Friday Roundup

Good morning and a very happy Friday to everyone.  It's been a strange week weatherwise.  Just when I am preparing for fall, illusive summer appears.  It's been absolutely dreadful out there, but at least the end is in sight.  Monday is supposed to be a cool down day. Let's hope they are right. 

I did some exploring on Facebook and discovered there's more to it than I once realized.  It's a haven for genealogists, and I have joined several groups.  I was especially glad to find some groups related to Irish and German genealogy, and through and the Irish genealogy group I stumbled across Keating Genealogy and joined.  My great grandmother came from Ireland, and I have really been at a loss in finding any information on her prior to her coming to the US.  She'd become one of my 'brick walls', and I'd come to terms with the fact that I may never know about her. 

On both Irish genealogy groups I met some wonderful people who steered me in the right direction.  This week I managed to trace my great grandmother to Clogheen, Tipperay, Ireland.  I now  know the names of her parents, Alice and William, as well as her siblings, Ellen, Mary, Daniel, and Bridget.  I also had quite a shock waiting for me. Something I never expect.  My GG grandfather listed his occupation as 'Traveller', basically another word for 'gypsy'. I'd always questioned why my year old great  grandmother would venture to America, alone.  She had the wanderlust of her family.  And perhaps this is where my independent spirit comes from.

I also joined a group totally dedicated to Christmas--arts and crafts, decorating, recipes. Already have save some fabulous recipes.  I absolutely love it, but in joining its sister Christmas card group I think I bit off more than I can chew. In the age of computers and high price of stamps, the Christmas cards we receive each year have dwindled down to almost nothing.  I miss the old days and the thrill of receiving cards in the mail so I thought it would be fun to join a group where we sent Christmas cards to each other. Little did I know that almost 200 people were going to sign up for it.  Guess I'd better get started now.

Well, I guess that's about it for this week.  I lead such an exciting life, don't I?  Here's hoping that you all have a wonderful weekend.  See you on Monday.