Genealogy, inspired!
Spooky Season AKA the time around Halloween and Samhain, is a time filled with pumpkins, images of antiquity, costumes, scary movies, and ghost stories. Did you know, though, that it’s also the perfect time to connect with the ancestors in a more profound way?
It is believed that this liminal time offers up a thinned veil between our living world and the spirit realm, allowing those who have passed to communicate more easily with those of us still living.
Welp, after a nasty bought with COVID and a little recovery/catch up time, I finally carved out a couple of hours to sit with my new heritage journal, write out a few words on the first two pages, and complete the first spread! I’m quite pleased with how it turned out.
What all does it include?
Photos of Scotland, England, and Ireland (the lands of the majority of my Ancestors)
A map of Santa Fe (where I was born and raised)
A DNA helix
A copy of my pedigree through my 2x great grandparents…
While I’m still waiting to hear back from the Groundskeeper at the cemetery my Grandpa is buried at, I received follow up documentation the other day from the New York City Health Dept. in the form of his final medical report. It turns out our family story was correct, his immediate cause of death was…
Hello, Welcome and Happy Equinox!
Thank you so much for joining me for a cuppa on this gorgeous day!
How the heck are you?
Can I offer you some black tea? The kettle is still hot if you’d prefer coffee instead, or maybe herbal tea is your style? Whatever you’re craving, we surly have it! Then, we can settle in on the porch and watch the sunlight flicker through the leaves on the trees while we catch up!
It’s been a little over three years since I confirmed my biological father and half of my genetics…
Since I found my three half-siblings…
Since I learned so many details about so many strangers who I never knew existed and who are my kin.
I spent months upon months talking to siblings and aunts and uncles and cousins…
Gathering data and facts…
Staring into photos and details
Looking for all of the pieces of a massive puzzle that I hoped would come together succinctly to make it all of this history make sense in my head and my heart in present time.
I often wonder why it is that the people closest to us, in physical proximity and in heart space, are the ones most often taken for granted…
Why we assume we know the facts or, at the very least, have bits and pieces of facts clear enough in our heads that it’ll all come together easily and turn out just fine in the end.
I find myself currently in this liminal space with my maternal grandpa, Phil, who lived and died before I came earth side.
Oh hello there! I’m so glad to share a cuppa with you! How the heck are you?
Can I offer you some hot, black tea? The kettle is hot if you’d prefer coffee, too, or maybe herbal or iced tea is more your style?
We have it all so no need to be shy, just let me know and we’ll settle in down by the orchard and watch the goats graze on the field. We’re all enjoying the cooler temps that have blown our way over the past few days.
After years of thinking about it, I finally ordered and received my Grandpa Phil’s death certificate last week and goodness was that exciting!
Funny, isn’t it, how excited we can get about documenting our ancestors…
Seeing the details in black and white…
Reflecting on the circumstances that led up to that final moment…
Contemplating all that came before and all that transpired after?
Vital records are the recorded documentation created by and kept under government authority that document the main life events of an individual. Vital records include birth certificates, marriage licenses and/or certificates, divorce certificates, and death certificates and are an integral component in your family history research.