Thursday, December 20, 2012

Treasure Chest Thursday - Christmas Ornaments




One Christmas, I don't remember which, mom sent me this tin full of Christmas ornaments that belonged to (step) grandpa Dunn. After grandma died he hung them on his little Christmas tree.  The note on the tin reads:

Fish Ornaments
from Grandpa Dunn's
little Christmas
Tree. Thought you
might like these

 If you haven't guessed, me and the hubs love to fish.


The first year I got them I hung them all on the tree. Now I only hang a few of them because they seem to get lost in my big tree.


When If the time comes that I am forced to settle for a little tree sitting on a table then I will definitely use them all.



Leslie Ann

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Christmas Cards


When I was younger mom had a felt Santa Clause just like this one that hung on the wall holding the Christmas cards that we received. I would really like to get a hold of one to hang in my house.

After Santa became a little less for ware we would hang the cards on a piece of yarn that we strung along both sides of the hall way.

Grandma Smedley used to scotch tape hers on the doors that faced the front room.  When the doors were full she would tape them along the opening between the kitchen and front room.

When I get enough cards I tack a piece of yarn along a wall somewhere and hang them there.

I am fortunate enough to have a few Christmas cards that were sent to my great-grandparents. One of them was from mom, dad & I in 1964.



I still enjoy sending and receiving Christmas cards. And yes, I save every one!



Leslie Ann

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Treasure Chest Thursday ~ My Baby Book


My last trip home I brought my baby book back with me.  It has sat in my cedar chest for years which is still sitting in mom's basement.

It's one of the things that I used to look at over and over again.

The book itself was published by C. R. Gibson & Company. They have been around for 142 years now.

I just love the illustrations. I was only able to find out who the illustrator was from a picture on Ebay. It seems that her name was covered in my book by a cute little birth announcement.


Her name is Gini Dobson. I haven't been able to find out anything about her, but I just love her work.


And ya got to love this little birth announcement.





That's some pretty big feet for a 3 year old.

And here is the proof that I "always swung one leg over the arm rest".


My first Thanksgiving.




Leslie Ann

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Wordless Wednesday ~ Pugmire Photo FGS


Family Group Sheet for Jonathan Pugmire, Jr & Caroline Nelson


Family Group Sheet for Anders & Inger Nilsson



Leslie Ann

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

It's My Blogiversary!


Wow! This blog is three years old already.  Where does the time go?

A little over three years ago I couldn't even tell you what a blog was. It was when I watched the movie Julie and Juliathat I learned about blogging. It looked kind of fun, but I had no idea what I would blog about.

Then I asked myself, "Self, do you think there any genealogy blogs out there?" Well you know I found my answer.

Since I have been blogging about genealogy I've connected with seven distant cousins who have shared photos, documents, and histories. Some one even contacted me to let me know about a family tree error. I got to looking at my records and noticed that particular error was corrected on paper about 25 years ago, but never made it to the computer! So yeah for genealogy blogging!

Now if I could just get everyone who is searching for my ancestors that lands on my blog to leave a comment or send me an email.  That would be awesome!

Just today I noticed that someone from Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire searched for my great-grandfather Thomas Joynes Smedley and landed here. I sure would like to talk to them!

Here's to finding more cousins through blogging! 


Leslie Ann

Monday, November 5, 2012

Amanuensis Monday ` 1910 Postcard to Mr. Wm C Piggott




This morbid looking postcard was among the ephemera of grandma Hazel's that mom kept.  I scanned it with my magic wand. As you can tell I didn't do a very good job.

It was sent to my great-grandfather William Cannon Piggott five days after he married grandma Hazel. The sender's name was Ella Hall.  I haven't been able to find anything about this person.  I can't connect her to the family so she must have been a friend, or even old girlfriend, of grandpa Bill's cause it is only addressed to him.


It was postmarked from Afton, Wyoming, Oct 10, 1910

Addressed to Mr. Wm C. Piggott
Pegram Bloomington, Idaho

Wish you much
    joy.
First a girl then
   a (boy).
     Ella Hall

Amanuensis Monday is an ongoing series created by John Newmark at Transylvanian Dutch.



Leslie Ann

Friday, November 2, 2012

Family History and Scrapbooking Go Together


Well it's that time of year again. I have been busy making the family calendars for Christmas. I try to sneak a little bit of family history or genealogy into them.  I wanted to share the cover I made with you.


I used Our Family Tree Layered Quick Click Template to make this page. It was created by Robyn Gough. You can find it at Digital Scrapbook Place for $1.99.

I usually use Mymemories Suite to make my pages, but this template was .psd format so I used Photoshop Elements. If you don't have Elements, you can download a free trial here.

Scrapbooking can be an awesome way to display your family history. I have spent most of the morning downloading free digital scrapbooking stuff because it is National Digital Scrapbooking Day!


These freebies are only good through this weekend so you better go get them while the gettin' is good!



Leslie Ann



Friday, October 26, 2012

Grandma's Original Spice Cake




Yesterday was hubby's big 50.  I made his favorite meal. Let me rephrase that, his favorite meal that I cook. My famous lasagna (okay, I had some help from Prego).  I'm not a big fan of cooking. I like baking sometimes. I never even took home-ec in school, (hubby did).

We couldn't have a birthday without cake, so I made him a cake as well.  Three years ago I posted about grandma's cookbook.  There is a recipe in there that I wanted to try and yesterday I finally did.

My aunt is the one who submitted the recipe for the cookbook. She calls it "Mom's original spice cake". I call it "Grandma's original spice cake.


The night before I made the cake I called aunt Jean on the phone.  It's a good thing I did because she told me that there were a couple of mistakes in that typewritten recipe! I always assumed this was a recipe from when her and mom were kids, but she told me the real story behind the recipe.

It turns out grandma concocted this recipe for uncle Mike (aunt Jean's hubby).  He loves spice cake and she tried a few different things until he gave the thumbs up.

I am here to tell you that the cake turned out AWESOME! Talk about moist! I will never buy another cake!  And just so you can try it yourself (I know you want to) I will share the correct recipe.

Blanche's Original Spice Cake Recipe
Mix together:
  2 eggs
  1 cup sugar
  1/2 cup brown sugar
  1 1/4 cups whipping cream (from a carton)
  1 cup half & half
  1 cup applesauce
  juice from 1 orange
  1 tsp vanilla
  2 cups flour
  1 tsp baking soda
  1 tsp baking powder
  1/2 tsp salt
  2 tsp cinnamon
  1/2 tsp cloves
  1/4 tsp allspice
  raisins and nuts, if desired
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

I made a cream cheese frosting to top it off.  And now if you will excuse me, I need to go frost graham crackers with the left over frosting cause that is just what you do with left over frosting. I learned that from my  mom.



Leslie Ann

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Treasure Chest Thursday ~ 1950 Letter



This is another treasure that I scanned with my magic wand while I was back home last November.  It's a letter written to my grandmother from my mother when she was 7 years old. The envelope is postmarked May 13, 1950. Since Mother's Day was May 14th that year I am guessing that this letter was part of a school project and all the mother's got a Mother's Day letter in the mail.



To Mother Dear
I love you Dear Mother.
Thanks for the nice
things you do for me.
You are loveng, kind
and true - I really do
love you, Mother Dear.
            Love,
                 Joyce


 Leslie Ann

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge ~ U


Uis for Utah.

Six of my 2nd great-grandparents, twelve of my 3rd great-grandparents and one 4th great-grandfather made their way to Utah from across the plains.

I made an earlier post for Pioneer Day paying tribute to my Utah Pioneers.

Nine of my 2nd great-grandparents left Utah to settle the Bear Lake Valley which I am very grateful for. If you know me, you know how I love my Bear Lake Valley.

The Bear Lake Valley is half in Utah and half in Idaho. For Native Americans, Bear Lake Valley was prime hunting ground. Bear Lake was the site of two fur trader-trapper Rendezvous held during the summers of 1826 and 1827. Such notables as Jedediah Smith and Jim Bridger were in attendance.

The following websites are very helpful for Utah research.



Check out the other posts about the letter U.



Leslie Ann

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Curious Cousins


Last week when I was calculating relationships with Lizzie Borden I accidentally calculated a relationship between me and my daughter. I can imagine the look on my face when it revealed that my daughter is my tenth cousin!


As you can see by the chart we are more than tenth cousins. We are eleventh cousins, twelfth cousins, eighteenth cousins, twentieth cousins, well, I'll stop there.

I couldn't help but think of Ray Stevens singing, "I'm My Own Grandpa". So just for chuckles and grins I calculated a relationship between me and me. I'm my own ninth cousin! I am also my own eleventh, twelfth, and so on.


If you are like me, genealogy and family history is always on your mind.  While watching football when I hear some of the players last names I think to myself, 'He's Danish', or 'He's Swedish', or 'His ancestors come from New England'.

I know of a football player who was born in my hometown.  My sister went to school with him and I knew his grandparents were from the Bear Lake Valley. I bet myself that we were probably connected to him somehow.  If your parents were born in the Bear Lake Valley, it's more likely than not you are connected somehow. If your parents were born in Southeast Idaho, it's more likely than not that you descend from a Utah Pioneer.

I was able to connect four notable people who descend from Utah Pioneers to my tree. One is connected by blood, and the others by marriage.


Merril Hoge is my great uncle's third great nephew.

Merlin Olsen is my 12th cousin thrice removed.
Kent Hadley is my second cousin twice removed's husband's aunt's husband's daughter's husband's son's wife's first cousin twice removed.
(Are you confused yet?)
Matthew Gray Gubler is my aunt's second cousin twice removed.
I had help in adding them to the big tree on Geni and adding their ancestors to their prospective Pioneer Projects. One of the reasons I like Geni so much is the projects.


Leslie Ann

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Relationship With Lizzie Borden



Last week my daughter called me after watching one of those ghost hunting shows. They were investigating the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast.  She knew we were related to her, but didn't know how so I told her I would make a chart for her.


This is just one of the ways we connect to Lizzie. My software would only let me make one chart. These are the other ways I am connected to her:

  1. Sixth cousin 3 times removed - common ancestor: William RICKETSON & Elizabeth MOTT.
  2. Sixth cousin 4 times removed - common ancestor: John COOKE ALIAS BUTCHER & Mary BORDEN.
  3. Seventh cousin 3 times removed - common ancestor: Thomas CORNELL & Rebecca.
  4. Seventh cousin 4 times removed - common ancestor: Thomas COOKE ALIAS BUTCHER & Mary.
  5. Seventh cousin 4 times removed - common ancestor: Richard BORDEN & Joan FOWLE.
  6. Eighth cousin 4 times removed  - common ancestor: George CORNELL & Susan CASSE.
Did you know that Lizzie Borden is the direct descendant of the only criminal convicted in U.S. history, based solely on the testimony of a ghost? Feb 8, 1673, Friend's Records state "Rebecca Cornell, widow, was killed strangely at Portsmouth in her own dwelling house, was twice viewed by the Coroner's Inquest, digged up and buried again by her husband's grave in their own land."

Rebecca is my 9th great-grandmother. She is Lizzie's 6th great-grandmother. Rebecca's son Thomas (Lizzie's 5th great-grandfather) was executed for murdering her.

I just discovered this article When Ghosts Kill: The Story of Rebecca Cornell and learned that the Cornell mansion still stands and it is now a restaurant called Valley Inn. I also found out through this article that there is a book written about Rebecca's death called "Killed Strangely: The Death of Rebecca Cornell".

You can read the transcript of the Thomas Cornell trial here.

Now there are three more things that I would like to do:

  1. Stay at the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast
  2. Eat at the Valley Inn
  3. Read the book "Killed Strangely: The Death of Rebecca Cornell, by Elaine Forman Crane.

Leslie Ann


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