Sentimental Sunday - Line Street in Penns Grove

A sentimental journey back in time to the first house I remember, 35 East Line Street Penns Grove NJ. In addition to the house ( which I actually dream about sometimes ) I want to visit in my mind's eye my first real playmates who were not family. Joey Vanderslice lived next door to me and his cousin Jerry Howard lived down the street.

In recent times I have come across genealogy records for their families also and realize they and others in their lines were very "Old Salem County" families. Of course we did not talk about those things being children with more immediate issues. Joey and Jerry came to my first birthday party in this new house built by my parents in the Post WWII era, I am sure.

Jerry being somewhat older than I was was my escort for a first outing, to movie at the Grove a few streets away.My mother wrote this is my baby book in May 1950.Why then, I wonder was Mom surprised that I dropped her hand and went into kindergarten myself 3 months later?

Joey V. tried to teach me to shoot marbles but I had definite fine motor issues. I tried to interest him in my Bobbsey Twin books which I began to read at 5 and 6 but Joey was not a big reader.I am not sure what we had in common except the neighborhood.I called his mother "Aunt Mae" and liked to hang in her kitchen where she was quite the cook.

East Line Street was on the boundary line between Penns Grove and Carneys Point, then called Upper Penns Neck. An old sewage ditch ran along the back property lines and behind that was a woods.Joey was allowed to explore, I was not but am unsure I would have ventured there anyway. None of that exists now.

Joey's parents had chickens in a coop as did Jerry's. Jerry's family also did a bit of farming, I remember corn growing so surely they had more than the two acres we did. Others on the street had truck gardens and we were the last block in town before actual farms started.

Several years after that my mother went to work as school nurse and we moved to a big house on the river, their dream house.They never looked back,but in my minds eye and sometimes in my dreams I revisit that house and climb the steps and Joey calls me "Yo Kath-ee" and off we run.

Tombstone Tuesday - The Sweeneys from Ireland

James Sweeney and his wife Mary Jane Huey rest at St. Mary's RC Cemetery Salem NJ. Mary Jane was from County Tyrone daughter of James and Letitia who were farmers. James and Mary Jane were also farmers in the Quinton/Alloway area in Salem County NJ. They were among and early group of Catholics farming in South Jersey and James was a founding member perhaps of the Grange.

Their children moved into Gloucester County near Swedesboro and attended St.Joseph's.Their daughter Elizabeth married Patrick Kirwan also from Ireland. Lizzie dies young and tragically leaving young children and a newborn who lived one month.

Lizzie Sweeney Kirwans' daughter Sadie Kirwan Carrow raised and adopted as her own my father William Charles Carrow. Sadie was only 2 when her mother died and she was interred with her in Old St.Joseph's in Swedesboro.

Follow Friday - Whatever gets you there

I have been really immersed in my Norwegian DNA and have concluded that my step grandfather Sigurd Boe is actually my biological grandfather which he indicated at least twice to me. Norwegian records are awesome and free and I now have several generations of my paternal ancestors in and around Bjarkoy Troms Norway. A cousin, son of my father's half brother has been located thanks to a wonderful native of that small island, and I have exchanged pictures with him.

I tried to do the same for our Swansons but it is very difficult.I paid for a trial subscription on Genline but so far it is an uphill struggle without knowing the parish.Norwegian records have something called ' bygddebok' which are family pedigrees for certain lines. Bless them!

The Genline US specialist tells me ( as I knew ) that very likely our Swanson men were Anders and Carl son of Swen and from Gothenberg which can mean the city or the county. She sent some other possible places to check but our men came too early for them.

One new thing was said however: "While they would not be part of the original Colonial Swedes or included in what is defined as the Colonial Swedes, they may have become active in the Swedish community at the time and joining some Swedish organizations. However, they may have known someone or been related to someone and that is why they emigrated to Philadelphia "

So possibly we are actually some kin to the Colonial Swedes or were known to them. That could be a clue and I will follow it.

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.