Calgon, Take Me Away

Remember those old commercials?  The saying still goes.  I need distraction from current events.  My concentration is not great at this point, but I have to say it's better than it was earlier in the week.  I am trying to avoid Facebook, Twitter and the news networks.  I haven't been able to watch my soapie (Young and the Restless) for two days because of news interruption.  But I've had Criminal Minds, Blue Bloods and Mom to take my mind off of things.

I've been a genealogist for almost thirty years.  The last few years, I haven't done a lot with my family tree or that of my husband.  I started doing research for the National Orphan Train Complex and spend my days looking for birth families and the stories of the children who rode Orphan Trains.  It is challenging work, unlike regular genealogy.  It takes concentration and the ability to pick up on small, subtle clues.  I have not had the ability to do either the last few days.  Yesterday, I found myself staring at a news conference, with my laptop on my lap.  Ancestry and Newspapers were open, but unused.  I tried to shake it off, but wasn't very successful.  I was absentmindedly flipping between pages.  Somehow I wounld up on my trees on Ancestry and started to wander, occasionally clicking the leaves to see what new wonders awaited my attention.  Eventually, I got lost among the leaves, playing with ancestors that had been neglected for over four years.  Things started clicking in my brain and I was actually able to solve a few mysteries!

Evelena Augusta (Mitchell) Turner
Sims Hessee Jacobs Ross
Oberg Moore
AKA Leapin' Lena

My husband's great grandmother, known affectionately among the family as Leapin' Lena, was married seven times.  I had complete information on the first two (number two was his great-grandfather), but the others, well, all I had was a name.  I actually found a marriage license for one of them and FindAGrave information on three others.  It was a silly little task, nothing super important, but it gave me an incredible sense of accomplishment.  And most importantly, it got me back into a researching frame of mind.

Are you a long time genealogist?  Maybe during this time of isolation and stress, you should wander through your family tree.  Revisit your old research.  New items are being added to Ancestry and FamilySearch daily.  Check to see what new items are available.  Same with Newspapers.com.  New papers are added daily, see if you can find some delightful little clips about your ancestors daily lives, obituaries, marriages, births, special anniversaries.  Give it a try.  You may be shocked and surprised what new information you can add to your family tree.  And it was wonderful to be swept away from the news and the stresses of daily life right now.  Go spend the afternoon with your ancestors.  You won't be sorry.