The HUNT continues with results!

I am elated as only another genealogist can begin to understand. Not only has Victorino Silvan's gravesite been found in Hayward, CA -- right next to his wife, Ramona Martinez Silvan and his son, Celestino Martin Silvan --- but with the help of my distant cousins I have also found the long-lost daughter, Feliza. Who could have possibly guessed her Americanized name would be ALICE?? So, now I can take a big sigh in the knowledge that we have found my grandmother's uncles, aunts and the cousins she traveled from Spain to Hawaii with on the S.S. Orteric in 1911.

It was such a pleasure to print and give copies of the Hawaiian Gazette historical newspaper article from April 1911 to my Aunts in California and also tell them about their great uncle they did not know existed! While in California, I was able to take pictures of the grave sites in Winters, CA and with our couisin's, Vicki, help in Hayward, as she took pictures of her great grandparents and grandparent's graves on the Victorino Silvan side of the family. The quest continues for the Souza Bento line and to add a bit more mystery, there was a Souza and Castro in a grave together... Why? We have no idea but will continue the quest...

Another new cousin (Linda) surfaced to join the collaboration efforts! She and her husband were stationed in Spain in the military in the 1970s and told me grandmother's ship probably did not port in Seville, but in Cadiz. So, that research is on my agenda. I am also trying very hard to find a book titled, MEMORIES OF SPAIN by Anne Aguilar Santucci and hoping to learn about the interstate library loaning program to get it. A complete stranger-genealogist offered the information on the internet. The internet is an awesome venue!

Kissing Virginia's soil

Home again! My lips were sore from kissing the ground when we drove in our driveway. Five weeks is so long.....

Life slapped us the minute we landed. Our 7-year old washer decided it was tired of spinning and our pile of dirty road-weary clothes, after driving 7,670 miles across America, sat and waited. Shaking my head, I decided it was time to either repair the washer (J.D. nixed the idea) or buy a new one (I wanted a front loader). He wanted a new 'set' even though the dryer worked fine. So, after a lot of internet research and two trips to Lowes and Home Depot, I found a brand I've never heard of before: LG. I'm excited because it's a front loader that opens on top. I know. I know. I am very strange but it is quite amazing. We will donate the dryer but the washer must be hauled away because Virginia gives a $75 rebate to do that. So, JD has been re-wiring sections of the pantry to put in a solenoid switch for each appliance (I don't even ask him anymore why .....) and the new set will be here Friday. Oh, and those sad (dirty) clothes? We had a back-up washer and dryer over at the shed. Yes, I'm a spoiled girl.

On the genealogy front, life keeps getting better. After meeting and continuing to work with a newly-found cousin, Vicki -- in San Jose, we are still trying to find bits and pieces of Victorino Silvan's family. Also, another cousin (Linda) who lives in Colorado and I will work on the Silvan side through her mother-in-law's memories (Great Aunt Juanita whom I called Aunt Jenny).

And I smile when I think of it === both cousins bought my COOKING DRUNK cookbook. Good times. Lovely things happen in the most remarkable places.

My youngest granddaughter will turn ONE on August 1st. We had a wonderful time visiting with her and my other three grandchildren in Oregon. They are each so very special. But oh!!! It is so good to be home once again.
MY SPAIN 'WALK-IN-HER-SHOES' TRIP IS POSTPONED TO JUNE 2011.... more time to learn Spanish and I am anxious to TRABAJAR!

Onward toward St. Louis, MO

Hello again from Missouri ~
We drove 609 miles today and it's all because J.D. is trying to get us to St. Louis mid-day so he can take me up inside the great ARCH in St. Louis and avoid commuter traffic by getting there early in the day. What a view I anticipate of the Mississippi River. But we are so very tired of driving. We passed the 6000 mile mark and J.D. is sooooooooooooooo set on GO and EASTWARD toward Virginia. Our neighbor told us it was 104 in Charles City today but they are hoping for rain by Thursday or Friday and DOWN to the high 90s. It will be a reality check but we are so looking forward to getting home.

I have so many notes and research options to start on when I get my act together at home... And a wonderful visit with a childhood friend, Tina, and her husband (Butch) in Denver, CO. We had several hours at their home and were treated royally...

We have visited with so many loved family and friends along our way on this road trip that I feel totally blessed. Here in Kansas City, we are waiting to drive the next 200 miles to St. Louis in the morning... J.D. has that new John Deere riding mower to break in :)

On the road again....
ps

Still on the road but heading HOME

So many miles behind us (4800) and we are still in Oregon. J.D. is studying the maps and we will be heading east after my long-awaited visit with my son in Baker City tomorrow. We have seen so many wonderful people and received and given special hugs and felt the love around us. What fun it is to connect. Leaving Audrie, Ben and baby Hillary in San Diego and then leaving Mom in Portland left me in tears but I will be back i told myself over and over like a litany!

My new cousin in San Jose gave me a fabulous 3" thick genealogy book full of repository search sites and I'm ready to get back to my genealogy quest. Maybe the mail box will be full of responses from my requests for information before we left on June 4... hopeful for that!

My SPAIN trip is postponed until June 2011 as my Spanish-speaking brother, Steven, assures me changing to June will prepare him for our trip. In the interim, we will find out exactly where to go and make serious plans. Also, he says I need to study Spanish with the Rosetta Stone teaching CDs so will begin that soon...

AND then there is Kauai, the island with so many questions waiting to be answered. That must be put on my agenda as well but unsure when... keep tuned in for that one.

The sites and panoramas we have encountered on our road trip are amazing. My digital camera's SD card filled up with over 500 pictures and I have them cradled close for printing when I get home. My Oregon grandchildren (Dylan, Frankie Christina and little Kadence) are well and I had excellent visits with my three brothers. Last night we spent in Bend, with my son in law's parents and it was a laughing good time as we all agreed we were the HILLARY ADMIRATION SOCIETY, our shared 11 mo. old granddaughter Ah, grandparenthood. The life.

Oh, the reason why I haven't kept this blog up better is because I forgot my password!! Until next time, we are one the road again and heading HOME.

On the road...

Genealogy quest is in spurts the past couple of weeks. Dredging up information and waiting to do a little hands-on research as I continue on a road trip has taken me from Virginia, through West VA, Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and into Arizona. THEN we finally arrived into and currently sit here in San Diego with Audrie, Ben and little Hillary. She is a charmer and being with my daughter is the most wonderful fun.

We are planning court house, library and historical society jaunts as well as noting various family stories from our family along the way. In a couple of days, we will head northward toward San Jose, Alameda, Pleasanton, Galt and Woodland, CA. Then, to Tess Trueheart's house in Ukiah. She is the family historian on my mother's side and has an amazing cache of information including family history much more intense than I have been able to dig up for the Silvan's. But I'm definitely on a roll.

We lived through 2 earthquakes yesterday and a couple day's ago. J.D. had never felt one before.... Until I can post another note about our trek, I send hugs and hope everyone is well.

PS 'on the road'

My second wind as the quest continues.....

Hello! Miss me? The past couple of weeks I have spent time in my garden here in Virginia with some mini-projects and one major piece of work where I created a dry creek bed. Digging the ditch and hauling rocks to fill it afterwards was not exciting but now that it's finished, I am proud of it, can hardly move, and I am ready to sit here at my desk to continue my genealogy quest.

My new-found cousin has just returned from a vacation and she has spurred me on once again as we study history, look for documents and cement the relationship of our grandfathers, who were brothers, Juan Francisco and Victorino.

In the genealogy world, I have learned nothing is easily found but when it is before me either accidentally or ordered specifically, I sit and stare, adding more pieces to this wonderful and exciting puzzle of my ancestors. IF ONLY I had asked my loved ones the questions that burn in my mind now before they died. But, for now we wonder if they are all watching us and trying to push us in the right direction, pointing, nudging and praying we find our way. Yes, fanciful am I.

With the help of other genealogy questers like me, I have written (in Spanish with the help of the Bing translator) to the Diocese of Madrid to find out where the documents are stored for my grandmother's family.... in Fuentesauco? In Toro? In the archives in Madrid? In the church? In the court house? I learned the civic offices are call the Ayunamiento. No answer yet.

I wrote to the historical society in Hawaii, the Diocese of Honolulu and the Archives of Hawaii at the college as I try to find out what life was like during the 1900-1920 years for Spanish and Portuguese, where they lived, what their houses were like, what the school was like, how they got to the fields, what they did when they got there? I found out that the workers often had a BANGO number vs. using their names since they HAD SO MANY NAMES!! It has been the bane to my existence trying to figure it out since many 'chose' which name to use when they became anglicanized. A father's surname was their middle name and their mother's surname was the last name ~ in Spain. When they arrived in Hawaii and later in America, they could only have one surname, so hence the name anomolies. Without their bango numbers, I can't find out which plantation they worked on UNLESS I GO TO HAWAII. Hey! Good idea. If only.... but then again, Spain is my first choice and I'm still hugging my mind around September...

Putting faces to Spanish ancestor's names ~

After nearly a year of reading the name of my great grandfather's brother, Victorino Silvan Hernandez and his wife, Ramona, and their children, Theodora, Feliza and Celestino -- I now have pictures of their long-ago faces. They are fleshed out in my mind now ~ PLUS I have a picture of Theodora and her husband, John Souza. They are professional photographs and to say I am delirious with excitement is just about right. Finding new relatives willing to share pictures and other supporting documents is amazing and my quest moves on enthusiastically.

Yesterday, I went to a Williamsburg restaurant and tapas bar called, La Tienda. I learned how to make PAELLA, a Spanish dish that I have heard about for eons but never tasted. It was tongue-tingling delicious and the Spanish chef raised her glass of Sangria (did I mention we all had a glass plus tapas?) and said, "Salud y pesetas... " To good health and money. It was a fun trip and I came away with a cookbook filled with Spanish recipes listed by province and in the book, I found mention of TORO, Spain and their special wines. Toro is where my great grandmother, Eustoquia Rita Marzo Trascasas Silvan was born. AND I HOPE to be there myself to taste the wine and photograph the entire area!

All in all, it has been a good week -- mostly working in my garden spreading mulch after deep weeding and thinking about how genealogy has gotten under my skin so bad that I wake at night thinking of what to look for next and wondering where! Oh, but these pictures are amazing.