Obit Uncovers A New Cousin ~ Westby

Over the weekend I was reading my local newspaper and checked the obits as I always do. This was the first time I have found a new family relation I didn't know about. The name Westby isn't that common. This person was born a Westby, but was listed under her married name.

Maxine Marguerite (Westby) Boysen was 92 years old. She passed away on November 20, 2009. She lived so very close to me, and yet was such a stranger. If I had only known I would have gone to meet her.

The obituary is full of information. Once I read the full article, I contacted another cousin of mine in Montana and asked if she was aware of Maxine and if she was related. I was so sure she was. I recently learned of cousin Westbys in Washington, and Maxine was born in Spokane. The response I received was, yes she is related! I was given further information explaining the connections.

My first cousin once removed (in Montana) is third cousins with Maxine's parents. I haven't even begun to figure out the cousin relationship that Maxine is to me. My recently discovered cousin in Montana has shared so much information on the Westby line with me but I have not had the opportunity to enter any of it to my tree yet.

It pays to read or at least scan through the obits, even if you don't think you know the person. This is how I found a new cousin.

Thanks for stopping by!

Wishing you success in all of your genealogical treasure hunts!

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun ~ Famous Look Alikes

Randy from Genea-Musings has posted his Saturday Night Genealogy Fun Adventure for this evening! Here is his fun idea for tonight:

"Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to find which celebrities that have the same facial features that you (or someone else you choose) have. Here are the directions:

1) Go to www.MyHeritage.com - you don't have to be a registered member to use this feature. Click on the "Celebrities and Fun" tab.

2) Click on the "Celebrity Collage" tab, and then on the "Create my Collage" button.

3) Upload a photograph with your face (or another person's face) to the site (the face must be at least 100 x 100 pixels) and click on the "Run face recognition" button.

4) Select a collage template, and the faces (up to 8) to go into the collage template. Click on "Next" and "Preview" your template, which should bring up the template for you to review. You could click on "Save" and it would go off to your selected social networking site.

5) Figure out how to show your collage on your blog or social network site (I have my own process defined below).

6) Tell us which celebrities that you (or your selected person) look alike - write your own blog post, make a comment to this post or on Facebook.

7) Think about how you could use something like this as a Christmas gift."

I wanted to try this I because I have been told numerous times that I look like a certain celebrity. This could be the REAL test! Here are my results!

Emily Browning - 73%

Carrie Fisher - 70%

Heidi Klum - 70%

Summer Sanders - 67%

Michael J. Fox - 67%

Julie Kristie - 66%

Shirley MacLaine - 66%

Renee Zellweger - 63%

Ok, I have a couple of comments here. Michael J. Fox? I guess the Famous Look Alikes aren't based on the gender we enter. Ok, I will go along with this, I am on the shorter side same as he is.

The famous celebrity I have been told I look like throughout the years...was this person even listed? I never could see the resemblance at all myself so it always shocked me when someone said I looked like this person. But now, I guess it is official, because yes, she is listed here too! Do you think I look like Shirley MacLaine????

This has been fun Randy, thanks for giving us all a laugh and or a challenge on Saturday nights that we can do if we are available. Even when I am not able to participate, I love reading everyones responses!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wishing you success in all of you genealogical treasure hunts!

Happy Thanksgiving Family Tree Style!

On this Thanksgiving day I would like to give thanks to a few of my ancestors from my family tree! Without them I wouldn't be here or have the family I have today! I am so very grateful!

H ~ Harley Henderson HOHIMER

A ~ Anders Martin ANDERSON

P ~ Patrick DOWNEY

P ~ Patrick John FARRELL

Y ~ Yvonne (LIVING)

T ~ Thomas MINER

H ~ Hjalmer LUNDBERG

A ~ Alette Marie PEDERSDATTER

N ~ Newell B. RICHMOND

K ~ Knut Petter FREDRICKSEN

S ~ Soren Marinus BLOM

G ~ Gunner Olaf HANNSEN

I ~ Isabel Margaret FLEMING

V ~ Viola HARDING

I ~ Ingvald WESTBY

N ~ Nancy GILBREATH

G ~ Gunner DULIN

Thanks for stopping by!

Wishing you success in all of your genealogical treasure hunts!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Need a Coffee Cup?

Nuestra Tierra Restaurant. San Jose, Costa Rica, Central America. November 2009. Digital Image. Held by Cheryl. [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE] California. 2009

Tombstone Tuesday ~ From Costa Rica ~ Benavides Hernandez

This is the resting place for my husband's uncle in Heredia, Costa Rica.

This is the gravesite of the Benavides Hernandez family. In Costa Rica, the children are given the last name of the father and then the mother, hence "Benavides Hernandez." In Costa Rica my husbands last name was Benavides Benavides.

This inscription shows that Ricardo Benavides passed away on June 27, 1996. This was my husband's mother's brother. I met him once, roughly five years before he died.

Thanks for stopping by!

Wishing you success in all of your genealogical treasure hunts!

Heritage Happens Received the Kreativ Blogger Award!

I leave for a couple of weeks and come home to find I have been presented with an award! What a wonderful surprise! I have received the Kreativ Blogger Award not once, but twice while I was away! I wish to thank Deez from Cemetery Explorers and Gini from Ginisology for being so gracious to honor my blog! I am humbled, surprised and very thankful to you both! I am trying to think what I have done to be "Kreativ" as of late. I believe my posts "Those Places Thursday" would have to be at the top of this category. Although I have been away and today is Thursay, I will be getting back to those posts very soon!

Upon receiving this award, I am suppose to list seven things about myself, so here goes!

1. I absolutely LOVE being "creative" with many things when I have the time.

2. I can't carry a tune.

3. I absolutely detest oysters and clams.

4. I really don't watch TV, but I understand there may be some new genealogy shows up and coming, in that case, I will have to watch!

5. My ambitions are more than I will ever obtain in my lifetime.

6. I like to go to the movie theater once in awhile.

7. I have so much reading to catch up on, good thing I love to read.

Now I am suppose to choose seven blogs to pass this award on to. I think I am a bit late in responding to this, so let me see if I can find seven blogs who haven't yet received this award.

All seven have probably received this award already, congrats if you have!

1. Janet the Researcher

2. Find Your Folks

3. Steve's Genealogy Blog

4. Kinfolk News

5. Genealogy Bug

6. 100 years in America

7. My Ancestors and Me

Thanks for stopping by!

Wishing you success in all of your genealogical treasure hunts!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Making a Cup of Coffee, in Costa Rica

Heredia, Costa Rica, November 2009. Digital Image. Held by Cheryl [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE] California. 2009