Thursday, January 30, 2014

"We Are All Ghosts..."


"We are all ghosts. We all carry, inside us, people who came before us."
-Liam Callanan.

About this photo: These two adorable children are my great grandfather, Gim William Adams and his older sister Minnie Adams.
Date: 1894
Place: Memphis, Scotland, Missouri, USA

Keep connecting the dots. -Sarah :)

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

52 Weeks of Genealogy - Week 5 - All About Your Siblings


52 Weeks of Genealogy - Week 5 - All About Your Siblings


This week, it's all about our siblings. Take some time to document their names, birthdays, children, spouses and any other valuable information about them for your family history. An easy and effective way to do this is by filling out a family group record by clicking here.

The above photo is a rare photo of the entire Burnes family.

The Burnes siblings in order of birth:


  1. William Aaron Burnes
  2. Christine Marie Burnes
  3. Julie Ann Burnes
  4. Jennifer Corrine Burnes
  5. Ronald Lewis Burnes
  6. James Emry Burnes
  7. Sarah Marie Burnes
  8. Ruth Ann Burnes
  9. John Michael Burnes
  10. Lori Erin Burnes 
  11. Michael Brian Burnes 
Now it's your turn to document all about your siblings.

Keep connecting the dots! -Sarah :)

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

52 Weeks of Genealogy - Week 4 - All About Your Home(s) Growing Up


Week 4: All About Your Home(s)

Let's talk about the home(s) you lived in as a child, through your teenage years and until you left home.
  • What city, State and Country was your home located?
  • What did it look like? (color, type, unique characteristics)
  • How many levels?
  • Square footage?
  • Did you live in the city or in the country?
  • What types of trees, bushes and flowers surrounded your home?
  • Any landmarks close by to your home(s)?
  • How many years did you live in this home?
  • What are your fondest memories of your home? 
I recently had the opportunity to go back "home" to Grass Valley, California to visit friends and see the old home I grew up in. To my surprise, it was more beautiful than I ever remembered. The couple who bought the home from my parents put a lot of time and money into the home and I am so grateful they did. When I lived there, it was the home to 13 people, yes, it's true, my parents raised all eleven of us in this home. It was a two-story redwood home, and about 3,000 square feet. We lived out in the country on 7 acres of land where many tall pine trees surrounded our property along with manzanita shrubs, blackberry bushes, poison ivy and poppies. If you wanted to get to our home, you had to travel 10 miles outside the city and a mile down a dirt road to arrive at he Burnes homestead. On the property, there was a natural pond and when it was full, it would flow into a stream that weaved through our property. Across from the pond was a small guest house that we rented out to missionaries. Some of the landmarks that were close to our home were, Deer Creek River (many gold miners mined here and there's even an abandoned mine shaft with miner boots still tied around a large pine tree). Our home was also close to Bitney Springs; a natural spring that was donated by the Bitney family for anyone to use. I lived in this home for 12 years before I moved out to go to college. I have many fond memories of the home I grew up in and most of them were the memories of playing on our property. The large picnic table that we used as a dining table. The many bike ramps that we had around the property. The forts we built in the manzanita bushes and the "elevator tree" we would play on for hours. So, take that trip and document what you see and feel about your "old home". Knock on the door, introduce yourself, and if you're lucky (like I was) the new owners will let you go inside.
Now it's your turn to write about your home growing up. You'll be so glad you did this!!

"When you finally go back to your old home, you find it wasn't the old home you missed but your childhood." -Sam Ewing



“Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to” -John Ed Pearce

Keep connecting the dots! -Sarah :)

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Time Passes By. Time Passes By... Bye!


Don't let time pass you by. Write your family history today.

Here's how to get started:

Just download or print your FREE Family History Bundle, courtesy of Teach Me Genealogy.

Keep connecting the dots. -Sarah

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

“Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family.” -Anthony Brandt



“Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family.” -Anthony Brandt

In this photo are my great great grandparents, William & Molly Adams,
and their children Gim (my great grandfather) and Charley.
Photo taken in 1901 in Scotland County, Missouri, USA

Keep connecting the dots. -Sarah

Copyright: Teach Me Genealogy, 2014

Feel free to share!!

52 Weeks of Genealogy - Week 3 - All About Your Parents

52 weeks of Genealogy. Join the fun!!

Week 3:  All about your parents:

  • Their full names?
  • Their parents names?
  • Their Nicknames?
  • Personalities?
  • Likes & dislikes?
  • Physical characteristics?
  • What did they do for a living?
  • How did they relax?
  • What made them happy?
  • What made them sad?
  • What made them mad?

Important dates:
 

  • Birthday?
  • Achievements?
  • Marriage?
  • Death?
  • Other?

Favorites:
 

  • Books?
  • Actors?
  • Foods?
  • Hobbies?
  • Vacations?
  • Smells?
  • TV shows?
  • Movies?
Keep connecting the dots. -Sarah

Tuesday, January 07, 2014

52 Weeks of Genealogy - Week 2 - What Toys Did You Play With?

52 weeks of Genealogy. Join the fun!! 

Week 2:   What toys did you play with growing up?


For the past six decades, the Slinky, Play-Doh, Mr. Potato Head and Legos have stayed among the most popular toys and have stood the test of time. My parents played with these toys, I played with them and my children play with these toys now. But, I often wondered if grandma played with them. So I asked her "what toys did you play with growing up?" I had no idea what she did for fun in the 20's and 30's or the toys she played with. To my surprise she answered...

"Horseshoes, jump rope, croquet, puzzles and cards." I recorded her answers and added them to her life history.

Now it's your turn. What toys did you play with growing up?

Keep it short and simple and it becomes easy.

Week 1
: How did you get your name? What does your name mean?


Keep connecting the dots! -Sarah

Wednesday, January 01, 2014

52 Weeks of Genealogy - Week 1 - How Did You Get Your Name?

52 weeks of Genealogy. Join the fun!! 

Week 1:   How did you get your name? What does your name mean?
I was named after my beautiful great grandmother, Thelma 
Sarah  Lewis. Here's a family photo of her parents and 12 siblings; she was the 5th of 15 children. She's on the bottom right in the photograph.


Sarah means Princess.

Now it's your turn. How did you get your name? What does your name mean?


Keep it short and simple and it becomes easy.


Keep connecting the dots! -Sarah