There are many ancestors I’d like to invite to dinner if I had the chance. My great grandmother, Margaret (Jones) Jackson used to dance on tables when she was a little tipsy. That’d be entertaining. My great great aunt, Marie (Pacheco) Cosma, must have been an awesome person since everyone including my mom called her…
Category: About My Ancestors
A Friendship Reborn After Decades of Neglect
My grandma and grandpa had to uproot their family during the Depression in hopes of finding work. When they moved from Oakland to Salinas, my grandmother was like a fish out of water. She found friendship in her sister-in-law’s sister, Eva Nunes. The young mothers found common cause. There was a 40 year gap in…
The Smiling Bride
I have several favorite photographs. But, a wedding photo from the early 1900s, has captivated my interest ever since the day it fell into my hands Not Your Usual Dour Turn of the Century Wedding Photo You ever notice that no one seems particularly happy in old wedding photos? It seems that the gravityy of…
Are These the Dolans I’ve Been Looking For?
If you’re a regular reader of my blog you know that I’m on what seems like a neverending quest to figure out who the Dolan’s in Patrick Dolan’s reinstated probate file were. The quest has sent me in circles like a crazed character in a Looney Tunes cartoon. A Little Background Patrick Dolan died in…
My Kindred Spirit Ancestor Had a Secret
Why did I choose my great grandfather, Theodoro Pacheco, for the Kindred Spirit Ancestor challenge? Theodoro had a secret. Through research that I fleshed it out. He became more than a name and dates. His secret is why he is my kindred spirit ancestor. A Child Uprooted Theodore was born in 1876 in the…




