With the crisis of my father’s recent illness and the minor drama of my own, I feel like I’ve been way out of touch the last two weeks. It’s time get back into the flow of things. I thought little census whacking for Halloween would ease my way back into writing. So I went [...]
Even If There Is No Record, There Still Might Be A Marriage
Another issue for genealogists to consider is that of “confidential marriage.” In California, a couple who have lived together may obtain a so-called “confidential” marriage. They need only apply at the county clerk’s office or before a notary specially trained in confidential marriage procedures [...]
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I was alerted to this issue by a commenter on the Find-A-Grave California Discussion Forum.
If you go in person to the main office of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder in Norwalk, California, and ask to view their birth, death, or marriage records, you will be required to sign a form similar to the one below [...]
I started this with a note on Facebook and it was suggested that it would make a good meme for bloggers. The idea is to publicize your surnames and locales to see if anyone elseknows something about them. For me on Facebook, I got several research-helpful replies. So how much better to take it to [...]
JESSIE BEATRICE BOWIE
1909-1973
Jessie Beatrice Bowie was my paternal grandmother. She was born in San Antonio, Texas, on January 11, 1909. She was the daughter of Elias Bowie, Sr.(1874-1970) and Hattie Bryant (1888-1944). Hattie had been born on the Texas Gulf Coast. After a brief marriage at age 15 and another relationship, she headed for San [...]
Elias Bowie (Jr.) was my father’s uncle. He was the the brother of my grandmother, Jessie Beatrice Bowie (1909-1973). Their mother was Hattie Bryant (1888-1944). Hattie had been born on the Texas Gulf Coast. After a marriage at age 15 and another relationship, she headed for San Antonio with her infant son [...]
On Wednesday, Randy Seaver posted this item about the discovery of some love letters between a Navy man and his wife during World War II. Seems the letters were found in a trash can at a thrift store in Grass Valley, California, about 50 miles north of my location. The letters came from Claude Dawson [...]
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What?!
Yes, you heard right. If you’re having difficulty locating a Louisiana relative or ancestor from the 20th century, perhaps you should try looking in California . . . well, at least in some of the California databases on Ancestry.com.
During and after World War II, there was a huge movement of people from the South to [...]
Continue reading about Can’t find a Louisiana Relative or Ancestor? Try Looking in California!
I’ve written a lot about FamilySearch Indexing. And another reason I’ve felt a little behind with GeneaBlogie as well as reading the blogs I usually read is that I’ve done a lot of indexing! But I was particularly excited by the announcement the other day that San Francisco’s mortuary records will be indexed in [...]
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I’m just now back from a great weekend at Lake Tahoe, where I performed the civil wedding ceremony of two great young people, Christopher and Melissa, both in their early thirties. The ceremony was outdoors on the very shore of the Lake, with the Sierra as the backdrop.
About thirty minutes before the ceremony, a [...]
