Happy Thanksgiving

The You Go Genealogy Girls Wish You a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Even if you don't have Mayflower ancestry, go ahead and celebrate the holiday.

Ruby - YGGG #1
Cheri - YGGG #2

Thanksgiving...for "The Genealogist"

T.....is for Thanksgiving and remembering our ancestors, those in who's footsteps we follow from so long ago.
H.....is for Home, the place where our families gather to remember loved ones, have fun together, and where our memories linger.
E.....is for Eating, of course, as what would the day be without that grand old turkey bird, good food from recipes handed down through generations, and loving family?


G.....is for the Genealogists, the family researchers and historians who work so tirelessly to keep their proud legacies alive.
E.....is for the Energy to keep going even when that brick wall seems to get higher and higher before us.
N.....is for Nature: the land and her bounties that moved our ancestors onward and continue to sustain us this Thanksgiving Day.
E.....is for Evidence as it is the precious "gold" treasure that proves we exist. Where did we come from and to where are we heading?
A.....is for Anniversaries. The markers in our journey through time which we all celebrate and cherish.
L.....is for Love; that which is felt by family and is given as a true gift from God.
O.....is for the Optimism in us all for the journey ahead. Our ancestors are calling, we must answer and be thankful for the rewards.
G.....is for our Grandmothers. They are the far reaching roots in all our lives. Ties from the past and keys to the future.
I......is for "I", myself and me. I am the keeper of my family history and I will continue to see to it's future!
S.....is for Sitting quietly, lost in our thoughts of those gone before us and dreaming of the future generations to come.
T.....is for Thankful as this is our day to give thanks for family, fortune, happiness and yes, even times of despair as those are the pages of life. Thankful you are here and we are all together this Thanksgiving day!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL OF YOU! From Ruby and Cheri, "The You Go Genealogy Girls"


You Go Genealogy Girl #2 -Cheri

Thanksgiving Bounty

Turkey, turkey,and more turkey! Assuredly we all had a great Thanksgiving with family and friends. Ours was a nice small gathering of family in Cheyenne, Wyoming which was hosted by my husband's sister and her husband. Over the years we have not been able to spend very many Holidays with his side of the family so this was one of the few that we were able to and we had a great time and wonderful meal. The occasion this year also included a Wednesday evening at Chilis with the family. My husbands brother from Montana was there, our son, Mom and other family members, best of all was we didn't even have to do the cooking! After a great Thanksgiving with family we got to bring home an added bounty which made the trip even more special.

For some months, Mom has been trying to acquire the genealogy records that her sister Hazel had started work on years ago. Over the decades, she and Hazel had worked on the family research together when they could and often each worked on their own and collaborated over the miles between them. Hazel is no longer able to do research and she and her family agreed to send us all her records pertaining to our side of the family. She spent many years doing research before the computer age came along, perusing libraries and record repositories. Mom and I now try to work together as much as possible. At present we are the lucky caretakers of Aunt Hazel's records. Last week there arrived a dozen large family binders full of genealogy documents and research plus a huge box full of files and papers. Treasures which we will compare and then will incorporate the information into our own research archives. Mom also borrowed a large 4 inch thick photo album from one of her cousins who lives near Lingle, Wyoming. This is an awesome album of family photos, most of which we did not have. We are looking forward to becoming acquainted with these past family members.

Am I thankful? Yes, indeed! We brought home to Nebraska all this collection of research materials and photos. A project to keep me busy for the winter (along with all my other unfinished ones--). Reading, adding into records and of course a lot of scanning to do. It is a blessing for sure when family is willing to share and our Thanksgiving Bounty this special year was truly a Family Treasure. We are thankful for many things this year: our children and grandchildren, love of family, relatively good health and discovery of even more ancestors.

The You Go Girl #1 is awaiting her new IPOD Touch and I have a new NetBook to play with. We just can't get enough tech gadgets to take up our time with. Next to the "old" ancestors, our "new" toys keep us pretty busy. We have plans to meet next week in Ogallala, Nebraska ( about half way between us) for a day of play, shopping and gadget comparison. We must soon take time away from the toys and get back to the serious business of genealogy. The Grannies are getting older by the day and the To Do list is getting longer by the day! After all, I MUST get busy on all those albums and photos....

You Go Genealogy Girl#2, Cheri