Future – Week 52 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Reflection and Resolutions

2021

I did it! I completed the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, writing every week using the themes given. I then posted every week on the blog that I started as part of this challenge. For 52 weeks I also posted a picture each week as part of Wordless Wednesday. I started this challenge because I wanted to add structure to my schedule as we continued to navigate this pandemic and spend much more time at home.

COVID-19 began in 2019 with the first U.S. case diagnosed on January 20, 2020. As I posted on March 26, 2021, “On March 16, 2020 our country entered 15 days to slow the spread” which unfortunately did not turn out to be at all accurate. I also wrote, “On March 17, Governor Sisolak ordered a statewide shutdown of casinos and all other nonessential business in Nevada for 30 days…The complete shutdown in Nevada actually lasted 78 days.” And here we are, December 29, 2021 still dealing with COVID-19 and the latest variant, Omicron. We are no longer locked down but precautions are still in place and information is changing daily.  On March 21, 2021 (a year after the lockdown) there were 122,736,841 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide; today, December 29,2021 (just 9 months later) there are 284,471,377 confirmed cases worldwide; on March 21, 2021 there were 2,708,557 confirmed COVID deaths worldwide; today there are 5,421,557 confirmed deaths; sadly the numbers continue to increase. Certainly no one predicted that we would be heading into 2022 still dealing with this pandemic.

This has been a year of sorrow and celebration. My mother passed away on February 26, 2021. While she had cancer and heart issues, she ultimately had a horrendous fall at home and had to be airlifted to Tulsa. After she returned home she had a couple of other falls and just never recovered. She went to a nursing home for rehab but when she took a turn for the worst they sent her to the hospital where she died. She had a full life and her legacy lives on. I wrote more about my mother’s life on May 14, 2001 in a post titled Best Mother’s Day Present Ever.

In June, we were able to gather for a happier family time when my nephew, Seth, married Jamie in Arkansas.  We were also able to spend family time with the Coble side when Gary’s parents, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew came to visit in April. We were then able to go to Montana in August and Gary’s sister stopped by in November on her way back from Arizona.

When Gary and I retired in June 2017, after careful consideration, we decided to move from California to Nevada to begin our new chapter. Four major things factored into our decision: 1) we did not want to live anywhere with high humidity, 2) we wanted a more tax friendly state, 3) we wanted to live near a good airport because we like to travel, and 4) we wanted to live somewhere with good entertainment options. Las Vegas checked all those boxes.

Our first Las Vegas show as Nevada residents was December 25, 2017 to see Terry Fator. This was my Christmas gift to Gary and even though we were still in the process of moving and did not have all our furniture, I convinced Gary that we should spend Christmas in our new house. The Terry Fator show has now become a Christmas staple for us and we were even able to share it with Gary’s parents a couple of years back. Gary set up a spreadsheet where we track all the Vegas shows and productions that we’ve seen as Vegas locals (as Gary often says, “Anyone who is anyone in the entertainment field ends up in Vegas”). From December 25, 2017 until December 26, 2021 we have seen 44 concerts, plays, and live performance shows (this isn’t bad considering that there were no live performances for a year and a half). Our last show before COVID shut everything down was Potted Potter on January 20, 2020 and our first show back was Garth Brooks on July 10, 2021 at Allegiant Stadium. As we enter 2022, we plan to enjoy more entertainment and travel options (not to mention those free Margaritas for Life that Gary won from PBS).

As I look back at my genealogy avocation, I owe my pursuit to my mother. In 2016 she asked me to create a photo book with photos from her family and she helped me identify as many relatives as was possible. She also asked me to see if I could find proof that her grandmother had twins (which even her mother wasn’t sure of). I joined the free version of Ancestry and Family Search and was able to confirm that yes, my great grandmother indeed had twins. I was also excited when I discovered the marriage record of my paternal great grandparents which included the names of my all four of my great great grandparents. (Unfortunately, my mom didn’t get a chance to follow my blog. I know she would have enjoyed the discoveries I’ve made, the stories I’ve written about, and the pictures I’ve included.) I went on to join the Genealogy Club in our community and decided to opt in for the paid versions of Ancestry and MyHeritage to further my research. I also created a photo book focused on my dad.

Since commencing the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, I have taken several online classes and have spent much time researching. I have discovered many interesting ancestors and have unearthed many amazing stories. The themes of this challenge have helped me with this as I have focused my research. I have worked on organizing my research and writing and this has been very helpful though it is definitely a continuing project. I also have set up a color-coded Grandparents’ chart which I have found to be extremely advantageous while keeping track of my different lines. One of my fun discoveries was finding my connection to Bugscuffle, Arkansas which I wrote about for the week 17 challenge which I posted on April 29, 2021. When we went to Seth and Jamie’s wedding, we made a side trip to Bugscuffle (literally a road in the middle of nowhere) and visited the cemetery where two of my ancestors are buried. Through this project, I also identified and met a second cousin also living in Las Vegas who is involved in genealogical research. He is a cousin on the Anthony side of the family and I did not even know he existed until I became very involved in research. I wrote about this on May 22, 2021 when the theme was Cousin Bait.

As I look to the future, I have many plans. I would like to work on an accurate online family tree. I know that I can help someone break through a brick wall concerning my paternal grandmother. She changed her name and that is not easy to ascertain (I met her when I was young and my mother remained in contact with her so I personally know part of the story). I am able to bridge her story as Fanny Vandyke Watkins with her new name (acquired sometime after 1930 when she left my grandfather and her sons), Delores Frances Russell. She divorced my grandfather in 1932 and married Elmer Russell in 1948 (which is documented).    

I also plan to continue with the challenge from Amy Johnson Crow and to continue posting to my blog. However, my goal this year is to post twice a month instead of every week and give myself permission to be flexible (of course, I always have the option to do more). I hope to travel more this year and it is more difficult to work on research and my blog when I am not at home. Also, I sometimes struggled with themes and so may find it appropriate to skip a week or substitute a theme.

My main goal is to continue to find interesting stories. I also plan to take more online classes that will help me with my research. I have discovered several ancestors who were in the American Revolutionary War. I would like to explore joining the Daughters of the American Revolution and see what documentation I still need. Additionally, I would like to start researching my husband’s ancestors. In particular, very little is known about his maternal grandmother’s line.

When I first joined the Ardiente Genealogy Club, several members stated that they had been involved in genealogical research for 25 or 30 years. Now that I’ve been working on my own project, I can clearly see that 25 or 30 years may not be enough time. And here’s to another year of getting to know my ancestors.