Crooked Family Tree » RAOGK

Small Town Life

Michael — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 02:42:01 +0000

Pennock Barn?

I just pulled an obit for Jack Pennockof Longmont, who died in 1993. I received the request from the RAOGK website. There was also a 2nd article about Mr. Pennock in a 1988 newspaper:

By Kaye Bache-Snyder
Times-Call Corresponent

Out on east ninth Avenue past Fox Hill Country Club golf course, a black, wrought-iron arch on two poles reads, “PEN-O-TEX.” Up the driveway are an historic farmhouse, barns, three topless silos and fields spread out behind.

And, Jack Pennock of Longmont is sure his rag doll “Billie” is tucked away somewhere in the farmhouse walls.

Pennock, 65, remembers his favorite toy as fondly as his childhood on that farm, where he lived from 1923 to 1939

…

It turns out that the Pennocks sold the farm in 1940 to “some well-heeled Texans”. I’m not sure what happened next, but the farmhouse and barn are still there. They are now architectural accents to the neighborhood that I live it. I haven’t seen “Billie” lying around anywhere, but I’m sure going to keep my eyes open.

RAOGK celebrates 10 Year Anniversary

Michael — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:32:24 +0000

Random Acts of Genealogy Kindness celebrates it’s 10th Anniversary this month.

There were 5,741 volunteer requests in February. I took care of an amazing, er substantial, er adequate 4 of them. That’s almost .07%!

You can get help from me, or one of the other 3,900 volunteers over at www.raogk.org.

Local Woman Found Dead of Gunshot Wound

Michael — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 03:41:39 +0000

Front Page Obituary

Another volunteer request from RAOGK. I’m craving to go into the basement of the courthouse or county clerk. Instead, I get another obit to go find. The public library is on the way home from work, and it only takes about 7 minutes to find it.

Stop the presses. This obituary is FRONT PAGE NEWS. Literally. It’s on the front page of the local newspaper.

Obits are kinda depressing

Michael — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 02:17:43 +0000

I’ve gotten 3 RAOGK requests so far and all of them have been for Obituaries, totaling 5 ancestors. On the one hand, reading 1880 newspapers can be entertaining, it’s kind of a needle-in-the-haystack scenario. Except you don’t know if you are looking in the right haystack. Oh, and you aren’t even sure that there is actually a needle waiting to stick you.

I’ve got terrible luck finding my own ancestor’s obits. My modest family tree (about 130 people) has a whopping 2 obits. Then again, I don’t live near where any of these people died, so it’s not easy to scour the local paper. Maybe it’s time to start asking other people to waste time in their public libraries.

Anyway, I found 3 of the 5 obits. One was for a 20 year old, semi blind kid, who had just graduated high school two years before. Cause of death is unknown, pending an autopsy. He’ll be cremated and there will be no public ceremony. The family would appreciate donations to the St. Vrain School District, to help them buy computer equipment for the visually impaired.

Obits are kinda depressing.

http://www.raogk.org/