Musing Mondays -- March 31, 2014

I am currently reading The Master Quilter by Jennifer Chiaverini.  This is the sixth book in the Elm Creek Quilt Series and I am already unable to put it down.  I absolutely love this series and I think part of it is the setting.  It is set in the small college town of Waterford, Pennsylvania and, even though I have never visited Pennsylvania, I identify with it because part of my family came from Pennsylvania.  The  idea of a huge mansion, a historical home being turned into a quilt camp with lovely grounds is right up my alley.   I also have a great admiration for the main character, Sylvia Compson.  While we aren't even close in age, I admire her spirit and would like to be like her when I get to her age.  So far this series has been really enjoyable and I don't think this particular book is going to be any different.

This last week I went on a bit of a splurge with book shopping.  I have a love/hate relationship with my Nook but one day I decided to love it and set about exploring the Barnes and Noble site, concentrating on the Nook Book section.  I picked up several books on their "under $5" section.

These books are:

Relatively Dead  Sheila Connolly
Firefly Lane  Kristin Hannah
The House Girl  Tara Conklin
The Norfolk Mystery - Series #1  Ian Samson
Asylum Madeleine Roux

That should be enough to keep me going for a while -- not to mention the 75 unread books on my bookshelf.  So, yeah, guess I better go get started! Have a Happy Monday!

Friday Fill-in #83


1. If I could travel back in time, I'd go to 1906 Scranton, Pennsylvania -- or 1886, Blaina, Wales -- that is a tough decision.

2. Give me liberty or give me death -- uh, no, already been done -- give me money or give me power!

3. I am listening to a program on the History channel about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake/fire.

4. Somewhere, someone is thinking something.

5. I'll always be 15 years old in my mind.

6. My idea of a good time includes my family -- well, and tamales and beer.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I am looking forward to watching a movie (something I have been trying to do for days and days), tomorrow my plans include a family reunion in Elk, TX, and Sunday I want to read but I will probably be working on an upcoming baby shower.

Gone but Not Forgotten -- My Genealogical Search


Aside from my family and my faith, I have four interests in my life -- quilting, cross stitch/embroidery, reading, and genealogy. I wouldn't call them passions, I am passionate about my family and faith but I would say that I am drawn to these activities from somewhere deep inside. They are activities that have rooted themselves in me, planted and encouraged by others and I find no better way to spend my "alone" time .

The two activities that have the deepest meaning to me are genealogy and quilting and they are linked. My interest in quilting began with my great-grandmother, Maggie. One evening in her home, watching her and my grandmother hand piece quilts was the most fascinating thing I had ever seen. They even let me join in and the fire was fueled forevermore.

This same great-grandmother was the basis for the love of genealogy. My father's family had always held family history in geat esteem and had kept the family story alive. I grew up hearing historical accounts of my family's migration from Tennessee to Texas in covered wagons. I learned about our family's place in the founding of this country and this government. It was pretty awesome as a child and the interest never left me. In fact, it just expanded to include my maternal family and my husband's family, as well.

I have decided that this blog is a good venue for collecting and sharing these stories, maybe some photos, for family members that might be interested either now or in the future.

A few of the names that I research are Boyett (and all variations of the spelling), Cocke, Watkins, Conn, Davies/Davis, Webb, Palmer, Brinkley, Rantz. This isn't a complete list but the most immediate list. The areas that I research are Texas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, England, Wales.

So, if you are interested, come back and join me on my travels through my family search.

Americymru

Earlier today I opened my email and found an invitation to join a group called Americymru -- a group primarily for people with Welsh ancestors. Since my great-grandparents immigrated at the turn of the 20th century from Wales, I decided that I qualify for this group and decided to join.

These same great grandparents are the people responsible for my interest in genealogy. My family always had a strong interest in family history so I grew up with the concept but I was always particularly fascinated with my Welsh family. I was close to my grandfather but he never talked of his home in Pennsylvania very much -- just snippets -- so, of course, by the time I decided to embark on my search of family, my grandfather was no longer with us to help. However, I did have some help along the way and I did find out a lot of information but, more importantly, I found family.

My great grandparents came from Blaina to Pennsylvania and remained there the rest of their lives. While they didn't leave much of a paper trail for me to search I did get lucky and find a cousin, Jim Slater. He has been very helpful over the years by sending me pics and asking his dear little mother, Jean, for information for me -- without him I wouldn't have been as successful. I also wouldn't have the most wonderful Welsh cookie recipe on the planet -- thanks Jean!

On my quest, I made a good friend, Len Clark of Blaina, and found a cousin, Michael Webb, living in Coventry. Both of these gentlemen have been very helpful and have really given me a link to my "homeland". One day I hope to meet them both.

So, I am looking forward to the Americymru group -- who knows, I might even find more cousins!