Wordless Wednesday ~ Cousins 1958

The Spirit of Halloween

Pre-historic Halloween

When I was a kid Halloween was super fun. My favorite parts were choosing a costume and dashing from house to house screaming "trick or treat!" Our neighbors would toss candy into our bags and we'd yell a hurried "thank you" as we raced to the next house. The goal was to get as much candy as we could before it was time to head home.

Easy-peasy costume creation

At home the contents of the bag were dumped on the kitchen table where my mother would sort the edible from the dangerous-looking. The keepers were put in a large bowl to be rationed out and savored as Mom allowed.

Two (year old) of hearts

When I became the Mom, my favorite part was costume creation. Candy inspection and rationing became my responsibility. Chocolate was highly suspect, and I would have to taste-test it to ensure its safety. Yum.

Grandpa cut out the "m"...twice

When I became the Grandma, Halloween presented new favorite parts. My grandkids would tell me what they wanted to "be" for the big day. I loved hearing their excitement during our conversations about their choices.

Cap't Hook and the Alarm Clock Alligator

Weeks before the bewitching hour I searched for patterns and choose fabric. I'd pin, cut, and sew, imagining how adorable my grandchildren would look in their new creations.

To infinity and beyond!

Then I'd drive hundreds of miles to do last minute alterations, take pictures, and follow the happy trick-or-treaters on their candy-collecting rounds. I miss having a group of little ones that let me tag along. Those cute costumes are a thing of the past too. The grandkids are too cool for that.

A few of my favorite Trick or Treaters

These days my favorite part is decorating the house and the yard in preparation for the neighborhood Trick-or-Treaters and their parents. Oh and um, taste-testing the candy. Especially the chocolate.

Not to worry - the spider is friendly

Happy Birthday Grandson!



your smile still melts my heart



Française Adam

Française Adam is my 6th great-grandmother. So far the only evidence I have of her existence is one sentence in her son Claude Schmitt's death record:

The reference to Française in Claude's 1814 record is "fils de Jean Schmitt et de Françoise Adam décédés à Boulay" which (paraphrased) means Claude's parents Jean Schmitt and Françoise Adam who died in Boulay, France.

Wish # 1: I hope to learn more about this ancestor in the near future and

Wish # 2: a reader recognizes Française from their own tree and contacts me.

Do we have any shared ancestors? Please contact me at find.an.ancestor [at] gmail [dot] com.

Surname Saturday ~ The Name Game

In the New Dictionary of American Family names, author Elsdon C. Smith writes, "After the Crusades, people began, perhaps unconciously, to feel the need of a family name, or at least a name in addition to the simple one that had been possesed from birth. The nobles and upper classes, especially those who went on the Crusades, observed the prestige and practical value of an added name and were quick to take a surname, usually the name of the lands they owned. When the Crusaders returned from the wars, the upper classes who had stayed at home soon followed suit."

Ready to test your name-knowledge? (The names for Round 4 of The Name Game were inspired by the Geneabloggers who attended FGS 2011.)

Step right up and try your luck guessing the country of origin and the meanings of these names:

Bankhead

Doyle

Freda

Higgins

Jerome

Lyons

Niziolek

Pointer

Roach

Tapley

Voorhees

Xanthos

Give yourself one point for each country guessed correctly and another point for each correct meaning.

Scroll down...



to see...



the answers...

Bankhead (Scottish) One who came from Bankhead (end of the ridge), the name of several small places in Scottland.

Doyle (Irish/English) Grandson of Dubhghall (black foreigner); the swarthy stranger or foreigner; one who came from Ouilly (Olius' farm), the name of five places in Normandy.

Freda (Italian) Descendant of Freda, a pet form of Friderico, a variant of Frederick (peace, rule).

Higgins, Higgin, Higginson, Higgens, Higgs (English/Irish) The son of little Higg or Hick, pey forms of Richard (rule, hard); descendant of Uige (knowledge).

Jerome (English) Descendant of Jerome (holy name).

Lyons, Lyon (English/Scottish) Descendant of Leon (lion); dweller at the sign of the lion. Jacob's reference to Judah as a lion (Gen. 49:9) has caused this name to be adopted by many Jews.

Niziolek (Polish) One who was short in stature.

Pointer, Poynter (English) One who made laces for fastening clothes.

Roach (Irish) Dweller at, or near, a rock. See also Roche.

Roche, Roch, Rocher, Rochet (French/English) Dweller near a rock; one who came from Roche (rock) in Cornwall; or from Roche (rock), the name of many places in France.

Tapley (English) One who came from Tapeley (wood where pegs were obtained), in Devonshire.

Voorhees, Voorhies, Voorheis (Dutch) One who lived in front of Hees, the name of four places in Holland.

Xanthos (Greek) The golden, or yellow-haired, man.

Hope you enjoyed this round of The Name Game!