Genealogy Serendipity Moment - Slavery

I grew up in Portland, Oregon and for the first few years of my life I had very little awareness of black people. African American might be a correct term, but the black population is from various backgrounds. Then I met my first African American friend when she joined a group of students who were integrated into our high school from another part of the city. After high school I attended a community college, in the middle of the African American community where my friend was from. I am sure others were frightened to be in "that part of town", but I felt very comfortable. When my youngest son was in second grade he asked me who were black people. We live in a community where there are very few shades of color in people. In our home we welcome people from many cultures.

Celebrating Fifty Years of Marriage in 1976

                                   Carl and Zella Olsen November 6, 1926

While I was living out of the country my grandparents Carl and Zella Olsen celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Since I wrote about Zella earlier this week I thought I would include notes from a speech given in their behalf at that event. It is especially endearing to me, as I could not be there. Special invitations were ordered, dinner was held at a favorite restaurant and family and friends gathered to honor this special couple. Next week on November 6 they would have been married eighty-five years. They were married at the home of her cousin Annie Hosmer Sherk in Sherwood, Oregon. So, for all those who love to read the details involving our ancestors, I am sharing this story with you.

Genealogy Serendipity Moments - The Moment I Knew and Grandma Zella

Earlier this week there was a post by Lynn Palermo, of The Armchair Genealogist blog, about "The Moment I Knew", with regards to her getting started in Genealogy. Then she challenged fellow genealogists to post their experience in getting started. This is a thought that had crossed my mind during that same time period, so I decided to accept the challenge. This moment was certainly a defining occurence in my life, as I was all of fourteen years old. Now over forty years later, I feel very contented with the path that I have taken in genealogical research. Many experiences lead me to be a better genealogist.

Blog Anniversary - Six Months

Today I celebrate the six months Blog Anniversary of Gopher Genealogy. This has been an amazing adventure. Sharing my experiences of forty years from genealogy research is very helpful in my own journey. There have been almost 4300 page views, 50 google friend followers (my good friend JoAnne is the 50th), 4 networked followers, almost 300 out of 443 facebook connections, 122 googlo+ connections and 80 out of 128 linkendium connections.
Your comments, personal blogs and social connections enhance the feelings I have for genealogical research. Thank you so much for your encouragement, appreciation and support. I do this purely for the enjoyment it brings and that continues to grow each time I write. My broken wing is healing, I can use my right hand in typing and this blog was certainly a great contributor during my time of recovery. Again, genealogy is the best and sharing it with each of you makes it even better.

Genealogy - One Thing Leads to Another, sharing with others

Twice in the same week the posts by Ancestry Insider lead me to important information about my ancestors. On Saturday, after a very busy week preparing for and giving four lectures in a one-day event, I was very ready to relax and recover. When I work on presentations it can get rather intense. Last week a good genealogy friend contacted me in a bit of a panic. She was due to give the lectures for a one-day event, and there had been a death in the family and she would not be able to attend the event. As I was on my way out the door to present at another event some distance from my home, I looked at my calendar, which just happened to be open for that day. She was very relieved that I was willing to take her place.

Genealogy Serendipity Moment - Pedigree Resource File Submission

Whenever I work with a client I encourage them to share their personal database in the Pedigree Resource File available at familysearch.org. The free genealogy database is available for any one, not just members of the church. In my morning e-mail reading today I read a post by the Ancestry Insider titled "New Pedigree Resource File: Sources and Notes". This is something I had to check out as I submitted a file of my own to this collection several years ago.

Genealogy - Weekend Getaway at the Oregon Coast

This is the view from our motel room at Rockaway Beach on the Oregon Coast.

A few months ago I was asked to participate at a Family History Fair at the Tillamook, Oregon Family History Center. It is about a two hour drive from our home, so I asked my husband David to come with me as I don't like to travel too far from home alone. We wanted to spend the night, so I searched for a motel that would allow us to be right on the beach and had a good view. Due to my recent injury, I did not feel up to walking on the beach. This motel was a wonderful find. There were motels in Tillamook, but there were not any with a view of the beach.