by Valerie Ogren, Greene County Genealogical Society
All-School Reunion- The library was a great meet and greet gathering place on Saturday, Oct. 5, during the reunion weekend. I missed visiting with the authors since I was volunteering downstairs showing those who were interested how to access the newspapers online. Imagine my surprise when the first “customer” during my tour of duty was Bruce Worthy! He lived across the street from us when we first moved back to Jefferson in 1957 and I hadn’t seen him in years. We hosted a few members of Duane’s class for lunch at noon that day. They are already making plans to celebrate their 65th reunion next June. I think there were a few family get-togethers that weekend and certainly a lot of “I remember when.”
Between the Dashes- Most of you are probably familiar with “The Dash” by Linda Ellis. It refers to the dash on tombstones between the date of birth and date of death. I especially like the verse: “For it matters not, how much we own, The cars…the house…the cash. What matters is how we live and love And how we spend our dash.”
See more at: http://www.kindspring.org/story/view.php?sid=12176#sthash.kh3Fq2Dc.dpuf
October was Family History Month and with the busyness of the reunion, I neglected to mention it. Although I did encourage you last month to learn more about the history of the region where your ancestors lived instead of just gathering names and dates. It is our responsibility as genealogists to fill in between the dashes of our ancestors’ lives. Doing this will not only give us a much better understanding of our past and those who came before us, it will likely help us avoid many brick walls in our genealogical research.
What was everyday life like when our grandparents were growing up? Did they go to school? What did grandpa study and learn? Did Grandma cook with her mother and grandmother on holidays? What was different about what our grandparents wore? What did “Sunday best” mean relative to clothes and dressing-up? How did their friends and neighbors react to and participate in the wars that happened during their younger years? What was a vacation like for them, and what did they worry about? Working to find answers to these and other questions does help “fill in between the dashes.” Let’s endeavor to make every month Family History Month. Please commit to doing things and participating in programs that will help you fill in between the dashes. By doing so, you will help bring your ancestors’ lives to light and to life.
Christmas Gift Idea- Holiday decorations have invaded most retail stores, so we would be remiss if we didn’t come up with a gift suggestion. For several years our society has offered Pioneer Certificates to people who had ancestors in Greene County by 1870. Maybe you would like to honor a family member with such a gift. The certificates are very attractive with the art work done by former member Jeanne Marchant Maxwell. Cost is minimal and applications may be obtained from Shirley Ross, ph 515-386-8111 or email sross@netins.net.
