Mam-ma's Southern Family

I am working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow . I will write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or at My Trails Into the Past . I’m looking forward to writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways. I searched for photos of Mother’s Day with my mother or with my own children and couldn’t find any. Instead, I’m sharing instead some multi-generational photos I found. This is a four-generation photo taken at Christmas 1988. My grandmother, Pansy Louise Lancaster Johnston (age 75); my mother, Lela Nell Johnston Hork (age 54); myself, Lisa Suzanne Hork Gorrell (age 34);and my daughter, Elizabeth Ann Gorrell (age 1 month).   A three-generation photo taken in Los Angeles, 1923. My great-grandmother, Julia Ann Sievert Hork (age 69); my grandmother, Anna Marie Sullivan Hork (age 31); and my aunt, Lorene Ethel Hork (age 5 or 6 months).   Another three-generation photo taken in Stephenville, Te...

I am working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow . I will write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or at My Trails Into the Past . I’m looking forward to writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways. Boulder Creek is a small community in Santa Cruz County, California. The creek served as a flume in the logging days. In the 1950s, my grandparents had a cabin in Boulder Creek.  I don’t know if they owned the property or rented it. There was a very nice painting of the cabin but at the moment, the location of the painting is unknown. The last time I saw the painting was before my grandmother passed away in 2013. However, I do have a photograph.  I don’t know how long they used the cabin, but later they had a cabin (really a trailer) in Nice at Clear Lake. The Clear Lake cabin I had visited. One week us four older children spent some time with Mam-ma at this cabin. I remember the big ants (...

Randy Seaver of Genea-Musing has a new assignment for us. Your mission this week, should you decide to accept it, is to: 1)  Julie Goucher, on her Anglers Rest blog, has a long-running weekly blog theme called The Book Of Me.  One of her weekly prompts is about Technology.  We'll use that this week! 2)  For this week's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - please address these issues: What technology changes did your ancestors see? What technology changes have you seen? Did your family own one of those early changes? - such as television Do you like or dislike technology? What do you think has been the best technological change in your lifetime and historically? 3)  Answer the questions, and share your work on your own blog post, in a comment to this blog post, or on Facebook or Google+. I have written several of Julie Goucher’s The Book of Me prompts, but had skipped this one. The meme seemed a bit overwhelming to me. So today I’ll focu...

Randy Seaver of Genea-musing has a new challenge for us this week. For this week's mission we were challenged to: 1)  This is Mother's Day weekend, and I have been thinking about my mother - the family times, the hard times, the wonderful times. 2)  For SNGF this week, write a tribute to your mother.  It can be any length.  What do you remember about her, and what did you learn from her? 3)  Share your tribute or memories in a blog post of your own, in a comment to this post, or on Facebook or other social media.  Please leave a comment on this post if you post something elsewhere. My mother was an only child but dreamed of having a big family. She did. I am the oldest of six children born in the 50s and 60s. She was fun-loving and doted on her children. But I think a big family was a bit overwhelming to her as well. It was a lot to handle, even though she was a stay-at-home homemaker. Childhood Lela Nell Johnston was born 21 August 1934 in ...

I saw a posting on Google+ from my friend Sheri Fenley where she posted a 6 generation maternal line and she said she got the idea from Lorine McGinnis at the Olive Tree Genealogy Blog,  6 generations of her maternal line . My first thought was I don't have photos of six generations on my maternal side, but then upon checking, I decided that I do, as long as I include my two daughters. 6 generation maternal line Eliza Rogers, Lela Ann Loveless, Pansy Louise Lancaster, Lela Nell Johnston, me, my two daughters Eliza A Rogers was born May 1854 in South Carolina. She married Ebenezer Loveless 19 Mar 1871 in Chattooga Co, Georgia. Lela Ann Loveless was born 2 Apr 1896 in Faulkner Co, Arkansas. She married George Warren Lancaster 15 Dec 1912 in Erath Co, Texas. Pansy Louise Lancaster was born 19 Nov 1913 in Erath Co, Texas. She married Tom J. Johnston 15 Dec 1933 in Comanche Co, Texas. Lela Nell Johnston was born 21 Aug 1934 in Erath Co, Texas. She married William J H...

    Today would have been the 60th anniversary of the my parents wedding.  Lela Nell Johnston and William Joseph Hork were married on 19 April 1953 in Concord, Contra Costa County, California at Queen of All Saints Catholic Church.     The accounting of the wedding was in the Contra Costa Times on 23 April 1953.  Lela wore "a street-length dress of antique white taffeta with unpressed pleats fashioned in the full skirt. The bodice was designed with three-quarter-length dolman sleeves, Peter Pan collar and self-covered buttons. She chose an ice-blue lace picture hat with open crown and matching silk gloves. Her white shantung slippers were adorned with tiny flower sprays on the toes."     She also "borrowed" pearl earrings belonging to her aunt, Mrs. Hal Johnston.  Her maid of honor was Barbara Boyenger, a friend who lived in Concord.  Barbara wore "a dusty pink silk shantung dress and white linen slippers. Her corsage was white ...

This is a blogging theme for the month of March which is Women's History Month. I'm a bit behind but do want to participate in the daily blogging posts. These 31 posts will be posted between my two blogs " My Trails Into the Past " and " Mam-ma's Southern Family ." March 8 — Did one of your female ancestors leave a diary, journal, or collection of letters? Share an entry or excerpt. Poems written by Lea N Hork, 1954 I do not have a collection of letters, a diary, or journal that any of my female ancestors left.  However, I have some typed stories and poems my mother, Lela Nell Johnston, wrote.  They were simple stories, told by a young author.  I imagine my mother wanted to write more but with six young children, I doubt she could find the time. Her favorite time of the day to do things for herself was between 4 and 6 AM.  She would get up with my father who had to be at work by 4:30 and then would have all that quiet time alone until us kids...

This is a blogging theme for the month of March which is Women's History Month. I'm a bit behind but do want to participate in the daily blogging posts. These 31 posts will be posted between my two blogs " My Trails Into the Past " and " Mam-ma's Southern Family ."  March 7 — Share a favorite recipe from your mother or grandmother’s kitchen. Why is this dish your favorite? If you don’t have one that’s been passed down, describe a favorite holiday or other meal you shared with your family. When I was married, my mother, Lea Hork, made a recipe-photo album for me.  She typed up her favorite recipes, added personal comments about the recipe, and then clipped them.  She then made a scrapbook full of photos from my childhood and included the favorite recipes.  As each of us kids were married, she'd make another album for them.  My youngest sister was married after my mother passed away, so I carefully made an album for her, copying what my mother ha...

1954 Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, Mam-ma's Southern Family