Thank You Family Tree Magazine!

(Copyright (c) 2013 Cynthia Shenette) I want to thank Family Tree Magazine, slightly belatedly, for including Heritage Zen in its list of Top 40 Genealogy Blogs in 2013.  I am truly honored to be included among the wonderful blogs recognized. To say Heritage Zen's inclusion came as a surprise is an understatement.  I find it ironic that my blog was selected for "stick-to-itiveness" at a time when I am struggling to find time to post on a regular basis.  Sometimes I feel more like the proverbially little Dutch boy plugging leaks in the dyke rather than a blogger.  In a perfect world I would blog every day, but sometimes life gets in the way.  For example...

A week and a half ago I left for NERGC after work on Thursday.  I was at the conference all weekend.  When I got home there was laundry, grocery shopping and chores, plus I needed to finish my final project for the class I took last fall.  We are also in the throes of my son's spring sports season. I'm talking here about a kid who hasn't met a sport he didn't like.  Of course one sport a season isn't enough for our family.  "We" are doing two. I spent a decent chunk of my time over the last week toting this kid around to three different fields to play travel soccer and Junior Little League.  This was last week's schedule--Monday baseball, Tuesday soccer, Wednesday baseball, Thursday soccer, Friday baseball, Saturday soccer and baseball, Sunday baseball.  All of this plus homework for him and work work for me. Who has time to prepare a dinner?  For the next seven weeks dinner is Subway and takeout pizza. Color me exhausted.  You get the picture.

If you are interested in blogging just do it!  Why?  If I can do it you can do it!  I might not write as often as I would like, but I write when I can.  Why write?  The rewards are great.  I've made friends within the genealogy blogging community.  I've learned a lot.  I've made contact with people who knew or knew of my family.  Relatives in the U.S., Canada, and Poland read my blog.  Blogging is a great creative outlet!  Where else could I write about food preparation mayhem and serious subjects all in one place. And, as if all of this wasn't reward enough, my blog has be recognized by Family Tree Magazine twice!  

Make the time!  Write that first post!  Maybe next year your blog's name will appear in Family Tree Magazine's list of the 40 Best Blogs.  Now if you'll excuse me, I just heard the buzzer on my washing machine go off.  I need to throw another load in before I take my son to soccer practice.  Or is that baseball practice?



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The Civilian Conservation Corps in New Hampshire (Part 2)

2nd Lt. Nolan George Hikel, Far Left; Others Unidentified

(Digital Images. Photographs Privately Held By Cynthia Shenette; Text Copyright (c) 2013 Cynthia Shenette) This is the second entry in my series of posts on my dad's Civilian Conservation Corps photo album.  I am disappointed to say that none of the men in my dad's photographs are identified on either the photos or the album.  The only clue I have as to any one's identity, other than my dad of course, is the officer who signed my dad's Certificate of Discharge which I have in my collection.  I noticed the discharge was signed "N.G. Hikel, 2nd Lt. Inf-Res." so I decided to do a quick look up to see if I could find a little information on N.G. Hikel.

When I searched N.G. Hikel on Ancestry.com I discovered that according to U.S. Veteran's Gravesites, ca 1775-2006, Nolan G. Hikel was a colonel in the United States Army, that he served in World War II and in Korea, and that he is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.  You can see a photo of his grave, thanks to a Find A Grave photographer, here. I also found his photo in University of New Hampshire yearbook photos which are also available on Ancestry.  The image of the man in the yearbook photos confirms that the young officer on the far left in the photo above is Nolan George Hikel.  He is also the officer on the far right in the photograph below.

I'm glad to have discovered the identity of at least one man in my father's CCC photos! If you are related to Nolan George Hikel and can tell me about his experience with Company 1181 of the CCCs in Campton and Thornton, NH I'd love to hear from you!

2nd Lt. Nolan George Hikel, Far Right; Others Unidentified

Other Posts You Might Like:

A Comedy of Errors: My Family in the Census (Part 1 of 3)
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"Frisky" - Wordless Wednesday

The Civilian Conservation Corps in New Hampshire (Part 1)

(Digital Images. Photographs Privately Held By Cynthia Shenette; Text Copyright (c) Cynthia Shenette) My dad, Henry Albert Shenette (1916-1985), served in the Civilian Conservation Corps from 17 April 1934 until 30 September 1935. According to his Certificate of Discharge he serve as a "laborer" from 17 April 1934 until 25 June 1935 at Campton, NH.  He continued to serve as a "Cook--Assistant Leader" from 25 June 1935 until 30 September 1935 at Thornton, NH.  

Apparently the military style structure of  CCC camp life must have agreed with him.  When his time in the CCCs was up he spent the next few years in the Army and then enlisted in the Navy after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  He remained in the Navy until he retired from the military in 1957.

Since this month marks the 80th anniversary of the CCCs I thought it would be a good time to post photos from my dad's CCC photo album.   I have about 60 photos in my dad's collection so posting all of them will take a bit time.  

If an ancestor or relative of yours served in the CCCs in Campton or Thornton, NH or the CCCs in general or if you recognize any of the young men in my photos I'd love to hear from you!

Other Posts You Might Like:

Photo Story: The Great Depression, Dad, and the CCCs
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The Opal Ring

A St. Joseph's Day Celebration - Wordless Wednesday

Unidentified Friend, St. Joseph's Day, 19 March 1917

(Digital Images. Photographs Privately Held By Cynthia Shenette; Photographs and Text, Copyright (c) 2013 Cynthia Shenette)  These photographs of my grandfather, Adolf Szerejko, and his friend crack me up.  Clearly they are celebrating St. Joseph's Day--they even took the time to make a sign.  Maybe his friend's name was Joseph, and they were celebrating the friend's name day big time. 

My grandmother told me my grandfather wasn't much of a drinker.  My guess is he and his friend were goofing around with the camera taking pictures to impress (or not impress, depending on your point of view) their respective girlfriends.  Given the number of bottles on the table and in the bags they'd either be in the hospital or dead if they drank all that.  

 

Adolf Szerejko, Ordering Another...

I've done a little reading on St. Joseph's Day celebrations, but this doesn't seem to quite fit in with what I've read.  If you are Polish or of Polish descent and can enlighten me as to some St. Joseph's Day tradition that involves a seriously party hardy attitude I'd love to hear from you! 

Unidentified Friend, Sleeping it Off

 Na zdrowie!



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Meditation: The Strength of Ordinary Women 

San Diego Fun and Research - Wordless Wednesday

San Diego, As Seen From Coronado Island
February 2013

(Digital Image; Photograph and Text, Copyright (c) 2013 Cynthia Shenette) Last month my family and I spent a couple of weeks in southern California on vacation. It was a wonderful respite from the snow and cold of Massachusetts. None of us wanted to come home! This photo was taken on one of the rare cloudy days we had in San Diego.  Quite a dramatic sky, don't you think?

While we were there I had chance to check out the San Diego Public Library.  Doesn't everyone visit the library while they are on vacation?  My son had some homework to do, and I had a little research I wanted to do for myself in the California Room.  While I struck out at finding what I was looking for with my own research I also asked if they had information on surveyors in the San Diego area.  My friend Barbara Poole, who writes the wonderful and ever informative Life From the Roots blog, had an ancestor, Charles H. Poole, who was an early surveyor in the San Diego area.  It was just my luck that a young man overheard me talking to the librarian.  He mentioned the name of two books about surveyors in San Diego, and the librarian brought out the two books, the History of San Diego Land Surveying Experiences by Curtis M. Brown and Michael Pallamary (out of print but available on WorldCat) and Lay of the Land: the History of Land Surveying in San Diego County by Michael Pallamary.  Well, didn't I hit pay dirt!  Barbara's ancestor was featured prominently in both of books!  So even though I didn't find the information I was looking for on my family I still had a great day!

The moral of the story is then next time you are in sunny southern California forget the beaches, and hit the library!  Also, sometimes it's just nice to help another genealogist.  You'll be glad you did!



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Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Times - Wordless Wednesday
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Aloha! - Wordless Wednesday

Irish Genealogy LibGuide - Follow Friday

(Copyright (c) 2013 Cynthia Shenette) I don't do generally do Irish genealogy, or as I like to say to my two best friends (both of whom happen to be Irish), "There's no Irish in my family unless the boat from Poland stopped in Ireland somewhere along the way."  Anyway, even though I don't have Irish blood flowing through my veins, I'd like to share a resource I stumbled across a while back for those who do.  

Check out the Boston College University Libraries LibGuide for Irish Genealogy (Irish Studies).  LibGuides are pathfinders/guides compiled by librarians to assist library patrons with their research.  Boston College has an Irish studies program and the Irish Genealogy LibGuide supports one of the courses for that program.  The LibGuide includes books and electronic resources.  While many of the resources are specific to the  BC library I am sure they can be located elsewhere.  The LibGuide also has a link to a searchable database that lists the names that appeared in the "Missing Friends" column of the Boston Pilot.


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Presenter Interview: Colleen Fitzpatrick, Forensic Genealogist
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Fun on the Slopes - Wordless Wednesday

Helene (Szerejko) Dingle (First Girl Seated) and Unidentified Friends,  Mid 1940s

(Digital Images.  Photographs Privately Held By Cynthia Shenette; Photographs and Text, Copyright (c) 2013 Cynthia Shenette) As I was looking through some of the winter photographs in my collection for something to post for Wordless Wednesday I found the picture shown below.  Not being a winter sports enthusiast I had no idea what the heck the structure was behind the skiers. Then I found the photo above and figured it out!  My mom's sister, Helene (Szerejko) Dingle (1923-1955), is the girl sitting at the front of the toboggan. When I looked at the ramp my first thought was gee, that looks safe.  From what my mom said, Helene was more of a risk-taker than she was.  Mom preferred to hang out at the lodge and sip hot chocolate on the deck while the others hit the slopes.  Mom was my kind of girl.  One thing I do know is that if my grandmother saw that ramp and knew one of her daughters was coming down that thing on a toboggan she would have had a coronary...

Helene (Szerejko) Dingle (Far Left) and Unidentified Friends, Mid 1940s

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