Top 10 Genealogical Finds of 2017

Photo by Pierce Place

As 2017 comes to a close, I’d like to step back and reflect on what I’ve learned over the past year.  So in my best David Letterman voice, I bring you my seventh (and a half) annual Top 10 genealogical finds of 2017.  You can read my previous years’ discoveries here.  2016  2015  2014  2013  2012  2012.5  2011

It seems like it’s been a pretty quiet year for me.  I’ve focused on documenting things and less time on actual research and this list validates that.  So my takeaway from this is to get back to researching!

Number 10:  This is a late development and brings me back to my takeaway of researching more since this genealogical find is going to require A LOT of that.  Was my mother’s step father, and the only “Grandpa” I knew on her side, married TWICE before he married my grandmother?  I’d known about Harriet Pease, who I thought was the mother of Robert Melvin Hunter, my mother’s step brother who was killed at Pearl Harbor.  But when I found reference to Lyda Viola Souza, who died in 1920 from tuberculosis at the age of 24, as the “beloved wife of Sheldon A. Hunter”, I knew I needed to add this to my list.  If Lyda died in 1920 and Robert was born in 1918, was she his mother?



Number 9:  Was I finally able to put a name to a previously unnamed face?  Could this handsome man be Earle Norton, an early beau of my grandmother’s?



Number 8:  I was able to put photos all in one place and learned that my ancestors liked cars – who knew?  MACHINES AND ROADSTERS AND CARS



Number 7:  I learned a lot about my grandmother’s only sibling, Wilton Louis Gunzendorfer.  I have so many memories of Uncle Wilt but as I’m sure isn’t that different from most kids, it never connected that he was my grandmother’s brother.  Grandmothers had brothers?  And what fun to learn that Wilt wrote a song!  Read about him HERE and HERE.

 Loraine (Gunzendorfer) Levy and Wilt Gunzendorfer, c. 1980

Number 6:  I knew my family loved to scrapbook (I don’t have that gene) but I really had no idea of the extent of it until I finally opened up the box of scrapbooks and found this.



Number 5:  As part two of the scrapbooks, I discovered a scrapbook outlining the Levy Family Motoring Trip of 1940.  What fun to read about the trip my dad, his brother, and his parents took from California to Washington and back again.

Number 4:  The total eclipse on August 21 this year was all anyone could talk about for weeks (or probably even years) before hand – special glasses were flying off the shelves and people were traveling hundreds of miles to get the best view.  It occurred to me that the previous total eclipse that spanned the country was nearly 100 years before in 1918.  WAIT!  My grandparents were writing letters back and forth during that time and I wondered if they might have “talked” about it with each other – turns out they had!  Eclipse Fever

Number 3:   My Top 10 Genealogical Find of 2015 was having my grandfather’s home movies from 1936-1942 converted to DVD and how wonderful it was to see my ancestors at play.  But I knew there were more as my dad was an avid photographer and besides still photos he liked to take movies.  So we (my siblings and I) took those films and had them converted to DVD – thanks to my brother for spearheading the project.  When they arrived, my husband and I sat down to watch a movie of my life.  What made it particularly fun was that we had music from the time period (1952-1980) playing in the background.  I gotta say – it was an episode from This is Your Life! 



Number 2:  Right as I was celebrating my 6th blogiversary, I connected with a woman in Atlanta who had found my Uncle Rob’s hat!  It turns out my cousin, Rob’s daughter, had given the hat to the Goodwill by mistake and a kind soul bought the hat and found ME so that I was able to get it back in the right hands! 



Number 1:  My number 1 genealogical find of 2017 turned out to be a Christmas gift, as well.  One of the first people I connected with when I started this journey nearly 10 years ago was Victoria, a woman who was contributing and editing a book about the Jews of Santa Cruz.  We shared information and she ‘introduced’ me to the author, George Fogelson.  While I didn’t have much new information to share with George, I did share some photos that he seemed interested in and thought he might use in the book.  As part of the research, I was able to learn where my 3x great grandfather was buried (in the same cemetery as my parents!) and other tidbits that I’ve tucked away.

So how excited was I when I went to the post office on Christmas Eve and found this with MY PEEPS MENTIONED AND MY PHOTOS INCLUDED!



There is so much information about my ancestors but a couple of facts I found particularly interesting.

• In 1860, the population of Santa Cruz was 950 of which 15 were Jewish.  And on that list were my 3x great grandparents, Hannah (Plotzky) and Joseph Steen, and my 2x great grandparents, Rebecca (Steen) and Louis Schwartz.
• Rebecca’s sister, Lillie/Lily, was the first documented Jewish child born in Santa Cruz.
• The Eulogy for Louis Schwartz, delivered by Rabbi Marcus Friedlander of Temple Sinai, was delivered on May 27, 1893 and it is included in the book!

George even signed the book with a personalized message.



So that’s what I’ve been up to in 2017.  24 hours ago I wasn’t sure I could even come up with 10 significant genealogical finds but here I am with 10 plus a few others in reserve.  I’m looking forward to more research in 2018 and hope I can break down a few brick walls to add to my list next year.

Who knew?

National Siblings Day – The Levy Kids

Today is National Siblings Day – time to hug our brothers or sisters and let them know how much we appreciate them.  Since my siblings both live in another state, I can’t really hug them but I can let them know how much I appreciate and love them by posting some fun photos of them!

Since my sister and I were 10 and 7 when little brother was born, you can understand why there were lots of photos of just the two of us during our very early years.

Dad was always posing us in different places.  I remember hating to do that but now I’m sure glad we did. 



Here we are with Mom – check out those stylin’ glasses!



This one is too good not to share – what the heck are you hiding under the scarf, sis?



Every once in awhile we added a stranger to the picture.  Not sure what I was thinking (or saying) as we posed next to the Indian Chief.



Then little brother joined in the fun as we posed with our grandparents, Sig and Loraine (Gunzendorfer) Levy.



And our maternal grandparents, Shell and Clara (Fitzgerald) Hunter.



When I was about 10, we got our horses, Smokey and Snap.  Here we are giving little brother a ride on Smokey.



Looks like we were packing for the beach – or maybe our annual family camp outing at Camp Campbell.



Every year dad would pose us for a picture to use on our holiday card.  It’s fun to look at a few that didn’t make the cut.



How did he come up with these poses?



As the girls grew older and were too busy to go places with Mom & Dad, little brother had lots of experiences without us.  Looks like this might have been Knotts Berry Farm or Frontier Village?  Love that Mom was all dressed up!



Hmmm, wonder where they were in this photo?



I don’t think there’s much doubt where this was taken.  And just like Dad with the camera around his neck!



Over the years we managed to get some photos together, but it became harder and harder as we all lived in different cities/states.  But we had some special shots together in 2000 as we celebrated Mom & Dad’s 50th wedding anniversary.



Big sisters always taking care of their little brother!



So here’s some big hugs and lots of love to my siblings.  Looking forward to seeing both of you SOOOON!

Family Photos - It’s my birthday, have a party!

I continue to go through photos, albums, and other family items in order to document things for future generations.  Next up, a family photo album that was stashed away in my parents’ home.  To start from the beginning, click here.

Okay, so it’s really not my birthday but the next pages of the family photo album show my 5th birthday celebration – time to party!  Dad titled the next page Debby is now 5.  Huh?  Where did the spelling Debby come from?  So now I’ve seen Debbie, Debbe, and Debby and since then I’ve changed everything to Debi.  No wonder I was such a mixed up kid.

Uh-oh, looks like I might have been getting a little sassy with Dad.  Look at all those patent leather shoes!



Here’s the group.  I can only identify a few – my sister on the left in the back row; to her left is our dear next door neighbor, Mary K., 2nd from the right in the back row was our neighbor across the street, Diana B.; and on the far right in the back row is, I think, Merle.  I’m on the left in the front row (sitting down) and I feel like the girl who is kneeling was named Nancy.  But I could just be imagining that.




Time to blow out the candles!



And what in the heck is this expression?  And why are all the other kids sitting in a line?  I remember my mother always had games planned for our birthdays so maybe this was some game we were playing.



Looks like my sister wanted to help me open my presents.  I’m not sure if I’m agreeable or telling her to keep her hands off.

Birthday girl Deb

It looks like at about the same time we went to visit our grandparents in Fresno as Dad captioned the next page Down on the Farm. 

Not sure where this picture was taken as I don’t remember anything like this on my grandparents’ farm (aka chicken ranch).



We loved to collect eggs and help Grandma and Grandpa clean and weigh them.  I wonder how much we really helped vs. how much mess we made?

Hey, I remember these outfits from last week’s post here. 

My sister and me helping Grandpa Shell Hunter

Looks like Dad got things a little out of order because on the next page we go back to Halloween, which is 6 weeks before my birthday.  I will never forget this costume as long as I live – not too PC these days.  And for my family who knows this house well – there are no white rocks in the garden area!

Cary in Halloween Costume 1959

And just after my birthday was Christmas.  Yes, we celebrated both Hanukkah and Christmas but we typically got most of our gifts on Christmas.  My mom always said she just couldn’t take Santa Claus away from her children.  Worked for us!

Deb gets a store for Christmas

There are a few things in my childhood that I remember vividly and this store is one of them.  I loved stocking the shelves, ‘selling’ things to my friends and family, and most of all, I loved picking up that phone and making calls.  It’s amazing that I can’t remember things from last week but this I can remember. 

If this doesn’t look like one happy little girl I don’t know what does!

Corner Merchant

And one random photo.  I don’t know where we are and certainly don’t know what we were doing – perhaps we were posing for next year’s Christmas card?

What a pair

Family Photos – Hanging Around

I continue to go through photos, albums, and other family items in order to document things for future generations.  Next up, a family photo album that was stashed away in my parents’ home.  To start from the beginning, click here.

Next page includes our grandparents – we spent a lot of time with them when we visited Fresno.

Dig in, Sig 1957

This picture of my grandfather, Sigmund Levy, is just how I remember him – a little mischievous and quite a character.  That’s my sister sitting with him and looking like she’s thinking about digging in, too.

Dinner at the chicken farm – 1957 Sheldon Hunter, me, Clara Fitzgerald Martin Hunter (standing), Loraine Gunzendorfer Levy, Geraldine Martin Levy, Sig Levy, Sister Cary

I guess that empty spot would have been for Clara and my dad.  When I posted this photo before a fellow blogger commented about the pearls my mother and grandmother were wearing – can you even imagine that attire today?  We had a BBQ last night and we were all in shorts and t-shirts – no pearls in attendance!

The next two photos are fun – not only the photos but it looks like my sister wrote on the back so we’d know who it was.  Good thinking!

Our Mother

Looks like she had no intention of sharing her mother with me!

The tall & short of it 1957

What’s really interesting about this photo is that my dad wasn’t very tall – maybe 5’9” on a good day.  I always knew my grandfather was short but he was REALLY short. 

And my sister wrote on the back of this one, too.



Next up – random photos of cute little girls.

Oh, so sweet 1957

I wonder if he meant the girls or the goat was sweet.

Cary’s 1st school picture 1957

Now this is definitely one of the sweetest faces ever!  I was able to spend the day with my sister last weekend – she hasn’t changed a bit!

Grandmother back from Hawaii 1957

My grandparents did like to go to Hawaii.  They always took a cruise and as this picture shows, Grandma was always dressed to the 9’s.

Cotton what? 1957

I always loved cotton candy but what a mess!  I can just imagine what our faces looked like when we were done eating this mound of sugar.

Cary on the shutter

No selfies necessary when there was a big sister to take the photos!

No caption for this photo but I know it was 1957 and I know it’s my sister.  What I don’t know is where this dog came from as it wasn’t one of ours.  Maybe she was doing her best to look cute while she begged for a puppy?

A to Z Blog Challenge: What I Remember – Part 1

For the last few years, I’ve seen a lot of bloggers posting as part of the A to Z Blog Challenge.  From the website a-to-zchallenge.com the challenge began in 2010 and the challenge was this:   Can you post every day except Sundays during the month of April?  And to up the bar, can you blog thematically from A to Z?

I never took the challenge, even though it looked interesting and I enjoyed reading many of the posts.  So this year I’m doing my own abbreviated challenge – What I Remember from A to Z.  And I won’t do it daily (obviously, since it’s now April 19th and I’m just getting started) but will condense it into several posts.

A = Accordion
I remember my dad playing the accordion.  He didn’t play often but I remember him dragging it out of his closet, strapping it on, and away he’d go.  I wonder if many people play the accordion anymore.

B = Blood
I remember eating roast beef and we always carried on the tradition of drinking the “blood” after the roast had been sliced.  We’d get a spoon, dad would tilt the plate, and we’d collect a spoonful of the juice and slurp it down.  My dad’s parents started them on the tradition while they sat at this dining room table.  It makes me sick to think about it now.

Levy Dining Room

C = Costumes
I never thought about Mom being crafty but thinking back, I think she was.  I remember she made a skirt for us every year for the school folk dance event and many years we had cool Halloween costumes.

Oh my, what is THIS?  It looks like me posing as a baby doll but that isn’t my sister in the fancy hat.  Maybe our next door neighbor, Mary?  What in the world were we thinking?

Baby Doll and Friend c.1958

By 1960 we were costumed in a little more ‘traditional’ costumes – a farmer and a queen.  That’s me as the queen!



And the following year, I used the cannibal costume that mom had made a few years before and my sister was half of a set of dice.  Check out the chicken bone on the hood of the cannibal – I’ve always remembered that!



D = Doug’s Delivery
This was a big day in our lives – our little brother was making an early entrance into the world.  I remember Mom coming from the back bathroom and saying it was time to go to the hospital because there was water all over the floor.  I’m pretty confident that a little girl about to turn 7 didn’t really understand what all of the water was about but I do remember there was a lot of excitement, my sister and I were carted off next door for the night, and we waited patiently to find out if we were getting a sister (please!) or a brother.

The next morning we went off to school without knowing what was going on or why Mom wasn’t home yet with her new little bundle of joy.  I know my family has heard this story way too many times to count (boy did my Dad love to tell it!) but I remember sitting outside my classroom on the little step eating lunch when I saw Dad coming across the playground.  He walked up to me with a big grin on his face and said “Debi, you have a little brother” and I said what any almost 7 year old girl hoping for a sister would say “YUCK!”.  But I quickly learned that a little brother was THE BEST and now a half century later, I’m so happy to have this wonderful man in my life.

Apparently, we wrote letters to Mom while she was in the hospital.

Deep in thought	Love the Brownie uniform

And since Mom was gone, it looks like we took over her bed.  Dad captioned this photo “Sing Along” – wonder what we were singing?



Mom had her own bed in the hospital – she looks happy to have the delivery behind her.



E = Eggs
I’ve written before about my grandparents’ chicken farm.  I have such wonderful memories of that farm and the hours we’d spend there helping them around the farm.  We loved to collect the eggs, clean them, and most of all, weigh them and put them in the correct cartons.

Off we go to collect eggs 1959

Old fashioned egg scales 1959

F = Fresno
Since both of my parents were born in Fresno and all of our grandparents lived there, we spent a lot of time there as kids.  What I remember most about Fresno was the heat in the summer and houses weren’t air conditioned back then.  Plus, since we were there to visit our grandparents and their friends, it seemed that everyone in Fresno was OLD.  We had many good times on the patio where we spent so many hours tending to the eggs.

Shell Hunter, Clara Fitzgerald Hunter (standing), me, Loraine Gunzendorfer Levy, Mom (Geraldine Martin), Sig Levy, sister Cary. 1957

Dig in, Sig 1959

My parents both graduated from Fresno High School, as did my grandfather, Sig Levy, and his brothers.




G = Grandparents
I have so many memories of my grandparents and every once in awhile something new pops into my brain.  I always felt special in that growing up I had five living grandparents (four biological plus one step) and two great grandparents.  I was almost 12 before I lost any of them and then one by one they were gone.  And not only did I have so many grandparents but I actually have a photo of six of them all together!

Standing – Edward Fitzgerald (great grandfather), Clara Fitzgerald Hunter (grandmother), Sheldon Hunter (step grandfather) Seated – Mabel McAboy Fitzgerald (great grandmother), Geraldine Martin Levy (mother), Loraine Gunzendorfer Levy (grandmother), Sig Levy (grandfather) Not pictured – Earle Martin (grandfather)

H = Horses

One of my fondest memories from childhood is the hours and hours we spent with our horses.  I need to do a separate blog post about that as there is so much to say but for now I will say the six plus years I was a horse owner may have changed my life.  My “guy” was Smokey Joe, a beautiful (at least to me) dappled grey gelding who was one of the most docile horses I ever came in contact with. 

 

Smokey Joe We spent hours together in that stall

All ready for the show

I = Intercom
My grandparents used to have this intercom contraption in their home that always fascinated me.  There was a little alcove in the upstairs hallway that, at one time, held the intercom machine and somewhere else in the house were other alcoves (unfortunately, my memory is pretty fuzzy on this).  I don’t know why this memory has stayed with me all these years because I don’t think I ever saw the intercom work but I thought it was so cool that you could be upstairs and talk to someone else downstairs.  Pretty fancy technology for a home that was built in 1934!

Come back next time for What I Remember – Part 2!