Tuesday's Tip -- Historyline.com

I recently learned about a new site that has launched called HistoryLines via Randy Seaver over at Geneamusings.  You can read Randy's post here.

I decided after reading Randy's post, to jump on over to HistoryLines and play around myself.  You can create a free account and create two stories for free.  After creating a story for myself and for my father, and having great fun doing so, I decided to sign-up for the one year subscription with unlimited stories for $59.00.

Here is my Dad's Story.

As I scroll down the screen I see both world events, local events and personal events that took place during my Dad's life time.

For me this is a very useful tool to have at my disposal!  I have been working on writing my family history and this tool offers that added touch I've been wanting to implement in my book.  I want not just names and dates in my family history, but also detailed mention of historical events that had an impact on each of my ancestors.  While I will never know for certain the thoughts and feelings of my ancestors on such historical events, with HistoryLines I can get a pretty good idea of society in their time.

For my own personal story, I like that I can edit each historical event provided by HistoryLines and add my own thoughts, feelings and memories of each event and how it truly impacted my life at the time.  

HistoryLines will certainly help me to create the family history book that I have longed to do with ease.  I highly recommend this tool to any genealogist interested in more than just names and dates!

*I was not approached by HistoryLines for this review and was not provided any compensation by any parties mentioned.

Treasure Chest Thursday -- Ethel Jenkins Trunk

Last year I was gifted with a trunk which had belonged to my Grandmother Ethel Jenkins.  The trunk had been in the possession of my Aunt Louise following the death of my Grandmother in 1964.  When my Aunt passed away, the trunk remained in her husbands possession until his death last year.  Upon his death my cousin gave the trunk to my Uncle Bill, the last of Ethel's living children.

I received a call from my Uncle and his wife asking if I would like to join them for lunch. I did, and it was during this lunch that my Uncle told me the trunk, and all it's contents, were mine if I wanted it.  I couldn't believe my ears and immediately said YES!!  We made arrangements to meet in a few weeks time at his home for me to look through the trunk and take whatever I wished.

The morning of the day I was to see the trunk for the first time, I couldn't contain my excitement!  I had shared with my Mom and my siblings that I would be receiving the trunk and they too were eager to find out what it contained!  My oldest sister Caren, who had learned from our cousin that the trunk contained fabric, asked if she could have the fabric.  She is a wiz with needle and thread and an avid quilter, so I of course said yes!

When I arrived at Bill's home he took me out to his back patio where the trunk was being stored as there was no room in his small condo.

The trunk is a steamer style trunk measuring 33"x18.5"x23".  Inside it has a shallow lift out "drawer" with a deeper compartment below.

On the top of the trunk written in white paint is the name of my Great-Uncle, and older brother of my Grandmother.  He was Rolla David Jenkins and he moved to Novato, California from Pennsylvania between 1942-1945 with his wife Annie.

My Grandmother inherited the trunk upon the death of her brother, Rolla, in 1956.  Rolla had inherited the trunk upon the death of his mother, and my great-grandmother, Verlinda Ellen Hardman in 1941.

Inside this trunk was a plethora of family treasures!  I am so blessed that my uncle choose to pass tis trunk on to me!! I will be photographing and documenting all of the trunks contents over the next several weeks.  Join me each Thursday as I share these treasures!

WDYTYA Season Premier -- Julie Chen

Sunday brought with it the season premier of Who Do You Think You Are.  This weeks episode we followed Julie Chen as she traced the ancestry of her mother.  I am a fan of Julie Chen and was very eager to watch this episode and to see her personal journey into her families historical past.

Julie began her search by looking into the past of her maternal grandfather who died before she was born and who she new very little about.  The first stop on her journey was to Singapore where she new her grandfather had died.  From there she was able to learn the name of the village in China where her grandfather had been born.  What intrigued her most was learning from her grandfathers obituary that he had had an "improper childhood."  She wanted to find out more to explain this statement.

She traveled to his hometown village in China where she not only discovered the meaning behind him having an "improper childhood" but also learned that her great grandfather had been appointed as director of education by the Emperor in the Qing Dynasty!  She was able to visit a school her grandfather had founded and was able to meet a distant cousin who took her to visit the sacred burial sight of her great grandfather.

Overall I found this episode very enjoyable!  Julie's display of genuine emotion was refreshing.  My only disappointment was she didn't learn more about other generations of this family line.