Where did the time go . . .

April has been a busy month for this blogger. I had every intention to post thoughts, ideas & stories about my Family Museum, but was distracted by many things.  One of which was looking for some photographs of a family friend whose mother and my dearest friend passed away several years ago. He told us that after his mom passed away, he realized he had only a few pictures from his childhood and of his mom. So we told him I had a box full of pictures and will be thrilled to give them to him.

Well . . .  I can’t find them! I searched everywhere, cleaning out closets, going through boxes & files along the way, but didn't that box. This search also made me go through our Memory Boxes. I thought maybe his pictures got mixed in our boxes. After going through all of them and even making new ones, I still didn’t find his pictures. But I haven’t given up. That box is probably right under my nose, but for the life of me, I can’t find it. But I will!

Also during April, I had received by mail (I hadn’t received a formal letter address to me in the mail for years). It was from a local community’s Genealogical Club and they want me to address their members about how they can create their own Family Museum. The gentlemen who wrote the letter saw my book at the local library and invited me to give a lecture. How thrilling. I had not yet given any talks on my book so this is a challenge I am ready to take. But now I have to put together a Power Point Presentation. Wish me luck. I have never put one together before so I am learning as I go. Thankfully, our library offer classes on how to do this, so you bet I will be there. After I have accomplished this fete, I might offer this how-to class online for everyone who wants to create their Family Museum. So stay tune . . .

Then yesterday was my daughter’s birthday
and we celebrated all day long, going out on an excursion to historic Smithfield, home of Virginia peanuts & bacon. We took the ferryboat across the James River.
It's a lovely town filled with Victorian homes, antiques stores & restaurants. We browsed through the stores where I
saw this unique way of displaying antiques.
We had a delicious lunch, then drove around the town, got back on the ferry to home.

We grilled some great German Sausage and served it with Sauerkraut. Yum! She opened her gifts and we
just enjoy the fine weather and dining out on our
veranda, talking and making plans for our next excursion.

So here it is, almost the last day in April and I felt it was a good time for me to write and post a blog and to let you all know that I will do better next month. I have so many stories and pictures to share about why it is so very important to have a Family Museum. Until next month . . .     

Collecting vs. Saving: Genealogy is another form of collecting

We all have an ancestry, parentage and relations. We all have an origin; the foundation of our existence, and we all have a heritage, and it is this birthright and legacy we should all honor.

Before the computer age, when one wanted to look into family history, it was time-consuming and difficult at best. I have deep respect for all those who endeavored in their searches, making every effort to investigate and find their family’s ancestry. Years ago my daughter and I visited Ellis Island to see if we could find any records on my Italian grandparents. Unfortunately, we did not. This whole movement to discover one’s ancestry did not come together until the Internet and mostly until the online search engine, Ancestry.com became the investigative source. There are many other online sources. Check out this one. http://www.genealogybank.com

Parentage is the study on how a family is connected. The paternal & maternal lines and how they are all intertwined (like a tree, hence the Family Tree) can be mind-boggling. When backgrounds and pedigrees are established, a completer picture is created. But when these details are missing, one can get very lost as they climb those branches. So research and collet those leaves.

Relations are another matter altogether. Connections, associations, links and lore, make interesting ties that bind. "As long as the ties that bind us together are stronger than those that would tear us apart, all will be well." However, we all need to work on our relations with family members. This can be accomplished by creating a Family Museum.       

Our origins are the stuff we are made of. Our roots, our beginnings and endings. Our DNA and RNA  (chromosomes) and our genetic material. Where did we come from? What routes did we take to get where we ended up? My husband participated in National Geographic Geno

2.0 Project and was very surprised to find out what his origins were. It is very enlightening and this research should become a part of your Family Museum. https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/ 

A couple of years ago I participated in Ancestry. Com’s DNA research and was absolutely gob smacked at what I discovered. Throughout my childhood I was told that I was more Italian than Lithuanian, but that is not true. I always thought I was more like my father then my mother. Now I know it to be true. So give it a go and discover not only from whence you came but what makes you, you.
http://www.ancestry.com

As for heritage, how would you feel if you did not know who your people were, what societies they belonged to, what customs and traditions and beliefs they passed down to you and from you to your family? Our ethnicities are who we are. A simple way to understand heritage is by observing your own traditions. What do you do for the holidays? What kind of food are you most familiar with? How do you decorate your home? What histories interest you? All of these and so much more is what your heritage is made up of. I discovered this site that really has a profound emotion to it. Never be afraid to discover you. https://www.myheritage.com

So how is genealogy a form of collecting? Antiques and heirlooms passed down through generations as remembrances not only have sentimental value, they also have genealogical value. Your Family Museum is a great way to start building the foundation and creating a family tree. Instead of just their names and dates on a piece of paper, the keepsakes reveal aspects of your ancestor’s lifestyles, social status, level of education, attitudes of the times, and so much more. They come alive through your interpretation of their lives. Start collecting your genealogy today!

Maternal Norwegian Grandparents

My husband, Keith’s maternal grandparents were from the northern province of Norway called Finmarken, located about 200 miles of the Arctic Circle. The Jorgenson family with three other families from Norway immigrated to America in 1864.  

Keith vividly remembers his mother, Gladys (nee Jorgenson) parents. When he was a child, he often visited their farm in Artichoke, Minnesota. His mother, Gladys came from a large family with 6 brothers and 3 sisters. They all worked on the farm and enjoyed community and church outings.

Keith was fortunate to have had his Uncle Hans create a very thorough genealogy of his maternal ancestors, long before there was the Internet and Ancestry.com. He would have embraced both of these as he researched his family history. Our bookshelf museum is dedicated to this side of his family displaying some wonderful old photographs and unique heirlooms and antiques. The photos tell the Jorgenson story. Enjoy!

This 1898 photograph shows his mother Gladys (sitting on her father’s lap) with the entire family (except one yet to be born) dressed in their Sunday best, at the dining room table in their farm house in Minnesota. Keith's Bestafar (bestfather/grandfather) reigns proudly at the head of the table. Keith’s Bestamar (bestmother/grandmother) sits next to her husband.

The wooden cradle belonged to his mother’s Aunt Getta in Norway and was made by her father in 1835. When Gladys was a child, she inherited the cradle. The wooden suitcase was made by Gladys’ father. When you open it, a card-table folds out. When its use is done, it folds back up into the suitcase. Very ingenious. The washboard was Gladys’s mothers’ dating back to 1864. Before the old farmhouse was torn down (we tried to save it) Keith removed the Victorian-style

brackets his grandfather made off of the front porch. He also took one of the few brass doorknobs that were still in the house. He also took the balustrade off the front hall steps and we incorporated it into our home. We wanted the claw-foot porcelain bathtub, but it wouldn’t fit on top of the car, so we had to leave it behind. 
 

Keith’s Aunt Alice was a Baptist Missionary who for twenty years lived with and taught English and converted many of the people in the Congo. Over the years she collected fine pieces of African art. After her death Keith inherited some of her things. Keith’s Aunt Nina, who passed away at age 104, gave him several family heirlooms, such as rag carpets, an exquisite hand-made wooden sugar bowl made by his grandfather, and two balls of yarn gleaned from the family sheep. The oldest of his mother’s sisters, Aunt Esther, who passed away at age 101, gave her heirlooms to other family members. When his mother, Gladys passed away, at age 102, Keith inherited many precious family heirlooms that are placed around our house as well as in the family museum. We both live with and display all of these heartfelt heirlooms and considered ourselves fortunate to have them in our lives.

Tomorrow's post will be about Keith's paternal grandparents.