Thursday, September 26, 2013

Thankful Thursday - Happy Birthday Nanny!


Agnes Elizabeth Speck Cubbage, my grandmother, was born on 26 September 1915 in Monessen, PA. She was the daughter of Frank Speck and Elizabeth Linneman. This picture was probably taken around 1930 in or near Monessen. Agnes is with her younger brother Frank.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Madness Monday - Dying of Laughter




I came across this article while searching for an obituary in The Pittsburgh Press. Who knows if it's true or not, but I hope that Annie was able to recover!

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SOURCES:

"Dying of Laughter," The Pittsburgh Press, 16 November 1893, p. 6, col. 1; digital images, Google News Archive (http://news.google.com/newspapers: accessed 8 September 2013).

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Wordless Wednesday - Happy Birthday Opa!

Adolf Emil Haberkern

I don't have many posts about my maternal side of the family, but today is a special day. My grandfather, who we called Opa, was born on 19 September 1919 in Stein, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. He was the son of Karl Haberkern and Sidonie Lindenmann.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Motivation Monday - Summer is Over!


So it's been a while since I posted anything! I always have good intentions during the summer, but my genealogy research and blog tend to get pushed aside in favor of summer fun. And what fun a summer it was - a family reunion (the last one was 38 years ago!), some time away with my darling hubby, and lots of trips and activities while the boys were on summer vacation. We had a lot of fun with friends and family, and the slower pace was wonderful. Especially since my older son is starting high school today ... I'm not sure how much we are going to see him over the next few years.

Even with all of the fun, I did manage to spend a little bit of time on my research this summer:


Over Memorial Day weekend, we enjoyed a family trip to Pittsburgh and were able to make a couple of cemetery visits. I introduced my sons to their 3rd great grandfather, Charles G. Schwenk, who was a Civil War Veteran.


In June, I made my fist trip to a local Family History Center and searched microfilm for the marriage record of my 3rd great grandparents. I have already ordered more microfilm and can't wait for my next visit. [1]



In July I was back in Pittsburgh for the awesome Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh. This is a picture of the beautiful prayer garden on the La Roche College campus. You can read about this amazing week here.


In August, I did research on some collateral lines and learned about great grand uncle who was active in the Socialist Party in Montana! [2]

So now that the kids are back in school, I am motivated to get started again. What will I be working on? A goal from my GRIP experience are to get my citations up-to-date, and I'd also like to get working on my application to the First Families of Western Pennsylvania. I am also thinking it is time for the NGS Home Study Course. I learned so much at GRIP, that I would like to continue taking classes and this seems like the best fit for where I am right now. Have any of you completed (or are in the process of) the NGS Home Study Course?

Summer is over and it's time to get back to work!
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SOURCES:

[1] St. Cuthbert's Parish (Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland), Scotland Marriages 1561-1910, Alexander Burd and Main Bingham (1846), FHL microfilm 1066766, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. 

[2] The Montana News (Lewistown, MT), 22 October 1908, p. 4, col. 2; digital images, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress (http://www.chroniclingamerica.loc.gov : accessed 8 September 2013).