October makes me long for New England. Crisp autumn days, color on the trees, and woodsmoke in the air. It’s still warm enough for ancestor hunting in old cemeteries and cool enough for a real wool sweater, things we don’t get much of in Southern California.
I may not be visiting my favorite villages this fall, but I’m celebrating October’s Family History Month with a few special family history projects. Some have been on the ToDo list for too long, and a few are new ideas for my holiday gift list. I figure any progress will be “some” progress, and I’m going to enjoy the process instead of worrying about getting everything perfect.
First up, is to pull together the bits and pieces of information I have learned about my great grandfather, E. B. Kinsel. Mom and I found his burial plot in a local cemetery just a few miles from the Marriott Hotel in Burbank where the Southern California Genealogical Jamboree is held each year. E.B. rests in a lonely unmarked space in a quiet older area of the cemetery, and I want to confirm his birth and death information and make arrangements for a headstone.
And while I have my notes open in front of me I need to write up what I know about E.B., his work as a railroad switchman and his life in New Mexico and Kansas. I’m going to do my best to stay focused on just writing what I know, not spinning off chasing loose ends. Instead, I’ll make a note for future research. It’s progress, not perfection, I’m after here. And it seems like finding E.B. is a good first step for Family History Month.
What are you doing with your ancestors this month?
