Contagious Genealogy: A Pandemic

Whenever I try to think of some interesting living situations in the family tree, my mind always jumps to this photo of my great grandaunt, Grace Helen (Hinman) Boodleman. She moved in with Charles Boodleman on his homestead in Faith, South Dakota. This is them in front of their sod house with their two dogs in 1910. It truly looks as if the house was constructed to utilize as much of the shape of the land as possible, expending as little energy as needed to support the structure over their head. The patent was awarded to Charles in 1912, meaning he made all necessary improvements on the land to satisfy the Homestead Act requirements. It's as if they were living in their only little cave of sorts, and I love the plank walkway that curves and winds its way up to, what I imagine, was their front door. They also all look like they're enjoying their time lounging out front and posing for the photo -- even the pups! Grace (as well as her sister Fanny!) also obtained her very own hom...

One branch of the tree that appears destined for battle was the Hinman clan. Perhaps it was a matter of time and place for this family. They settled in Connecticut from around 1650-1810; a region that witnessed many wars and skirmishes throughout that span of years. The Hinmans originally hailed from England, but Edward Hinman first brought the line to the Americas, arriving in Boston, Massachusetts on the William & George of London ship in June of 1650 as a crewman, refusing to reboard and return to London.  It's alleged that either he or his father (who also carried the given name of Edward) served as Sergeant-at-Arms in the body guard for King Charles I and had to flee during Oliver Cromwell's reign as Lord Protectorate. King Charles I had been executed the year prior, so the timeline of his emigration would appear reasonable. The Dutch records of Albany, New York reported that Sergeant Edward Hinman and Captain John Underhill offered their military services to Governor ...

My 3rd great grandmother was born in 1816; more than 2 centuries ago. There's no doubt she grew up in a very different world from my own. Here, I work in the entertainment industry; a business borne from cameras, negatives, film, and of course, the storytellers who used those tools to capture a moment in time.  My ancestor's life began the same year Joseph Nicéphore Niépce used the camera obscura to produce images on photosensitive paper for the first time. It would still be another decade before he managed to create a permanent image, and another 10+ years before Louis Daguerre patented a method for capturing images on metal (aptly named the daguerrotype).  My predecessor, Louisa Fanny Wilcox, would be in for a fanciful treat just about the time she reached her prime years. Just imagine having only ever seen your own likeness in a mirror, and then, like magic, you could freeze that image of yourself and turn it into an everlasting memory and keepsake! She clearly took advanta...

Ever wonder who you inherited your dashing good looks from, those cute dimples, or how about that thinning hair line and thick love handles?  This week, I'm exploring the origins of physical traits in my family tree. The first one that instantly comes to mind are my eyes. I know exactly who I got the color from versus the shape of them! Many babies' irises can be seen changing colors for their first six months or so. I was told my parents thought for sure I was going to inherit my dad's blue eyes, because they stayed that way even nearing the 2 year mark. However, they ended up turning hazel -- the color of my mom's eyes. (Left) Beatrice (Millhouse) Foltz; (Right) Kira Foltz Now, as for the shape of my eyeballs, I have my dad to thank for that! And I know this, because we have the same football-shaped stigmatism in each of our right eyes. Plus, a lazy eyelid over it, to boot! (Left) Gary Foltz; (Right) Kira Foltz My long lashes definitely came from my maternal side. But...

This year marks the first in which I've discovered, or more so, realized that the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade has a "never on Sunday" rule and will, therefore, be held on Monday, January 2nd of 2023. Yet, that's not the mystery I'm set on solving here, but merely a fun fact to kick off this puzzler. The older woman on the right of the above photograph is my 2nd great-grandaunt, Mary Ann Wells (Miller) Webb, the sister to my 2nd great-grandmother, Margaret (Miller) Hinman, on my father's side of the family. The Miller siblings were born in New York in the mid-1850s, migrated down to Iowa, and eventually both came west to California. The pretty young woman in the crown and gown on the left side of the photograph is Mary Ann's granddaughter, my 2nd cousin 2x removed, Mary Madeline Webb, who later became Mary Hendricksen. Here (above) she stands in a picture labeled with the year 1931. The description?  Princess at Rose Bowl Parade But herein lies the ...