Family

Redlands - the roses were beautiful, the grounds perfectly manicured." They're painting the roses red," said Alice.
I was invited to visit the Redlands Family History Center by a neighbor who is LDS. At the Center, genealogical research can be done on one’s family – whether or not one is LDS. My family history is a little convoluted since I know very little about my birth dad and only marginally more about the man who was dad. I have more information about my mother’s side of the family so that’s where I started.

A woman working there handed me a packet of information about how to get started and helped me begin my research on their computers. My mother’s dad was born in Norway and came to this country via Canada so I wasn’t sure how much we’d be able to find but Leslie started checking US Census data from the county in Minnesota where they lived and voila – listed on the 1910 Census was info re my mother’s parents and her two older siblings. Eventually there were nine children in her family. On one form they listed my mother as "Charlotte" – Aurlette must have sounded like Charlotte to the census taker.

I looked into my dad’s family name and pulled up information on his brothers and sisters – all of them now dead. It was sobering to see all of them listed with their birth dates and dates of death. I don’t think they changed the family name when they came to this country so that should help in the research. That and I think I have a cousin who may have already done some of this work – though we’re not really related I think she will share what she knows.

Re my birth dad: It turned out that when he died, he didn’t live that far from where we live.

Has anyone else done genealogical research? Leslie said it was one of the more popular hobbies. The LDS website www.familysearch.org provides info on how to get started and also has free family history software that can be downloaded.

History

Panama WWII - WEP's picture. Aquitania, Pier 6, CristobalThese pictures were found in some of my mother’s things. The writing on the back is my birth dad’s (WEP) and re the above picture it says “Aquatania, (sic) Pier 6 Cristobal, ep.” He signed it with the initials “ep” since he didn’t use his first name.

This is what I’ve since learned: The British passenger four-funnel liner Aquitania was launched in 1913 and was in service for a short time. In 1919 it was refurbished and re-entered service in 1920 and remained in service up until WWII when it was used as a troopship and loaned to the US for the San Francisco-Honolulu run. After the war it continued in service until 1948 and was eventually scrapped in 1951.

I wasn't interested in learning much about him when mother was alive (opportunity lost) but it is interesting now piecing some of the pictures of the puzzle together.


The following was sent to the office by one of our more staid associates - approaching 80, sense of humor intact:

"In an ongoing effort to keep you abreast of events affecting our world today, I pass on to you the following bit of insight in hopes you will find it helpful.

Generations are grouped as follows:

-The Silent generation, people born before 1945.

-The Baby Boomers, people born between 1945 and 1961.

-Generation X, people born between 1962 and 1976.

-Generation Y, people born between 1977 and 1989.

Why do we cal the last one Generation Y? I did not know but a caricaturist explains it eloquently below!"