Library at St. Florian Monastery - Goodwill Librarian at Facebook Many, many years ago, in what seems to be another lifetime, I read a little story about books in a library that comes back to haunt me.  The story was in an obscure book or magazine in somebody else's possession, so totally inaccessible. The closest answer to an internet search reveals, The Book of the Elders, Sayings of the Desert Fathers  translated and compiled by John Wortley, 1993; several years after I read the original story.  This book is available on Amazon for over $41, a bit outside my budget. The basic premise of the story was that there was a monastery which had an extensive library, faithfully maintained by the monks. One evening the abbot of the monastery was enjoying the evening air as he walked around the walls when he encountered Satan. In a conversation that followed, Satan boasted of some recent accomplishments in the downfall of men but he also voiced a complaint to the abbot. "As long ...

Image by  Suzanne Morris  from  Pixabay   In Flanders Fields BY   JOHN MCCRAE In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row,      That mark our place; and in the sky     The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,     Loved and were loved, and now we lie,         In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw     The torch; be yours to hold it high.     If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow         In Flanders fields. Human need to honor The need to remember our dead seems to be part of our human psyche. From prehistoric and Viking burial mounds to Egyptian tombs and Roman coffins, from Victorian mausoleums to battleground burials and monuments, humans from the beginning hav...

Battle of Lexington and Concord, from a Public domain scan of the vintage historic postcard by Picryl. By the rude bridge that arched the flood,     Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood,     And fired the shot heard round the world. (1) April 19 is the semiquincentennial, the 250th  Anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the beginning of the Revolutionary War . From our grade school history classes, most of us remember about Paul Revere and his midnight ride to warn the colonists that the British were coming. It was at Lexington and Concord that the first skirmishes occurred and the "shot heard round the world" was fired. When you think about events that happened during an ancestor's lifetime, do you wonder if your ancestor was present at that event?  I do. This was during my fourth great-grandfather Jonah Stow's lifetime and through my early research of his military records, I knew that he wasn...

Book Jacket from Amazon  November, 1896  Salford, England On a very cold day in industrial Salford, England, Harold became the newest resident of the local workhouse.  His wife and children had gone home to her family until Harold could find work to support his family.     'So, what's your story, mate? Why are you in here?'        'It's a long story.'      'I'm sure it is, but we've got a long time.' . . . 'We likes a good story, mate. So what's yours?'      For a second, a memory of his grandfather sitting round a fire telling his stories of  t he past came back to him.  Maybe it was time to tell what had happened and why he was here.      The scent of the tobacco helped him decide.     'I was born in the Moon when Trees Crack with the Cold, or what you would call February in Salford. . .' 1 March, 2024 Manchester England Martin and Isobel Walker are brother and siste...

Our Member-at-Large announced Saturday Nominations for SKCGS President and Treasurer are open . We would be pleased to get applications soon. Write to  Member-at-Large@skcgs.org  so the discussion and support can begin.  The team encourages all SKCGS Members to consider what you want from your Board of Directors, to send us your suggested candidates and consider applying yourselves.   Your Board of directors appreciates volunteers and will support new nominees as they get to know the Board members and the outlines of their prospective positions. South King County Genealogical Society President The President has a vital role in leading and guiding the organization to achieve its mission and goals . South King County Genealogical Society wants a President who:  Provides overall leadership and vision for the organization, ensuring that it remains focused on its mission and long-term objectives.  Inspires and motivates the board, volunteers, and stakeholders Wo...

[Valorie] In our research, we're always seeking to establish identity, relationships, locality, occupations, and most of all, to understand the lives of our forebears. WHO includes everyone, not just our "direct" ancestors , but their families, friends, enemies, neighbors, fellow congregants and club members, colleagues, competitors, fellow travelers and "kin," however they defined that. We know where to find them—census (including agriculture and manufacturing schedules), tax lists, newspaper articles, city directories, club rosters, church records, family photos, scrapbooks, county histories and so on. Critical, specific information was the plot of land where they made a living, alongside neighbors and relatives.   Where? MAPS How about maps as a tool to help ? In preparation for today's workshop on platting , I watched a very old Legacy webinar by Mark Lowe of Kentucky and Tennessee, about how to use the plats to learn more about our ancestors than I thou...

  Another year, another memory? What memories will you make this year?  Get ready to share them! Vecteezy obtained 12-28-2024 " Martha, w hy do you do so much cooking and baking every holiday? Don't your daughters and daughters-in-law take over that work?" I overheard this question from among a group of ladies at a senior center several years ago. Martha's answer has always stuck with me and brings up an interesting viewpoint. "One of my most cherished memories of my grandmother was that she always made the most wonderful foods for each holiday. Yes, my mother and aunts cooked and baked, too, but Grandma's foods had that special ingredient of love, because of her extra effort. Grandma always cooked for the holidays. " I want my grandchildren to remember me that way , that I always cooked for the holidays." Vecteezy obtained 12-28-2024 Once, when my son was about 25 years old, he told me he remembered that, when he was a kid (5 or 6 years earlier), ...

Vecteezy image October 20, 2024 What kind of reader are you? Do you become involved with the characters in the book, locating their setting on a map even though the main town is fictional?  Do you enjoy books that have historical settings, either time period or location so you are immersing yourself in a favorite environment or are learning something new?  Do you look forward to the next adventure that a main character may experience, thus following them through a series of books? If any of these traits describes you, you will probably greatly enjoy reading genealogical crime stories.  And you will find several authors to satisfy your hunger. Vecteezy October 20, 2024 Genealogical Mysteries are like lessons in Genealogy The authors take their characters through the trials and tribulations that most of us experience when we are researching.  We can identify with the frustration of a brick wall and rejoice with a character's successful discovery. Good authors keep thei...