52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 52 Prompt - You

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 52

Prompt – You

Amy Johnson Crow, the author of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks said about this prompt; “we have to remember that we are part of our own family history.”

Jackie gave me an awesome present for Christmas this year. She presented me with a published book of my 2018 genealogy blogs. It is named Turtle Lady Genealogy 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2018). To say the least it was very emotional to see my blogs in book form with its own ISBN. That stands for International Standard Book Number which is a unique number identifier for the book.  All published books have their own unique ISBN.  It's incredulous to me that words I have written end up in a book that is published with an ISBN. 

The Front Cover of My Genealogy Book

The Back Cover With ISBN.

I have been asked many times where I got the name “turtle lady”.

When I was about 8 years old I got two live pet turtles for my birthday. Our family already owned a cat and dog. But these two turtles (Hokey and Pokey) were mine and I was the one looking after them. It had one of those small plastic bowls with a green plastic palm tree attached to it. It was my responsibility to feed them and clean the bowl. I am sure that mom and dad did most of the cleaning up after them. I don't know how long I had them but I believe it was less than a year. One day they disappeared. I was sad but when you are that age things come and go out of your lives so often.

Over the next few years I would be attracted to various ornaments of turtles. I was given some of these ornaments as special presents but many I bought for myself.

Shortly after I started dating Bill in 1972, he presented me with two live turtles and built an aquarium size tank to put them in. He had read that turtles needed to eat under water so it had to be deep enough for them to submerge in. Also we built an island on one end of the aquarium and put a light bulb over top of it so that the turtles could climb up out of the water to dry off. Initially we put some fish in the aquarium to add some interest. However one by one the neon fish disappeared. I guess my turtles thought they were delightful snacks. Besides sushi, aka the neon fish, they loved eating meat such as hot dogs and chicken. We fed them and they grew. They moved with us to our first apartment after we were married and one year later they moved with us to Regina where Bill got his first engineering job. In the meantime my collection of ornamental turtles was ever expanding.

I don't believe we ever gave the live turtles names and I don't know why. We had them for about 7 years. They were about loonie size when we got them and grew to be about the size of our hand. One grew a bit bigger than the other. He bullied the smaller one. The smaller one seemed to have trouble staying right size up in the tank. The bigger one took to chomping on the little ones toes relieving the little one of part of his back toes. Really!  Eventually we decided to take him to a vet and have the little one put down. I know we kept the remaining turtle for a bit longer after Jill was born because I have pictures of her leaning against the tank tapping the glass to get the turtle's attention. I think in 1979 or 1980 we gave him to Bill's sister and brother in law to have. A few years later I think they passed it on to some friends. I do not know the fate of our turtle.

I realized that turtles were very symbolic in my life. As a preschool child whenever we had company I would run and hide. I remember hiding under mom's apron once. I also hid under our kitchen table. If one was to startle a turtle the first thing they do is disappear inside of their hard shell. Over time they would slowly “come out of their shell”. The turtle understood my need for safety, security and solace. In solace I gather my strength to move forward in my endeavors. Like the turtle, I would eventually come out.

Turtles have long lives. This could be symbolic of it's persistence and endurance. Longevity is not a strong gene on the Peters side of my family. I would like to think that I was very persistent through my life to achieve goals such as being a nurse. Isn't there an old adage that “slow and steady wins the race”?   I would like to think that I lead my life living by these principles.

When I turned 50 I decided to get a turtle tattoo. I had always admired my father's arm tattoo that he got while at war. Apparently he and some buddies got drunk, got the tattoos and dad was just damn happy that he got the right name on the tattoo – Vivian! None the less I did not get drunk to get my tattoo. I wanted to do something that was so out of character of my shy, quiet, unassuming person. Tattoos at the time seemed rebellious. While in Vancouver visiting my daughter, Jackie we had got tattoos at the same time. I got a cartoon type turtle just above my left outer ankle. 

2004 - My Turtle Tattoo.

I have never regretted getting tattooed. In fact a few days after getting the tattoo, my co workers at the Doctor's Clinic presented me with a turtle shape birthday cake. One of the doctors came in and asked why the turtle. The ladies encouraged me to lift my pant leg to show them my tattoo. The doctor's jaw dropped and he choked out a “ of all the people in this room you would be the last person I would have guessed of getting a tattoo!” That right there was what I wanted. I wanted not to be taken granted for. 

However it did take a couple of years before I would show my tattoo off to my mother-in-law. That is I consciously wore long pants when around with her. However one hot summer day in Saskatoon I was wearing capris and her very sharp eyes which had not yet succumbed to macular degeneration spotted my turtle tattoo. Not much was said.

From my first live turtles and through the years I have received and bought many turtle ornaments, plushies and every other knick knack one could possibly think of. So in a way I became that proverbial “cat lady” only I was the “turtle lady” and my turtles aren't living.

Wendy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 51 Prompt - Future

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 51

Prompt – Future

Do genealogist look to the future? Rarely. We are too busy looking back into our history.

There is no doubt that how we do genealogy is always changing. In 2005 when I first started on this genealogical journey, I went to the library to look up things because they had the special computer programs linked to the major genealogical databases of the time. This was the start of scanning historical documents into large databases which could be accessed at the library free of charge. Fifteen years later and I rarely go to the library. I find many significant genealogical documents online. I can download and save them on my laptop for future use. The use of paper has significantly decreased in this respect. I just have to remember to back up my work on my computer from time to time. I cannot imagine what changes the future will have and what that will look like for future genealogists. Will they seek, find and gather family information without computers?

Of course that implies an assumption that our children and grandchildren want to know about their ancestors. I believe that a lot of the younger generation don't want to know about their past (just yet) because they are too busy blazing a new trail for themselves. I know this because I was the same. That is not a bad thing and in fact it is probably good. However in my opinion it is important to understand where we come from. Further it is important to know the history of that time to add context to their lives. My maternal German grandmother called all Russians – Bolsheviks. Not an endearing term at all. However she lost many relatives in her Russian Volga homeland during the revolution, wars and famines due to the politics of Russia Revolutionaries of the time.

One of the things that frustrates me in researching my family is that I do not know or speak German. So many documents are available world wide written in their native language. It is just a matter of finding a translator. As I have pointed out before it's not just that it is in German, but it is also handwritten in “script handwriting” which fewer and fewer people can read. This got me thinking about our documents for future generations. I understand that they do not teach cursive writing in school anymore. Does that means that in one or two short generations our documents will be illegible to them.

In many of my genealogical classes, the topic of planning for the future of your family tree was discussed often. I can't force my family to take on this work although to me it is not really work but just an avid passion to learn and know more about my family. I would have no problem leaving it to anyone who wanted it.

It has occurred to me over the past two years of writing my blog that I seem to know more about my family than I thought I knew. It always make me take pause when a family member who reads my blogs says to me “I didn't know that about...” From time to time my blogs jog the memories of my siblings who share more information with me. It is all so beautiful. In the end I write the blogs to share this information with those interested. Unlike a family tree written on paper which can be passed along, the information I gather on my computer tends to stay there without ever seeing the light of day. This is my way of sharing it. To me genealogy is about sharing information. You would be surprised at how many genealogists do not want to share their finds with others including their own families. What is the point if you can't share it?

I predict that the future of genealogy will be DNA. If this is true then I must make a concerted effort to learn more about it. I look at my DNA results on Ancestry from time to time but have failed to do anything with it. I guess this means that I will need to take more tutorials and read more on DNA and Genealogy. Therefore looking to my future in genealogy I will make a resolution to work on it and hope that it will make more sense to me and shed some light on family.

I also resolve to carry on with my blogging in 2020. Are you ready for year 3 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks? If you are, I will try not to disappoint. 

Wendy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 50 Prompt - Tradition

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks
Week 50
Prompt – Tradition

Christmas is all about traditions. It is those beliefs that our parents had and their parents before them. They fall through time without question to be done because that is the way it always was done. Some traditions are forever while others fall by the wayside only to be replaced by new ones. I do not know how my great grandparents and their ancestors celebrated Christmas. I have to assume that some of things we do and celebrate today were traditions they handed down.

As a child Christmas was a magical time for me. We knew Christmas was close when mom began baking. My sister, Bonnie wrote in her Christmas letter this year that mom always started her fruit cakes around Remembrance Day. It was a complicated recipe that took most of a day to finish. They had to be done early in order for the flavors of the dried fruit and spices to mature and keep the cake moist. My mom's Christmas cakes were non alcoholic, but I know it could be infused with rum or brandy to give it that moist flavorful edge. Did my Mennonite ancestors add the alcohol? Probably not.

 

Over the next month my mom would do her special Christmas baking. It included shortbread cookies, icebox cookies, jam jam cookies, fudge plus more. The house smelled divine however we could not even sample them as they were packed up and stored (hidden) until Christmas eve. From time to time they would be found and perhaps eaten by one of us, but that indulgence usually met my mother's wrath. 

Mom wrote Christmas cards every year. We got to help by licking the envelopes closed and licking the stamps to put on. Both leave disgusting tastes in your mouth. When I was older I got to address the envelopes because of my “neat handwriting”. Mom did not really enjoy this part of the Christmas tradition. It was a lot of work and expense. However everyone did it and thus she did it. Strings of Christmas cards hung on our walls as kind of a status of how many family and friends one had. It would usually be around 50 or so. To this day I write cards with a family news letter. This tradition is dying. I get less cards each year. Cards were a way to stay in touch with far away family and friends. Now we have instant real time communication with the family and friends through our I phones using Facebook, Instagram, twitter, and more. 

1971 - My Mother After Reaching Her WW Goal Weight.  Note the Christmas Cards on the Wall.

We had “real” Christmas trees when I was a child. In fact Bill and I had real trees until the early 1980's. The smell of the tree was unforgettable. We got our real Christmas trees at the local tree lot. I never had the pleasure of cutting one down to bring home. Dad would bring it home and saw off the bottom of the trunk to be placed in the tree stand usually with much soft cursing. When it was in its place in our living room in front of the window, the strings were cut and it fell open in a “ta-da” moment. We never knew until this moment if dad got a great full tree or a “Charlie Brown” tree. However my father loved Scotch Pines so we rarely had anything but a full beautiful trees. We decorated with our lights. Remember the string of lights that if one bulb burned out they whole string was out. Oh what fun it was discovering which light was burned out. That is why it was always checked before it was put up on the tree. The last thing after it was decorated with the Christmas ornaments was the tinsel. To hang individually or throw with wild abandon was a contentious issue at our house. 

Circa 1960 - Christmas. Lt to Rt Don, Dennis, Wendy, Rob & Bonnie. Posed in Front of Our Tree

As I have said before my father worked for Olympic Meat Packing Plant. Early in December the company sponsored a Christmas party for all of the employee's children. They rented a downtown theatre for a Saturday morning. Sometimes it was the Roxy theatre and sometimes the Capital theatre. We watched cartoons on the large screen. They had magicians and clowns that made balloon animals. We sang Christmas songs. And of course the highlight was Santa. As we left the theatre we were given a candy bag, a Christmas orange and a wrapped present. The presents were exceptional. My first Barbie was a gift from this work Christmas party.

We attended church when we were younger. The big thing was the Christmas Eve Sunday School concert for the congregation. We would practice every Saturday afternoon through December to be ready for the program which in our family was a highlight to enjoy. We would all dress up in our best clothes. The candlelight service was beautiful. We went home and mom would finally put out the candy and baked goods which we all enjoyed. One Christmas mom had put out the goodies before we went to church. When we came home we discovered our Samoyed dog had got into and ate half of the fudge. The poor dog was so sick. At the time we did not know that chocolate was poison to dogs so I guess we were lucky the outcome wasn't worse. 

1994 - Christmas Eve After Church. Lt to Rt Jackie, Jill, Bill & Wendy

Gifts were never put out before Christmas Eve. We opened our gifts on Christmas morning. We weren't even allowed to open one present Christmas Eve. The excitement was excruciating. There was more than one Christmas morn that we were awake and ready to open the presents by 5 A.M. And usually mom had only made it to bed by 1 or 2 A.M.

Christmas day was hectic and crazy noisy in our family. My grandmother wore a hearing aid. It was the type that had a wire that attached the hearing aid to the battery which she hid in her bra. We knew when things were too much for her when she was digging down the top of her dress to turn off or at least to turn it down. After that grandmother just sat with a quiet smile on her face. Mom, Dad, 7 children with their spouses and their children and grandma in a 3 bedroom home which was less than a 1000 square feet and no basement was frenetic at best. There was no where to hide. Mom made the turkey and all the fixings. It was a feast that we all appreciated. The special china and silverware was spread upon the table clothed table. It was all over too quickly. The clean up was done by all the women in shifts to make the process quicker.

Christmas cakes, baking, real trees, work parties, church plays, special clothes, Christmas cards,early morning gift opening and the Christmas feast of turkey were the traditions I grew up with and for the most part I am still enjoying. For me the best tradition of all was the gathering of family. 

Circa 1973 - Sue & Sandy Lutz; Cathy & Glenn Olajos. Taken at Grandparents' Peters Home.

2006 - Family Photo (Before Kelsey & Robyn)

I am looking forward to Christmas this year when we can update our family Photo. 

Wendy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 49 Prompt - Craft

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 49

Prompt – Craft

I decorated our Christmas tree last week. I have what I like to call an eclectic mix of ornaments. Most of the ornaments tell a story or holds a fond memory.

The first Christmas tree in our married life was sparsely decorated. We had some hand me down ornaments. We strung popcorn on a string for a garland. May I say that it was a huge pain and I never made another one. I made fake candy canes. I used the bendy straws that I took from the hospital and used some red tape to spiral around the straw to fashion red and white candy canes. We put those on the trees for years. 

These are some of the more memorable crafty Xmas ornaments that I place on our tree. 

 This 1983 embroidered Santa stocking was made and given to us by Bill''s Aunt Donna (Uncle Hank's wife). This is Bill's father youngest brother. We were close to Aunt Donna and Uncle Hank. They put us up on many of our summer vacations through B.C.  Uncle Hank was in Regina over Christmas 1978 and came over to visit and see our new baby - Jill. As a matter of fact he saw Jill before Tony and Clara had a chance to visit their first grandchild.  Uncle Hank never let his brother, Tony, forget that he saw his granddaughter before him. This embroidered sock reminds me of them.

1979 - Aunt Donna and Uncle Hank With Jill - Yes That is a Dog in our House.

My mom was an avid knitter.  

Circa 1983 -  Mom Knitting and Jackie Less Than Impressed

Knitted Cabbage Patch Doll Clothes for Jill at Christmas from Grandma Peters

 Bill's mother was an expert seamstress. Sadly she is now almost completely blind due to macular degeneration. Over the years she sewed many of my daughter's outfits, Christmas outfits, and Halloween costumes. She could also knit and crochet. 

1985 - Jill & Jackie Wearing Matching Outfits as Their Cabbage Patch Dolls. Made by Grandma Hoffart

 Clara broke her arm one year just before Christmas. She was unable to sew the usual Christmas dresses however this did not slow down her craft endeavors. She made the beaded bell and beaded poinsettia Christmas ornaments for us despite her arm in a cast. This always reminds me of Clara (who is still living) and her endless talents and energy.

1984 - Jill and Jackie With Their New Christmas Stockings Crafted By Grandma Hoffart

Bill's younger sister, Norma inherited her mother's talents. These are just some of the crocheted ornaments she has made for us.

 Mostly Norma likes quilting. This is a small quilted Christmas ornament she made just a few years back.

Norma's talents extends to baking and cooking as well.  She definitely inherited her mother's genes.

Jill and Jackie Assisting Auntie Norma in Making a Gingerbread House

I made this painted ceramic Santa at a fall ceramic course that I took with my neighbor from our first home. It reminds me of my frequent morning coffees with my neighbor ladies and our ten plus pre- school children on Broad Street in Regina. It was a wonderful time in my life.

It was a craft that I did not enjoy. It seemed that all I had to do was pick up the green ceramic to attempt to paint it and it crumbled in my hands. It was a good class for me if I actually got the ceramic painted and ready to be fired. The finesse of handling something so fragile was not my forte.

I did however for a time enjoy cross stitch. 

Circa 1985 - First and Only Cross Stitch Ornament

Those were the days of good eyesight and steady hands. My sister Betty also made me cross stitch snowmen for my tree. Betty also crochets and knits. I believe she learned this from our grandmother, Mary McLaughlin. 

By far the most endearing Christmas ornaments are the children's. The ones made at school and brought home with such pride. Remember the construction red and green paper chains. Many of those made it on our trees. However they never lasted past Christmas.

Jackie's school made Xmas ornaments. 

What a joy to start receiving my granddaughter's first school made Xmas ornaments.

2003 - Alanna's First Christmas Tree Ornament Made in Kindergarten.

Alanna was and still is my little smiling angel.  

Kelsey made me coffee mugs from her own Christmas art. The first year mug had broke somewhere in transit and when I opened it up and she saw the broken handle she cried and cried. She was almost inconsolable. We glued it and it was as good as new and no more tears. 

 

 

Just like every picture tells a story so does every crafted Christmas ornament.  I am surrounded by a family of talented and crafty people.  Or maybe it was what us seniors did to pass the time away.  After all we didn't have I Phones to play on. 

Wendy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 48 Prompt - Thief

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 48

Prompt – Thief

I have decided to recycle and reuse a previous blog from last year's Ancestor's blog on Heirloom. It seemed very fitting to this week's prompt.

When I was first married, my grandmother Mary McLaughlin was still living. This would have been in the mid to late 1970's. She was quite lucid but did experience some forgetfulness from time to time. One evening while my husband and I were visiting for tea she noticed me admiring her china cabinet and her beautiful china with in. She pointed and talked about a few pieces of china when she decided to give me a tea cup and saucer which she said she had since she was first married to Benny and was a gift from him. The funny thing is that for the life of me I can't remember much about its design. I vaguely recall maybe a yellow rose design but not much else. Pity! I gingerly took this almost 50 year old cup and saucer home. She lived in Saskatoon and at the time I lived in Regina.

A few months down the road I receive a frantic call from my grandmother. First of all this was in the mid 1970's. I had never received a call from my grandmother ever before. Long distant phone calls were expensive and rarely done except in extreme circumstances. Grandmother was beside herself because she could not find her special tea cup and saucer that Benny had given her. She told me that she heard from one of my siblings that I had it. She really wanted to know why I took it and basically was accusing me of stealing it from her house. I was flabbergasted and bewildered. I tried to tell her that she had given it to me as a keepsake, but she was not buying it. Later that week my mother called me asking me what was going on with this tea cup and saucer. I explained the story and we decided that I would return it to her on my next visit to Saskatoon. My grandmother was happy to get it back and she still had no recollection of giving it to me.

I have never seen the cup and saucer since that time. My mother died before grandmother. When grandmother died she had just her one son, Wally, living. He came to Saskatoon and cleaned out her home and very few heirloom type belongings were ever passed on to my siblings and I .

My dear grandmother was such a loving and kind soul. It did cause me to think about aging and losing one's memories. Further I wondered just how intricately one's memory is attached to physical things. In my grandmother's case the loss of a special tea cup and saucer must have seemed like a loss of someone she held near and dear to herself.

I may not have the physical heirloom tea cup and saucer, but I do have one heck of a story and a memory that takes up very little physical space.

My Sweet Grandmother in 1970's - Mary McLaughlin Nee Krikau

Wendy