Preserving the Memories
“Julian Carax said that we exist as long as someone remembers us,” Nuria Monfort in Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
Genealogy is all about remembering and bringing our ancestors to life by telling their stories.
This year my genealogy mentor passed away. I met Dave when we started the Ardiente Genealogy Club. I was an absolute newbie and had no clue how to really get started learning about my ancestors. I had some basic information from my parents and had started doing some research using the free version of Ancestry.com. At the club, members got me forms and charts that I could use to record my findings. Dave (who had over 30 years of experience) was the one who convinced me that I could find the stories. He shared some of the family stories that he had discovered and explained how I would find some of my own stories as I delved into the research. Dave was a member of the Mayflower Society and proved his connection before the Internet was a thing. Back in those days, that required writing letters, making phone calls, and spending time and money on travel to find the original documents. I am thankful to Dave for his experience, encouragement, and confidence that I too would find the stories.
Amy Johnson Crow developed a program called “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” that further encourages us ancestor hunters to find those special and/or unique stories that bring our ancestors to life and gives us a chance to remember them. I joined this group in 2021 and created my blog where I could add my stories that I hope to share with family. The first year, I wrote 52 entries and really jump-started my research (since this was also during COVID, I had time to focus on my new passion). In 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025, I chose the 12 Ancestors in 12 Months version which fits my lifestyle a little better. I plan to continue in 2026 (so yes, it’s time to focus on research again as I add to my tree).
Ancestry.com provides a few statistics for my yearly accomplishments. I have five trees: in my family tree I have 665 people; in Gary’s family tree, I have 363 people; in the John Cathcart Coble research tree, I have 20 people; in the the Blue Fugate research tree I have 27 people; and in the Fugate/Smith tree I have 50 people. This year I added 229 people to my tree and received 6,707 new hints to help further my research. A new statistic is that clues from my tree helped 21 other people further their research.
In November, the theme for 12 Ancestors was Family Recipe. I wrote about Grandma Coble’s sugar cookies. This was fun because Gary made this special recipe and it certainly brought back many memories. However, the research involved in figuring out the whole story was a bit complicated with the Barbara Cobles and the Elizabeth Hoffers and the connection between the Cobles and the Meckleys. The research literally gave me a headache. But I now have a much greater appreciation for these cookies. In June, we have plans for a family reunion in Billings, Montana and we intend to share the wonderful family tradition of making this very old family recipe with Grandma Coble’s 2nd great grandchildren.
Gary and I have a nice balance of being active and on-the-go and enjoying our time at home.
This year, some of us in our community started an Ardiente Book Club. It’s a wonderful group of people and I’ve read books I never would have read otherwise so it’s been totally successful. Reading continues to be one of my passions. According to Goodreads, I read 52 books this year. When the weather is nice, you will definitely find me outside with my Kindle.
We’ve reworked our hobby space at home. Not only do we take advantage of our wonderful outdoor space for reading, cooking, and enjoying our fire pit, but we turned our second bedroom into a hobby space – Gary set up his drum set, his gaming systems, and we added two wine fridges.
Traveling is still a big part of our retirement. We have seen some amazing things and have had many wonderful experiences. We were fortunate enough this year to go on two cruises – Greece (absolutely amazing) and the Caribbean on a new ship. We also made three family trips and spent two weeks in Carlsbad, California and one week in Sedona, Arizona. I turned 70 this year (really hard to believe) and we did a birthday celebration staycation at the Paris Casino culminating in dinner with friends.
One of the reasons that we chose to retire in Las Vegas was the entertainment opportunities. We have now seen 72 shows, concerts, and theater productions since we moved here. We already have some reservations for next year.
This time of year, we often focus on New Year’s Resolutions. We’re optimistic and feeling positive. As we move into 2026, in addition to focusing on health and continuing our normal pursuits, my new goal is to learn more about AI and how it can be utilized in ancestry research. I also plan to continue to explore more stories of those who came before me.