Journeying with Jacque

At the Library – Month 5 of 12 Ancestors in 12 Months

Posted on May 16, 2025 by Jacque

Visiting the Library

The most recent library that I have visited in person (March 2025) was in the ancient city of Ephesus, the Library of Celsus. “The Library of Celsus is considered an architectural marvel and is one of the few remaining examples of great libraries of the ancient world located in the Roman Empire. It was the third-largest library in the Greco-Roman world, behind only those of Alexandria and Pergamum (Wikipedia).” In its heyday, the library in Ephesus had over 12,000 scrolls. Visiting Ephesus was awe-inspiring.

In comparison, the library that I am currently using is part of the Las Vegas – Clark County Library District. Instead of physically visiting the library, I use the Library District app as well as the Libby app to read books on my Kindle, listen to audiobooks, read magazines, and do research (I haven’t tried streaming movies yet, but the option is there). The Library District app provides lots of genealogical resources such as the library versions of Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com, Fold 3, as well as several resources that I haven’t explored yet. Instead of 12,000 scrolls, “the Las Vegas – Clark County Library District has a collection of almost 3.6 million items which is almost 20 times the number of slot machines in Las Vegas (Fast Facts).” (The number of items increases when North Las Vegas, Boulder City, and Henderson are included.) Now, my 14-year-old niece in Kansas assumes that gambling is pretty much all those of us who live in the Las Vegas valley do. Clearly, we are actually a very literate community.

Libraries have always played an important part in my life. My idea of libraries was heavily influenced by the first two libraries where I had library cards – both were Carnegie libraries. These special libraries were made possible through the philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie. He donated a great portion of his fortune to build 2,509 libraries between 1883 and 1929. While the architecture of these libraries leaned towards the formal and elegant, the focal point was the “prominent doorway, nearly always accessed via a staircase from the ground level. The entry staircase symbolized a person’s elevation by learning (Carnegie Library).”

My very first exposure to a public library was in Beaumont, California. This Carnegie Library opened in 1914. I got my first library card when I was 4 (66 years ago). This historical library in Beaumont still provides library services for the area.

My next Carnegie library was in Coffeyville, Kansas. This library opened in 1912. I wrote on my blog (August 26, 2022), “We had just moved to Coffeyville (1967) and hadn’t had a chance to make friends yet. We met the girl across the street and my sister Becky, our neighbor, and I began going to the library weekly. We would walk to the library, browse, check out our books, go across the street to Peter Pan and buy cherry limeades, then walk home. Two books that I remember reading that summer were The Red Planet by Robert Heinlein and Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (Jacquelyn Coble).”

In 1979, a new library was built in Coffeyville and the Carnegie Library was then used by Coffeyville Community College. In 2024 this impressive library was put up for sale for $57,500. As of today, it has not sold.

Reading and libraries have always been an important part of my life. I was very fortunate to land my dream job when I became the school librarian at Desert Springs Middle School. Here is a link to a blog post that I wrote, focusing on my school librarian years:

At the Library – Generations Cafe Ancestry Challenge

Be sure to visit your library in person or via the app.

Sources

“C.1911 Fixer Upper Carnegie Library for Sale in Kansas under $58K.” Old Houses under $50K and Beyond, 31 Aug. 2024, oldhousesunder50k.com/c-1911-fixer-upper-carnegie-library-for-sale-in-kansas/. Accessed 6 May 2025.

“Carnegie Libraries of California – Beaumont, California.” Carnegie-Libraries.org, 2025, www.carnegie-libraries.org/california/beaumont.html.

“Carnegie Library.” Wikipedia, 11 Apr. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie library.

Coble, Jacquelyn. “At the Library – Generations Cafe Ancestry Challenge | Journeying with Jacque.” Journeyingwithjacque.com, 2022, journeyingwithjacque.com/at-the-library-generations-cafe-ancestry-challenge/. Accessed 12 May 2025.

“Fast Facts.” Thelibrarydistrict.org, thelibrarydistrict.org/facts/.

Wikipedia Contributors. “Library of Celsus.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Dec. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library of Celsus.

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DNA – Month 4 of 12 Ancestors in 12 Months

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Jacque

Ancient Ancestors

Breaking news – it’s now possible to trace your DNA roots back many generations. You can find out the breakdown of your DNA in various historical eras…the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Roman Era, and the Middle Ages. Who knew that we could go way beyond those elusive 5^th cousins.

MyHeritage.com has partnered with a new company called Illustrated DNA. This company has obtained DNA samples from actual burial sites and archaeological remains. While it’s not possible to match a specific person, it is interesting to identify which ancient civilizations you descend from. These results shed light on thousands of years of migration and history. It’s interesting to see what genetic characteristics have survived thousands of years.

There is actually a scientific research field call archaeogenetics which is basically the study of ancient DNA. Through archaeogenetics you can determine your best genetic fit which is “how closely the model matches your DNA, reflecting how well the combination of ancient populations align with your genetics (Introducing Ancient Origins).”

While some people have been shocked by their results, there were no surprises in the determination of my closest genetic fit to the various historical eras:

Bronze Age (3300 BC – 1200 BC): European Farmer
Iron Age (1200 BC– 550 BC): Germanic
Roman Era (753 BC – 476 AD): German and Roman Britain
Middle Ages (500 – 1500): Insular Celt (British Isles) and Germanic

In the business world, modern managers often divide their sales people into Hunter/Gatherer vs Farmer archetypes to better use their innate traits to improve productivity. The most common traits that have survived are (Ku):

*Hunter/Gatherer*	*Farmer*
Goal-oriented	Relationship-builders
Self-motivated	Service-oriented
Persistent	Friendly
Disciplined	Loyal
Thick-skinned	Team player
	Highly organized

While most of us have characteristics of both types, I definitely identify more with the farmer which makes sense; I have many farmers in my family tree as well as a genetic fit with farmers from the Bronze Age.

April is an appropriate month to focus on DNA because April 25 is National DNA Day. Happy ancestor hunting!

Sources

“Introducing Ancient Origins: Trace Your Origins Back 10,000 Years – MyHeritage Blog.” MyHeritage Blog, 19 Feb. 2025, blog.myheritage.com/2025/02/introducing-ancient-origins-trace-your-origins-back-10000-years/. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.

Ku, Daniel. “Sales Hunter vs Farmer: The Differences Explained.” Revenue Reveal, 10 Nov. 2022, revenuereveal.co/sales-hunters-vs-farmers/. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.

“MyHeritage DNA | Reveal Your Ethnicity & Ancestry | DNA Testing – MyHeritage.” MyHeritage, 2019, www.myheritage.com/dna/ancient-origins/774397991. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.

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Migration – Month 3 of 12 Ancestors in 12 Months

Posted on March 3, 2025 by Jacque

How We Got from There to Here

What are the odds that Gary and I both ended up in California at the same time, ready for the next stage of our lives? We met in October 1988 at Julius Corsini Elementary School, got engaged in December, and married on June 26, 1989.

Our migration journeys were different, but we both ended up in California for our careers, me in 1985 and Gary in 1987.

I was born in California, moved to Oklahoma, then Kansas, then Oklahoma, then Kansas, and back to California.

Gary was born in Illinois, moving to Pennsylvania, New York, Montana, Missouri, Montana again, South Dakota, and Wyoming before settling in California.

Interestingly, Gary and I have a connection with ancestors from southern Pennsylvania.

My 2^nd great-grandfather, Samuel Watkins was born in Fayette, Pennsylvania in 1818 (his parents, Joseph Hanslep Watkins and Margaret McElroy, were both born in Maryland). Samuel married Susanna Osborn in 1842.

Susanna was also born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania as was her father, Nicholas. Susanna’s grandfather, Jonathan, was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He died in Fayette in 1814.

According to MyHeritage, I have a potential 4^th cousin, S. Meckley which means we share 3^rd great-grandparents. S. has a tree with only 12 people and no additional sources. Her father, however, is also a DNA match to me, but he is marked “private” with no first name given. She does list her grandparents as Joseph Ray Meckley and Ida Rebecca Phleeger. MyHeritage suggests that our DNA connection may be through Nicholas Osborn and Rebecca Martha Smith (my 3^rd great-grandparents). S. and I have no surnames in common and since Nicholas and Rebecca had 9 children (and those children had multiple children), it would take quite a bit of research (or S. expanding her tree) to see exactly how we are related.

Gary also has a strong southern Pennsylvania Meckley connection – his paternal grandmother was Anna Mae Meckley and this branch of the Meckley family settled in Dauphin and Lancaster counties.

I have been able to trace Gary’s Meckley ancestors to Melchoir Meckley (Gary’s 4^th great-grandfather) who was born in 1775 in rural Mt. Joy, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

So…Samuel Meckley and Mary Ann Brestle (Gary’s 3^rd great-grandparents) and Samuel Watkins and Susanna Osborn (my 2^nd great-grandparents) were living in southern Pennsylvania in the early to mid-1800s. One of Susanna’s siblings most likely is related to S. Meckley, my 4^th cousin.

Regardless, Gary’s parents, John and Georgene Coble, and my 2^nd great-grandmother, Susanna Osborn Watkins, along with her 12-year-old son, John Calvin Watkins (my great-grandfather), began their migration west looking for new opportunities, allowing Gary and me to eventually meet. In June we will celebrate our 36^th wedding anniversary.

Posted in Coble, Genealogy, Watkins | 1 Comment

Surprise – Month 2 of 12 Ancestors in 12 Months

Posted on February 22, 2025 by Jacque

Not One, Not Two, but Three Brothers

The year was 1885. The place was Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. The local newspaper called it “a strange coincidence.”

The Harrisburg Daily Independent stated that the Coble brothers were “well-known and were personally popular.”

Tragedy struck those brothers, though, in March 1885. The first brother to be affected was John H. Coble (Gary’s 2^nd great-grandfather). The Lebanon Daily News said that John died after “an illness of three days from congestion of the brain.” The Harrisburg Daily Independent gave a more detailed account, saying that he died after “an illness of a very few days, during which time he was perfectly devoid of reason. Prior to this attack, he had always been considered rational and sound in every way.”

Just a day or two after John’s funeral, as family and friends grieved, John’s brother, Samuel, began exhibiting many of the same symptoms as John. Samuel “was noticed to be acting rather peculiarly, and it was evinced from his incoherent talk and moody demeanor that he was becoming insane. He remained in that condition for several days when he died (Strange).”

Shockingly at the time of Samuel’s death, a third brother, in what was labeled as a strange coincidence, began “showing signs of insanity, and it was feared that he will too go the way of the other two members of the family (Strange).” Ultimately, he did not succumb to whatever caused these horrendous symptoms and lived many more years.

The name of the third brother was not given, but it was either Isaac who died in 1903 of asthma and a complication of diseases or Christian who died in 1896 of typhoid fever. (Jacob had died in 1862.)

John H. Coble was considered to be “a man of note.” He and his family were Mennonites. In addition to being a farmer, John was also a teacher and school director. “His fellow-citizens showed their appreciation of his intelligence and good judgment by electing him to various township offices (Commemorative).” Even though he died too young, John H. Coble left a lasting legacy.

Sources

“Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.” Ancestry®, 2005, www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/14060/images/dvm_LocHist000975-00388-1?ssrc=pt&treeid=184221014&personid=142412825447&usePUB=true&pId=628.

“Death of John H Coble.” Lebanon Daily News, 13 Mar. 1885, www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-news/107348332/.

“Death of John H. Coble – Mount Joy Herald.” The Lancaster Weekly Examiner and Express, Lancaster Examiner, 13 Mar. 1885, www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-news/107348332/. “Strange Coincidence.” Harrisburg Daily Independent, 25 Mar. 1885, www.newspapers.com/article/harrisburg-daily-independent/107348183/.

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Favorite Photo

Posted on January 18, 2025 by Jacque

A Piece of Americana

Photos give us a wonderful glimpse into the lives of people as well as the culture of the times. “Favorite photo” is a misnomer of course; there are so many special ones that it’s really “favorite photo of the moment.” (Unfortunately, photos from the past were often not readily available so much of our past is not visually documented. Today, many people have “picture overload” and sometimes become so overwhelmed that they lose the specialness of the photos.)

Photos have the ability to capture a moment in time and preserve important life moments. They can connect us to our history and can sustain memories.

A Favorite Picture of my Mother

My mother, Geraldine “Jerrie” Ann McLeod, was born on May 20, 1938 in Vallejo, California to Malcolm McLeod and Anna Anthony. According to the 1940 US Census, the family was living in Benicia, California which is in the San Francisco Bay Area where her father was a welder at Mare Naval Base on Mare Island. They were still living there in 1942. (By 1950, Malcolm and Annie were separated and had moved back to Southern California; Malcolm lived in San Bernardino and Anna, Will, and Jerrie lived in Beaumont.)
The family often traveled to San Bernardino where both sides of the family resided. I think this picture was taken on one of these visits. Malcolm’s father was a farmer so this picture may have been taken at the farm. I love the background of this photo. Also, notice the boots Jerrie is wearing.

Jerrie with her Family, Still Wearing the Boots

Not to be outdone, the current generation has a fondness for the rustic life and the fun boots. These pictures are of my niece who was born in 2010.

I love seeing the similarities of the generations. Enjoy the special events and memories captured by your family photos.

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Resolution – Month 12 of 12 Ancestors in 12 Months

Posted on December 31, 2024 by Jacque

Reflections and Resolutions

2024 was the year of travel. Gary and I took 13 trips this year (okay, our last trip was actually a staycation on the Las Vegas Strip and was only 13.3 miles away, but still…). We took two amazing cruises. The first was a Panama Canal cruise where we went through the canal and visited Central America. It was truly remarkable. Our bucket list cruise was Australia/New Zealand which was absolutely incredible (we’ve been planning this trip since before we retired). Highlights were the Sydney Opera House and Hobbiton…definitely a dream come true. We had long trips, short trips, family trips, and everything in between.

We have been so fortunate to have had a year like this. Gary and I both enjoy experiencing new adventures, seeing the world, and meeting new people including our new niece and our new grandniece. Growing up, I never imagined that this could be my life.

I wish I had been able to share all these wonderful trips with my mother; after all, my mother was the one who instilled a desire to travel in me. Inspiration often comes from unexpected sources. My mother frequently talked about her sixth-grade teacher who shared her travel experiences, including slides, with her students. My mother grew up extremely poor and they were always in survival mode so travel for fun was never a possibility. However, this teacher made it seem like an attainable dream. The summer before my mother had this teacher (1949), the teacher and her friend went to Alaska. My mother often talked about the Alaska trip as well as some European trips that the teacher had taken earlier. Unfortunately, life circumstances prevented my mother from being able to enjoy this aspect of life, but she shared the impact that the stories had on her with me. So this teacher that I never met inspired my mom to “catch the travel bug,” and in return my mom inspired me by passionately sharing her teacher’s stories. Though my mom, unfortunately, was unable to fulfill this dream, I’ve enriched my life through travels in ways I never thought possible including two trips to Alaska that she would have loved. It really is important to share stories with others; you never know the impact they may have.

Speaking of stories, I have continued my blog. The first year of my blog was during COVID and I wrote a story about at least one ancestor every week (the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge by Amy Johnson Crow). After the first year, I concentrated on 12 Ancestors in 12 Months. With travel and other events in my life, this seems much more doable. This year, I have written 13 posts. I really feel much more connected to family through my foray into genealogy.

My immersion in Ancestry continues. According to Ancestry.com, I added 288 ancestors to my family trees and I have 3,174 new DNA matches.

In addition to genealogy, another major hobby for me is reading. It is one of my great pleasures to sit out on patio with a cup of tea or a glass of wine and simply read. According to Goodreads, this year I read 68 books by December 18.

Now on to those resolutions… Yes, I still want to lose those 10 pounds and increase my exercise. It’s an ongoing battle. A huge part of our entertainment revolves around food as we get together with friends. I cherish those times so it’s a balance.

As far as genealogy goes, I want to continue researching (new resources are always becoming available) and I plan to continue my blog, focusing on 12 Ancestors in 12 months. My mother’s paternal side has proven to be a bit challenging and I would like to continue working on that. My mother’s paternal grandmother was from Canada and on MyHeritage, I recently discovered a relative with a public tree. I would like to explore this and see if I can find some information on the Ligget side of the family.

I have multiple photo projects and my recipe calendar that I compile every year that I plan to continue to work on. It often seems that I have more projects than time…I’m sure that’s true of most people. I intend to just keep enjoying my retirement and living in this wonderful community.

New Year’s Eve with friends has become the best way to start the New Year. We plan to travel “all the way next door” (it’ll take minutes) to enjoy the evening with good food and great conversation. As always, we will ring in the New Year with those on the East Coast. Cheers!

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