Paris in the 60s - 1

Paris circa 1965
Photo by James P. Ryan

Reposting Annual Christmas Mash Up!

We Wish you a Merry Christmas from Marybeth on Vimeo.

La Fabrica

La Fabrica from Marybeth on Vimeo.

I never thought about why Wela didn't go to the same school as her cousins. The sound on this recording is so bad I had given up on it; but after listening again I was able to finally understand this tidbit about why her cousins went to the school for the mine workers and they did not. Our visit to Spain last summer helped me put the pieces together.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Pana circa 1957

Today is a birthday, I wonder for who

Yellow Bird from Marybeth on Vimeo.

You were right mom, I wish I had stuck with the piano. Thanks for all you taught me. This is for you on your birthday (from a recital in 1973).

1977 Thanksgiving Greetings

Here's one for the Ryan, Dameris, Benton, Doggendorf families to enjoy. Voices from the past. (It's a little long but the entire tape is over an hour!)

Randam Snap from the Past

Our farming roots are showing!

Time to think about that classic holiday photo?

Six years!

Fall is back!

I was going to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of my blog. 

But apparently that was last year! Time flies.

Fall 1999 Fernandez Reunion

Carolyn and Patty

Doggendorf Clan

Anita and Doggie

Lori and Donna Lee

Always had fun summers in Pana

Grandpa Singer taking a break from his chores

Genealogy Serendipity. It happened to me!

Everyone who does genealogy and family history research has moments of serendipity, or sheer coincidence or luck.  Like when I found a random envelope with some cryptic numbers my dad wrote which turned out to be all the same dates of his family history that I had been researching.

But nothing prepared me for what happened when my sisters, niece and uncle and I took a trip to Asturias to visit our family homestead.  Sure we were hoping to find some vital records and tombstones, take pictures of the old family homes, visit the mines where the men worked and be awestruck by the ocean views my grandmother missed so much.

 We couldn’t believe when we found a house my great grandfather (and possibly my grandfather) lived in that we never knew about before; but since I had the census record with a street address it was not really that much of a coincidence. It was the result of lots of online research. (We found what we thought was the house, took tons of photos, went back the next day and realized the correct house was actually down the street! But that’s another story.)

We had an amazing time in Asturias. We had rented a house we found online that was just great and with gorgeous sea views and a short distance to most places we wanted to visit.  When we returned home we got busy downloading our photos and enjoyed sorting through them remembering what a great trip we had.  My uncle and I had been trying to find a photo of my grandmother’s cousin, a teacher, who lived in the mining town where we stayed; with the help of another cousin in St. Louis we realized we did have photos of Jesusa and even a home movie of her and my mother from the 60s.  It was great putting those pieces together. Without my mother and my grandmother the rest of us are useless at identifying people in old photos.

Before we left for Spain I had scanned a vacation photo from one of my Aunt Mildred’s trips to Spain which included an elderly woman who I thought might be Jesusa.  It wasn’t her.  But I got to looking at it again and noticed that the sea wall in the background looked familiar. It kept nagging at me so I kept coming back to that faded snapshot. After some comparison I thought it really looks like the sea wall at the house we just rented. I thought my family would think I was crazy, but I emailed it to them anyway. They immediately agreed. “That looks EXACTLY like the Best for Sea Lovers wall!!  It’s got to be the same house.”  So, I emailed Julio the owner of the house and long story short -  He was flabbergasted and confirmed that it was in fact the same house.

We still don’t know if a family member or just a family friend lived there, but who cares! We rented a house where my grandmother’s cousins may have lived, and if not, most definitely visited.  Very cool. For a genealogist anyway!

Julie on the left; mystery ladies (family?) on the right.

Aunt Mildred holding white purse.

Group selfie by Tio Don 

  

Perla the Pig

Eddie, with Tia Maria, his Abuela Marcelina and her brother Mauricio. The girls in the back are neighbors.
This must have been taken on the day he left for the United States. He's wearing his traveling clothes.

Genealogy Research in Asturias

Marcelina Ynclan Death Certificate
March 1926

We only found one record at the records office in Piedras Blancas.
But we were happy to find my grandmothers' grandmother Marcelina.

The old Homestead - Santa Maria del Mar

Top:  view of house in El Puerto 1960s,
Bottom: current view El Puerto 2013

Fernandez Home, then and now

Second floor added to the little white house where my grandmother was born. 

That pink/salmon color seems to be all the rage now

Have you aggravated your mom today?

Garcia Family Vacation

Covadonga, Asturias 1986

Tidal Basin April 1970

photos by James P. Ryan

Where's my Easter basket?

St. Louis circa 1963

Our Irish Roots

Phillip Ryan

1818-1873

Wabasha, Minnesota

Miss you mom

Funhouse Mirror on the Street

Photo by James P. Ryan

Mom's Montessori Class

circa 1977