Wordless Wednesday

Oh My Gosh! Happy 101 Award!

Oh My Gosh! Here I am doing my genealogy and DNA intensely and not even Blogging and to my surprise I get an award. Linda McCauley, thank you! I sure did not get it for promptness.





Now 10 things that make me happy and 10 Bloggers who get an award.



1. My four adult children. ( 3 sons and a daughter)
2. My six grandchildren. ( 3 girls and 3 boys)
3. Jim who shares my life.
4. Finding Family ( if you read my blog, you know!)
5. Genetic Genealogy ( includes all those I have met doing it)
6. Reading ( Mysteries both historical and foreign)
7. Our Beach House ( Outer Banks 4 wheel drive)
8. Retirement ( always and every day I marvel at it.)
9. My New Jersey roots ( small town girl)
10. Blogging and sharing genealogy

Now for 10 awardees, and this is hard (and late)therefore I absolve them of some of the second ten requirements (Waving my Magic Wand about). Some new ones who are very exciting and also my old favorites and some who have recently inspired me.

Gone But Not Forgotten
Ancestor Tracking
Of Trolls and Lemons
Nordic Blue
My Genealogy Blog
A Light That Shines Again
Small-Leaved Shamrock
The Genetic Genealogist
The Spittoon
Be Not Forgot

Wordless Wednesday

Surname Saturday - Boe and Olsen

Several new ancestral surnames have bubbled to the surface for me in December.Most important for me I believe is what I have now deduced to be my paternal surname.
In November I wrote about my "Search for My Grandfather" an event which actually had propelled me into both genealogy and DNA in retirement. 'Holes' in a pedigree is what many of my genetic genealogy compatriots have in common and surely understand and I have written about that already.

With 209 current cousin matches on "Relative Finder" at 23andme, my closest matches are turning out to be from Norway. On this, the second exploration of my autosomal profile, but the first of the full genome ( all 23 chromosomes) a Baltic area native element like Saami continues to be evident.

Dad's stepfather Sigurd Boe twice alluded to being Dad's father in my hearing.My Dad, although he referred to his mother and stepfather as "my parents" was less sure of this fact and he legally was named Carrow after his Grandparents adopted him. Four years ago for the first time I received Dad's birth certificate naming "Louis Saybold" as the father but the document was stamped "illegitimate" and also gave his name as William Charles Carrow.

Yesterday I found a link from another Blogger of the Digital Archives of Norway. Grandpop Boe's death certificate as reported to the Norwegian consulate called him "Olaf Boe.His given name was Sigurd Boe and sure enough I find Ove Sigurd's birth and his confirmation as Ove Sigurd Boe in Bjarkoy Troms Norway.Thrilling to me of course!

His father is indicated as Oskar Ludvig Bremer {Oleson} and his mother Lorentse Sofie Kristiansdotr. His paternal grandfather is listed as both Lars Oleson Boe and Peder Oleson Boe which I suppose points to the patronymic of Olesen or 'son of Ole' and a place or origin name of Bo/Boe? I am not at all sure of that but I am sure it is him as he is born in Bjarkoy Troms as found in his first visa to the US in 1920.He seems to have retained his Norwegian citizenship although I know he received Social Security and a pension from a Philadelphia bank building where he was their operating engineer.

Rounding out this found information in 2010 is the place of residence of my Great grandparents
of Slagstad Troms Norway which is either part of or near to Bjarkoy. My paternal GGrandmother ( can you believe this!!) is Elisabeth Martinsdatr also of Slagstad Troms Norway.

Follow Friday 2010

A new decade has arrived and with it my determination to continue discovering what I can about my ancestors. I use a multi-disciplinary approach for most things and genealogy is no exception; a favorite expression is "when the tide rises all the boats will float".

Who do I follow and what are my tools? A thoroughly modern 'baby boomer' I believe in shortcuts which include: genetic genealogy aka "DNA", the use of experienced and trusted researchers and my own anthropology education which highlights customs and traditions of each culture.In addition, I am grateful that I live in an age where I can find a birth record in the old country which will link me with another cousin.

The end of the past decade allowed me to find cousins in New Zealand and Donegal Ireland who are now friends using all of the tools I just described. I also know the path of my family in this country from 1643 forward to the present day.

Susan Carrow and Don Carrow whose ancestors left Accomac Virginia and went to Bath North Carolina, David Font in New Zealand and Manus McClafferty from Falcarragh Donegal as well as my Quinn/Doogan cousins are folks I now communicate with routinely thanks to this great age I live in.

In the coming decade I am vowing to illuminate my ancestors paths in even more detail. Online records some for free and some for a nominal amount of money will make that possible.

As my cousin Manus says "Le grá agus beannacht " for 2010.

Advent Calendar - The Christmas Tree

Bill and Betty Carrow and grandsons Peter and Ronnie Morrison

Carneys Point NJ 1969

Sister and I in 1953 ( below) and Christmas with my cousins in 1955 ( right).Just two of us but they had four more siblings after this.

My genealogy of my family has illuminated many things for me.Two generations of my family before me had a bumpier ride through life. I don't know how their Christmases all were, just a few sad anecdotes from Depression years.

My Grandfather lost his mother when he was only four. He never told me that although we were very close. He did tell me they were evicted often and their possessions scattered over the years from being tossed out at the curb. My first memory of Christmas was the bubble lights on his post WWII tree and my rag doll "Buttons" that he bought me.

In turn his wife Margaretta died when his oldest son was eight and the youngest of the four, My Mom was only 3.The three boys were for some years in St.John's Orphanage and must have spent Christmases with his family in Kensington.

Christmas in my family of origin was somewhat festive and our tree was picked out by us shortly after Thanksgiving and rooted.

My parents did the same when the grandchildren came.

Kreativ Blogger Award - who me?

I am very surprised and honored this morning to find I was nominated for the Kreativ Blogger Award by Mary Beaulieu from Ancestor Tracking. Mary was and always has been my inspiration to Blog about my 'folks'.

My task this morning is to tell 7 things about myself and then to nominate 7 other Bloggers for this award. I definitely need more coffee for this.

1. I began doing my family's genealogy upon my 'early retirement' in 2002 , quite possibly to keep my mind occupied. It has answered many questions for me, including why I need to keep my mind occupied.

2. The 'holes' or 'empty spots' in my family tree have played a role in how I lived my life. If I had had more information life could have been a bit less bumpy, both for myself and for my four children. This is my gift to them.

3. The more I uncover the more I want to know about those who came before me.I am absolutely positive that we are the sum total of all of these people. I have as Mary indicated in my nomination 'jumped the pond' and have contacted relatives in Ireland.

4. I believe that DNA is an amazing shortcut to our 'Brick Walls' in genealogy and that I am perfectly willing to use whatever is necessary to achieve success.This includes paid researchers, DNA and contacting perfect strangers here and abroad.

5. Partly for me and partly for my children and grandchildren I am thrilled to know that my unknown grandfather was likely Norwegian.There is a good possibility that it was my step-grandfather or at least someone he was acquainted with from his ship or his country.

6. My second great passion, books and reading reflects my need to unpuzzle things.My cousin Francis told me yesterday I should have been a detective and I missed my calling.Mysteries and specifically those from other cultures are what I immerse myself in.

7. My roots and my family's roots are in Southern New Jersey and across the Delaware River in Delaware and Philadelphia. I lived in the same small town for 56 years until moving to North Carolina in 2002 with my incredible husband who I have been with 9 years ago this week. He supports me in all of this,without him I would still be a social worker at a prison. I am blessed with him and my three sons, daughter and six very talented and beautiful grandchildren.

My nominated Blogs are those who have inspired me of course and Ancestor Tracking would always be first. Our ancestors trod distant paths together in both Delaware and Maryland in a time when others had not yet arrived.

Honorary award to Ancestor Tracking

1. Becky's Grace and Glory

2. The Genetic Genealogist

3. Trace My Origin

4. Of Trolls and Lemons

5. Genealem-genetic genealogy

6. Searching for the Lost Colony

7. Canada Genealogy