Little Bytes of Life

Central Coast Genealogy Calendar: December 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:30:00 +0000

Thursday, December 4 Monterey County Genealogical Society 7:00 PM Annual MoCoGenSo and Family History Center Christmas Party Potluck Tuesday, December 9 Conejo Valley Genealogical Society 7:00 - 9:00 PM Computer Interest Group Meeting TBA Tuesday, December 16 Conejo Valley Genealogical Society 6:00 - 8:45 PM - General Meeting Christmas Potluck, Silent Auction, Installation of New Board of Directors Saturday, December 20 Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society 10:30 AM Annual Holiday...

13th Edition, Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:47:00 +0000

Welcome to the 13th Edition, Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy! I'm delighted that Jessica allowed me to be a guest host for this edition. In honor of Thanksgiving, the topic for this edition is: "What resources are you thankful for in your Central/Eastern European genealogical research?" A resource could be a web site, book, family member... anything or anyone that has helped you with your research. So after you have your Thanksgiving dinner, I hope you will gather around...

Eight Things About Me-Me Meme

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:31:00 +0000

Msteri at Heritage Happens tagged me for the new-old meme, "Eight Things About Me." Thank you for thinking of me, Msteri! Here are the rules: *Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves. *Write a blog post about these eight things and post these rules. *At the end of the blog post, list eight people to get tagged. *Leave a comment on their blogs telling them they have been tagged. Ok, here goes... 1. I'm an only child. 2. I have a dog and 3 guinea pigs. 3. I've lived...

Confidential to Reader Pat in AR

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:45:00 +0000

Pat - I hope you're reading this! You left a comment on my post Oh Baby: My Mom, but you didn't give me any way to contact you. Please leave your email address in a comment, or send a message to me directly. I'd really love to connect and compare notes with you! Copyright © 2008 by Elizabeth O'Neal

Thankful for the Memories

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:48:00 +0000

I'll be honest: when it comes to researching my husband's Slovak ancestry, I have to admit that I'm short on resources. So when I thought up the topic for this month's Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy, it was for mostly selfish reasons. I'm really hoping to pick up some tips from you experts out there! You see, my husband's maternal gradmother was the first generation born in the United States, which means that researching generations beyond her means having to find...

Saturday Nights Just Aren't What They Used to Be

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 06:15:00 +0000

Randy at Genea-Musings seems to think that I have nothing better to do on a Saturday night than play a genealogy game he's started. Sadly... he's right. Here's the rules: * Grab the book nearest you. Right now. * Turn to page 56. * Find the fifth sentence. * Post that sentence along with these instructions in a note to your blog (or a comment to this blog). Here's mine: Another case contained a lock of Jeff Davis's hair and splinters of wood from the tree under which he was arrested by...

For the Love of Crosses and Claddaghs

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 04:40:00 +0000

There are two icons of Irish culture that I dearly love. The first is the Claddagh, the famous symbol of love, loyalty, and friendship: The Irish Claddagh Symbol is named for the Irish coastal town of Claddag (pronounced "clah-dah"), where the ring design is attributed to an ancient local legend. The now famous tale, about a townsman kidnapped into slavery who returns to present a ring to his true love, is one of the most popular romantic tales of Ireland. The way in which one wears the ring...

Happy Birthday, Grandpa

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:50:00 +0000

Today, November 19th, would have been my paternal grandfather's 114th birthday. ISAAC LEE SWANAY was born in Jearoldstown, Greene County, Tennessee, and was the son of William Franklin Swanay and Deluna Frances Brown. "Lee," as he preferred to be called, was the 3rd of William and Deluna's 11 children. His siblings were: WILLIAM MURRELL SWANAY, b. 04 Jan 1892, Tennessee; d. 09 Jul 1973, Greene County, Tennessee. WINNIE I. SWANAY, b. Mar 1893, Greene, Tennessee; d. Aug 1980, Tennessee. GEORGE...

Being Thankful: Carnival of Central & Eastern European Genealogy

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:45:00 +0000

Speaking of blog carnivals... for the first time EVER, I am hosting a carnival (she said, shaking in her boots... "Oh what have I done???). That's right, I'm going to be the "guest host" of the 13th Edition ~ Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy! In honor of Thanksgiving, the topic for this edition is: "What resources are you thankful for in your Central/Eastern European genealogical research?" A resource could be a web site, book, family member... anything or anyone that has...

Oh Baby: Oh My!

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:05:00 +0000

The 7th Edition, Smile for the Camera ~ A Carnival of Images: Oh Baby! has been posted at Shades of the Departed. 42 participants shared photos of beautiful, bouncing babies in varying states of dress, undress, and bear skin rugs. My submission is here: Oh Baby: My Mom, featuring one of the few photos I have of my mother as a baby. Please drop by Shades to check out more sweet baby photos. You'll also want to read up on the requirements for submissions for the 8th Edition: "Stocking...

Wordless Wednesday: Stars and Stripes

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:50:00 +0000

Happy Anniversary!

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:05:00 +0000

I'd like to wish a very happy anniversary to my in-laws, Ben and Pat, who were married on this date 47 years ago. Here's wishing you both a wonderful day and many more years of happiness together! ____________________ Photo of Ben & Pat taken at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, Los Angeles Co., California, on July 4, 2008. Copyright © 2008 by Elizabeth O'Neal

Honoring a Veteran in My Family Tree: William H. Swatzell

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:19:00 +0000

William H. Swatzell, my great-great-grandfather, was born in 1815 in Greeneville, Greene County, Tennessee. Unfortunately, I do not know the names of William's parents. On August 15, 1845, he married Eliza Jane Thompson in Greeneville, Greene County, Tennessee. Eliza was born on December 26, 1825, in Greeneville, and was the eldest of 14 children of Absolum Bartley Thompson and Sarah Dodd. William and Eliza Jane had 11 children, including my great-grandmother, Sarah Jane Swatzell...

DAR's American Spirit Magazine Opens Up About Wallpaper

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 21:50:00 +0000

Over the weekend, I received the November/December 2008 issue of American Spirit, the magazine of the Daughters of the American Revolution. American Spirit is a beautiful, well-written publication, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including APEX, Awards for Publishing Excellence, SNAP, Society of National Association Publications, and ASPC, American Society for Professional Communicators. As always, this issue is loaded with interesting articles and stunning photos. But one...

Oh Baby: My Mom

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:36:00 +0000

Obviously, my favorite baby photo(s) is/are of MY baby. My very favorite photo of my baby (so far) was shared earlier, here. Sometimes it's hard to believe she was ever really that small. But since my little one's photos are already plastered all over the pages of this blog, I've chosen to share one of the few photos I have of my mother as a baby. This photo is a hand-tinted black and white, signed by "J. S. Martins," who I assume was the photographer. At the moment, I am unable to find the...

Central Coast Lineage Groups Calendar: November 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Saturday, November 8 Captain Henry Sweetser Chapter DAR Santa Maria 10:00 AM - Noon Native American Heritage Month Friday, November 14 Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War Laura Belle Stoddard Tent 22 Santa Barbara Thursday, November 20 El Paso de Robles Chapter DAR Paso Robles Saturday, November 15 Rancho Purisima Chapter DAR Lompoc 10:00 AM Saturday, November 15 Central Coast Chapter SAR San Luis Obispo 12:00 Noon Saturday, November 15 Mission Canyon Chapter DAR Santa...

Central Coast Genealogy Calendar: November 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:23:00 +0000

Saturday, November 1 San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society 12:30 - 1:00 PM Martha Graham - "GENWEB Resources, Local and National" 1:00 PM - Business Meeting 1:45 - 3:00 PM Julia George - "Why Do I Need More Than One Source?" Tuesday, November 4 Conejo Valley Genealogical Society 7:00 - 9:00 PM Computer Interest Group Meeting TBA Thursday, November 6 Monterey County Genealogical Society 6:30 PM Steve Morse - "One-Step Webpages: A Potpourri of Genealogical Search Tools" Friday, November...

Trick or Treat!

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 04:35:00 +0000

Wordless Wednesday: First Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:39:00 +0000

"My Little Pumpkin," (Lompoc, Santa Barbara Co., California). Digital Image. Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, October 31, 2006. "Too Much of a Good Thing," (Lompoc, Santa Barbara Co., California). Digital Image. Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, October 31, 2006. About Wordless Wednesday. Copyright © 2008 by Elizabeth O'Neal

There's a Reason Why They Call it a Curse

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:40:00 +0000

In honor of Halloween, I share with you my family's curse. Dancer Julianne Hough is the latest casualty on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars." Following last Tuesday's live results show, Julianne complained of stomach pains and was taken to Cedars-Sinai Hospital where she was treated and released. Well, it turns out that Julianne is also the latest casualty of a disease that affects curses over 70 million women worldwide: Endometriosis. I was diagnosed with "endo" about 25 years ago and have...

Are You a Good Ancestor?

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:25:00 +0000

A good ancestor keeps certificates including birth and death certificates; records including health, military, naturalization, and school; passports; newspaper and church notices; awards; photos; art and craft work; journals; Bibles; diaries; baby, school and wedding books; heirlooms. He or she dates correspondence, cares for tombstones, keeps research organized, writes or tapes the family stories, and supports family organizations. A good ancestor dates everything, is sure that full names...

The Bad Luck of the Irish

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 00:25:00 +0000

A broken mirror will bring you 7 years of bad luck. One year at summer camp, when I was about 15, I dropped the same mirror 7 times within a week. Lucky me: I'll be working off the bad luck until about 2027. This does not include all the other mirrors I've broken since then, so it's quite possible that I will have bad luck for the rest of my natural life... and then some. That is... if I actually believed in superstitions. Which I don't. At least, I think I don't. My mother's Irish family...

Feeding the Sheep at Avila Barn

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:08:00 +0000

My daughter had such a wonderful time feeding the animals at Avila Barn on Tuesday that I wanted to capture some of that joy on video. I never knew that feeding sheep was so much fun until I watched her! ____________________ SOURCE: "The Joy of Feeding Sheep!" (Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo Co., California). Digital video recording. Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, October 21, 2008. Copyright © 2008 by Elizabeth O'Neal

Wordless Wednesday: Pumpkin Picking at Avila Valley Barn

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:33:00 +0000

"Girl With Pumpkins," (Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo Co., California). Digital Image. Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, October 21, 2008. "Decisions," (Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo Co., California). Digital Image. Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, October 21, 2008. "I'll Take This One," (Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo Co., California). Digital Image. Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, October 21, 2008. About Wordless Wednesday. Copyright © 2008 by Elizabeth O'Neal

IT Lives: Land of the Living Memes

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 23:59:00 +0000

It's been a rough few weeks for me. It all started about 3 weeks ago with the flu; I ran a low-grade fever for over a week before I finally got a clue that I might actually be sick. A week's worth of antibiotics finally knocked out the sinus infection that had developed - blech - and I've been playing "catch-up" ever since. So that's where I've been and why I haven't been blogging. Like I said, it's been a rough few weeks. Much to my surprise, I've been tagged 4 times (that I know of) for the...