The Quest

When I started writing about Flora Zogg a few months ago, I reached out to extended family members with whom I hadn’t communicated in years, hoping they had memories to share. After a few email exchanges, I hadn’t received much information other than what my more immediate family had shared. The eldest cousin had already passed, and the younger ones never knew Flora. In one communication with the youngest cousin, we exchanged contact information for her older brothers and she asked for my own mailing address. I didn’t think much of it, until weeks later when a well-secured package arrived in the mail. I couldn’t imagine what it might be, but I opened it eagerly. I gasped as I pulled back the layers of bubble wrap to reveal a glass cup with my great-grandmother’s name inscribed around the lip! I had never seen it or anything like it, and couldn’t believe my dad’s cousin had sent it to me. Since Flora married in 1906, I knew that the cup had to be older than that, as it was inscribed wit...

If there's one thing that intrigues me, it's an ornate old building. I always want to know what it once was, especially if it has fallen into disrepair. I want to know the story and see the pictures (both then and now). I first heard about the Albany Almshouse, or home for the poor, when mother and I were touring the New York State Museum shortly after I moved here. They had a display there about the people who died there. They had even reconstructed the faces of a couple using their skulls, and were able to somewhat describe what life would have been like for them. Many were buried in basically a mass unmarked grave, the exact location of which is unclear. News reports a while back said that it was on what is now Albany Airport property. Fast-forward a few months, and I saw a news article about how the Ann Lee Home, which was the later-given name of the Albany Almshouse, was to be used to house homeless veterans. It was last used as a county nursing home, but had fallen in...

I've been working on a new brochure for the Troy Irish Genealogy Society . In the process, I've been looking at old photos of Troy. This city is one of the most interesting ones in this area, in my opinion. Looking at the skyline from the Hudson River is like stepping back in time. The church spires tower above a crowded matrix of row houses and historical 19th century buildings. It looks much like this, even today. View of Troy from Mount Ida (I think) This afternoon, I was going over to Troy to register for a drawing class at the Arts Center of the Capital Region , a gift from Kef. As I was sitting at the stop light to turn right onto River Street, my eyes were drawn to the Market Block building rising up at the corner of River and Fulton. The light changed, so I couldn't take a photo, but you can see it here on a Google Map street view . This amazing structure is characteristic of many buildings in the Central Troy Historic District . The Wikipedia article on this...

Tomorrow morning I'm going to a plein air class (painting outside) at Ann Lee Pond. Ann Lee was a Shaker and brought her faith and followers here in 1774. Her story is really interesting (read on Wikipedia ). Originally this pond was the mill pond at the Shaker settlement, which is now a historic site. I haven't had the chance to go out there yet, so I'm really looking forward to both the painting and the visit to this site.  Shaker heritage is very rich in this area as this was the site of the first Shaker settlement in America. I've read that the communities weren't sustainable because they practiced celibacy. Makes sense, I guess. You can read more about the Shakers on the Shaker Heritage Society website . Sorry for the short post today, but it's bedtime... I just wanted to get something out there.

I was reading an article in Smithsonian today about the use of cartoon characters by various entities to promote awareness of safety practices. The primary topic was related to Smokey Bear and how his message of fire prevention has become a problem over time. The extreme focus on fire prevention has largely eliminated even the good fires that allow the forest to thrive and avoid catastrophic fires. In recent years, Smokey's tag line was changed from, "Only you can prevent forest fires," to, "Only you can prevent wildfires." But some are saying he should be retired altogether. I don't really agree... I love that bear. In the same article, though, there was an info-graphic that explored other characters from times past. One that was of particular interest to me was Bert the Turtle. How many of you know who Bert was? I'm guessing many of the younger folks don't. I had heard of his message - "Duck and Cover" - but I'd never heard of Bert ...

When I go to a cemetery to take photographs, I'm always drawn to the headstones of the people who seem forgotten. In Albany Rural Cemetery , there are many, many forgotten ones. I have taken pictures of quite a few headstones there that have not yet been added to Find-a-Grave (most of the cemetery is well-documented there). It makes me wonder if they have any family out there, anyone looking for a record of their life. It's sobering to think that one day all that may be left of your life is a solitary headstone in a single plot with no family around you. I spent a fair bit of time on Saturday uploading pictures, adding new entries, and trying to find out if the person in question was forgotten, or had family to remember them. When I see a person's headstone with no inscription and no fanfare, it makes me wonder if they were impoverished or if they had no one to give care to the creation of a headstone that reflected their life. Take this one, for example: It's a...

Originally posted on my travel blog . There are many historical sites in the Capital Region that I've wanted to visit. Today, I was out in Albany Rural Cemetery doing some headstone photography. As I was wrapping up my work I noticed the Pruyn family headstones. This reminded me that I had not yet visited the  Pruyn House , a historic site that's just down the road from home. So, rather than going straight out of the cemetery to go home, I turned right and made my way to Pruyn House. (For those of you, like me, who are not accustomed to seeing "uy" in names, it sounds like a long "i"... so imagine that the name is spelled "Prine House" and you'll be pronouncing it correctly in your head.) This home was built between 1825 and 1830 on land owned by the Van Rensselaer patroon. The home belonged to the patroon's land agent (i.e. rent collector), Casparus Francis Pruyn. He was the sixth generation of Pruyns to live in America, the first h...

I know what you're probably thinking. Great, another genealogy post. Nope. In this case, the history I'm referring to is my browser history. But how can that be a gift? Isn't it just evidence of Google spying on you? Perhaps. But in my case it's very helpful in remembering what interesting things I learned today, and what things I might have forgotten. It is helpful because the power went out and shut my computer down, so all the tabs I was holding open for one reason or another were closed. It's helpful in remembering to order Heartguard for the dogs and apply for jobs that I've bookmarked. It's helpful in finding the link to the article I read about how spiders manage to make webs over seemingly empty space. It's helpful in keeping track of time, like when I started working on a project and when I finished. I actually can't say I learned much today because I spent most of the day doing actual work-related things.... doing a phone interview, app...