come from information put in their family trees and uploaded to ancestry.  Human people=mistakes!

Census are correct.  Wedding registrations are correct--although sometimes the person preparing the registration will spell the names of the couple incorrectly!  Death certificates are correct!  These are all government documents and they have to be correct.

What do do?  What to do!
====================
I cannot put any definitive facts about Martha into the genealogy report until I know for sure.

It doesn't make any sense to me that Martha ended up in MA.  But there is that DC!  It makes all the sense in the world that Martha stayed in the same town in Ireland as her hubs and died there and is buried next to him.  Her daughter, that I know for sure (?) is her daughter, stayed in that town all her life too.

BUT...there is that Death Certificate from MA.

It can't be possible for Martha, with the same maiden name, and parents and married to William John or John, with the same last name, the same marriage date and date of birth and death, to be buried in two different places!

I do believe that I need to do more searching on Martha.  Perhaps she ISN'T the correct wife?  Then why is her husband and her married last name the same?

ARGGH!!!!!!

Calm Day

Another lovely day.  Gray, rainy, cold weather which makes for a perfect day to stay inside and do my thing, --didn't even open my eyes until 10:00am,  AND--I don't feel a bit guilty about that.

I spent about 3 hours on the genealogy and found a lot more stuff about my friends ancestors.  Then, I spent a couple of hours working on a cute Toddler sweater that Chris is designing and I am test knitting.

John stopped in tonight and we had a nice chat, while Maizey his dog and Maggie my cat, eyed each other and then took a snooze, nose to nose.  So cute.

I can hardly wait until Sunday and May 1st.  My favorite day of the year.  Of course, May 1st would be much more lovely if the weather would just warm up.  We are still below normal  highs and below normal lows.  48 during the day, 36 at night.

My porch side garden looks a bit spotty this year, but the wild flowers are coming on strong.  May Apples, Trillium, Violets.  Jack-In-The-Pulpit will come along around mid-May.

I like this one of Maggie hanging out in the computer room window the other day.  I like how she has her arm up on the window sill.  If her little legs were crossed, she'd almost look like a human.  LOL

I saw this posted on FB and I had to share.  You ALL know what this means and why it's true in my case.

and this one, entitled The Weight of Grief.

Sure describes it well, doesn't it.  My sister said she felt the rocks in her stomach.  I felt the rocks filling my head, after Fred died.  I couldn't think straight for weeks.  It's really difficult to try and get back up, when you are bowed low with this amount of weight.

Rainy, Gray, but I'm Feeling Content.

The weeks are going much too fast!  Friday tomorrow--again.  It seems like it was just Friday a couple of days ago.

The weather has been so stinking cold all day and tomorrow too, so I am just staying inside and doing what I do best.  Knitting and genealogy.  At 5:00 this evening, I realized I hadn't brought up my trash can--that was emptied at 7:00 this morning.

I got my hair cut yesterday, and the girl that did it charged me what Tracy would have, which is about $15.00 less than the salon usually charges.  I don't get why women would pay $45-50.00 to get a hair cut.  Anyway, with that price staying the same, I will continue to go back there AND she cut my hair nice and short, just like I like it.  Tracey always wanted to leave it a bit longish.  I like it an inch or less all over.

I told Julia, the girl who cut my hair that the last time I was in, when I went to check-out, the reception asked me if I wanted to make another appointment and Tracy said, "Oh.  She doesn't need to do that. She'll call when she's ready."  That seemed odd at the time because I usually always make an appointment 6 weeks out.  

"T think Tracy knew then that she was sick," I told Julia.

"Yes.  She's known for a couple of months that something was wrong, but only when the pain in her right side became unbearable, she decided to get it checked out."

The Cancer started in her left upper lung and then metastasized to her liver (which is on the right side). She was very tired and lost over 20 pounds very quickly.  Both signs of cancer, plus the pain.  She now weighs 86 pounds.  She doesn't have enough weight or strength to fight this, I don't think.  She was to see the oncologist today.  

I will wait to send her an e-mail this weekend.  I don't know what to say, so I won't say much, but apparently it won't be a bother to her as she left cards with her address and e-mail, at the receptionist's desk to give to her customers.

=======================

I stopped in to see Pearl and let her know about Tracy, as she went there too.  Pearl is really getting confused.  She is at that stage of senility, when she says  nonsensical things or the wrong thing and if I correct her, she gets mad and tells me I didn't hear her right because I'm deaf.

I was working on her computer--again--she claimed she had been hacked.  She had somehow installed a registry cleaner, she claims she didn't click on anything, but...................There was a picture of two of her great grand children on FB.

I said, "Oh look.  There's Kathy's two grand babies. What's the youngest ones name?"

She replied, "The oldest one is Colon."

(His name is Colton.)

I turned so I could see and hear her better.  "Colon?", I enunciated very clearly. 

"Yes, that's what I said.  Colon."

"What is the youngest ones name."

"Oh--that's Naomi."

"It looks like a boy."

"Oh,  Yes.  Easton."

"I thought the oldest ones name was Colton."

"It is.  That's what I said."

"No...you said his name was Colon.  You repeated Colon twice."

"I did not.  You better get a hearing aide.  You can't hear a thing I say!"

I forgot the 1st cardinal rule of senility--don't argue with them.  ARGGH!  It's sad!

Got the Turbo Cleaner uninstalled and uninstalled a couple of other programs that have appeared since the last time I worked on her computer.  All is well--until the next time.

BTW--Merle is working at the golf course again this summer.  He is doing so well!!!  His kids don't think he should work. Pearl wants him out of the house.   Merle loves to have something to do every day to feel useful.

Whatever...none of my business.

The Faster I Go..............

......the behinder I get!

Is today only Tuesday?  I guess I'm doing okay then.

Yesterday was a nice day.  Sunny and warm.  I spent a good amount of time outside.  Don the Lawn Mowing Man came at 9:00 and my lawn looks so nice.  I got bird feeders filled, the Oriole one filled and up along with the Hummingbird feeder.  Back in the day, the Scouts for the Orioles and Hummers didn't even appear until May 15th.  Now, with the crazy winters we have had, they can arrive in April...so I am ready for them.

I ran up to Howell, and the minutes I got back home, remembered what I had forgotten to get and also forgot to turn in my 3 garbage bags of pop bottles!

I spent a great part of yesterday, working on the genealogy book.  I liked to make pedigree tables on Excel spreadsheets, showing just the direct ancestor's, with their birth and death dates.  It is easier to look at them and see the names and how far back the ancestor's can be traced.

This genealogy was so extensive, and with so many families, I had to make a spread sheet for each individual family.

One of the families went back 25 generations!!!!!  After I get them all placed and spaced our correctly, I print out the spreadsheets.  Then with the longs ones, I cut and paste them together and then take them to the printer to have them printed out on Architect paper--which comes in long lengths.

They have to be 11" to fit inside the book, but can be as long as needed.

I was tuckered out and went to bed at 10:30 last night.
=====================
This morning, I got a message that my prescription was ready at Walmart.  So, I went down to the printer's with my spread sheets to be copied, then ran up to Walmart to get my prescription and turn in my bottles, then back to the printer's to get my print-outs.

Got home and put the book together, with the ancestor spread sheets inserted in the correct spaces.  Then, back to the printer's to have them punch, bind and insert the comb on the book.

Back home to get it ready to ship.  My "client's" Dad is going to be 103 years old on May 15th, and the kids are going to be with him on May 8th, so I wanted to get it shipped---just to be sure it would get there in time.

The book I made is of just his ancestor's.  Now, I can start on researching her mother's ancestor's and combine both sides of the family in a book for her.
===================
Today is was cold!  I mean like in the 40's cold and tomorrow too.  It was a good day to stay inside and do computer work.

I called this afternoon to make an appointment for a hair cut tomorrow--looong overdue.

When I asked for an appointment with Tracy, the receptionist said, "Tracy isn't working right now."

"Oh.  When will she be back?"

"We don't know.  She was just diagnosed with liver cancer."

I was hit in the stomach!  I didn't know what to say.  I have had her for the 13 years I've lived here.  Every time she moved to a different salon, I followed her.  She is only 55, with two brand new grand babies!

"Would you like her e-mail to get in touch with her?"

"I....sure....no....I don't....I can't think....  I'll get it tomorrow when I come in."

"Okay.  We have you with Julie at two forty-five.  She is our short hair specialist."

"Thanks."

I'm still stunned.  I think I need to find a different salon because every time I go in there, I will be reminded of Tracy and this tragedy.  I WILL contact her via e-mail.  What do you say?

Amazing.

Karen's youngest and my Precious Girl, Madeleine, was asked to do a photo shot in Grand Rapids--a city over on the west side of our State.

Peace--Fun--Chaos

Shut my clock radio off last night and woke up to my Cuckoo Clock chirruping at 9:00.  Perfect!

Had a nice morning, in front of my computer, then a ham sammich, watched my Soap and then at 2:00, got a list made and up to Brighton I drove.

I had a ball!  

To Staples first, had to get a new Tri-Color inkjet cartridge,  Then out and across the street to the Bank, to put the cash I have saved into the checking account so I can finally get the last major repair done on my car.

Out on the street and across the main drag to Michael's/JoAnn's hunting for a skein of gray yarn.

Left there and traveled down to the end of that mall area and across the main drag into the Meijers gas station ($2.09), $20.00 nearly filled the tank, and then over to the Meijer's store.

My food allowance card was loaded up with the $15.00 a month I get and I was out of milk, meat, bread and Diet Pepsi, so I got that and then went up to the front of the store and decided to go through Darlene's line.  I had under 10 products and could have gone through the fast lane, but.............

My Lord!!  She yaks to every customer and takes forever to check them out!!!  She has always told me her line was the longest in the store because so many customers like her.  I think her line is the longest because she is the slowest, but that's just my opinion.

Thankfully my total came to $13.89--enough on the Welfare Card to cover that.  YAY.

I stopped at Subway on the way home to use my Gift Card.

=========================

I got home and unloaded everything.  Nice and relaxed and smiling at how much fun it had been today to run all over Brighton, and how I had planned my "travel" so I made no back-tracks and didn't have to turn left, only to come home and that was at a left turn light.  Feeling pretty smug.

Had half my Subway and watched the news and then---all heck broke out!!

Dar came busting in the door, lit up her cigarette, and started in on her tirade.  She only got about three minutes into her rant and there was a knock at the door.  It was John and Maizey.

John had brought me two Blueberry Muffins he got at Costco--giant things they are and really good.  Maizey wanted her treat of course, and John and Dar got to talking.

It was kind of funny actually.  Both of them talk a blue streak and they were talking over each other, because they are those kinds of people, so I just sat in my chair, giving Maizey her Cheerios's for her treat and listened.  Or tried to listen and sometimes, just blanked John and Dar out!!  They were talking about all the management jobs they have held and each one reported on how good they were at their job!

This went on for about 35 minutes and John had said something Dar didn't agree with and she was trying to expound on her theory, and then just, not so casually, jumped up and decided to go home.  Well, of course, the minute she was gone, John decided it was time for him to leave too.  She acted ticked-off when she left, John was clueless, as usual.  HAH.

I think she was perturbed because she didn't have a chance to finish her rant to me AND she didn't care for John talking so much, interrupting her, as she interrupted him, on and on.

What a hoot!

I fed my cats at 9:00 and now it is peaceful and quiet again.

========================

Tomorrow I want to clean up my porch, fill up the bird feeders, take down the squirrel feeder and haul my planters to the spots I want for this summers annuals.

It promises to be a nice, sunny weekend.

Past Life & Past Lives

I have never felt the presence or had a dream about my Father.  He was rather cruel to me for the first 68 years of my life.  He died 8 years ago.  I rarely even think of him.

I do have nightmares of some man trying to hit me and I wake up kicking and yelling, but I always thought those nightmares were of my second ex husband, who tried to kill me twice in the three years I was with him, and when not trying to kill me, was extremely abusive emotionally and physically.  I suppose the "unseen" man could be my Father?

I get into trouble when I have those dreams.  Two weeks ago, I bit the inside of my cheek when I had that dream--it is always the same dream.  The time before that, as I kicked out, I sent Maggie the Cat flying off the bed and on her exit, she dug her claws in deep on my shin.  I was up for an hour, trying to get the bleeding to stop.

One time, I flayed out and knocked the lamp and radio off my bedside table, another time, fell off the side of the bed, trying to get into the corner to save myself.  Down on the floor and fully awake, I had a heck of a time getting back up.  HAH.

It has been explained to me that these nightmares come from deep in the sub-conscious.  Something we have buried and don't even thing about during our normal day activities.  Then, when we get into deep sleep, our sub-conscious kicks in and brings these things up.  Usually they are from unresolved issues.  I have forgiven my Father, that's why I don't think the "unseen man" is him.  I thought I was over thinking about my second ex, but in reality, I never could find out why he treated me as he did.

He has been married 7 times to date.  I have met 4 of his exes and although he abused them emotionally, he never laid a hand on them.  Hm-mm.  Not a nice thing to say, but I just wish he'd die and I check the obits every day to see if it has happened yet.  He's 87!  How long is that awful person going to live?  Maybe when I know he is gone, the nightmares will end?
===============================

I had an appointment at the food bank this late morning.  The shelves were quite bare.  I needed hamburger--none.  I wanted a bag of salad greens--none.  

After wards, I headed up to the Homestead.  Stopped in to see Pammie before she left for work, then on up the road and checked at my son's place--his truck was gone, then on down the road to Susan & Chuck's.

Susan has let her hair go natural and she has pure white hair--just like our Mother's father.  It is beautiful  AND  she got it cut real short.  I mean short.  Shorter than mine!  She has worn a chin-length Bob for years and years and this cut makes her look so much younger.  She is just adorable and Chuck loves it!!

I got home around 5:00 and jumped on the computer to work more on the genealogy I am doing.  The lady's father will be 103 on May 7th and I want to get his side of the family done, printed and put together so I can mail it off and she can give it to him.  

It is a really good genealogy.  In that, I mean I have traced part of his family back to when William the Conqueror was King!!  That would be in the 1066!

That takes time to get all that info, and then write it down, so I just stayed in here and did my thing.  John showed up around 7:30 and I told him I was busy and didn't have time to stop and chat.  

He'll be back tomorrow and by then, I will be ahead of the game and can stop and talk.

Now, I'm so geared up by my find that I will find it hard to sleep.  So--off to play some games on Face Book and then bed.