The Pipe and Rosary of My Hanley 2nd Great Grandparents - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 8)

The Pipe and Rosary of My Hanley 2nd Great Grandparents - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 8)

This is perhaps my most treasured family heirloom. It is a wooden rosary and pipe that belonged to my 2nd great grandparents, Patrick Hanley (1857-1923) and Ellen Sullivan Kelly Hanley (1850-1938). They were both immigrants from the Beara Peninsula in County Cork, Ireland to Atlantic Mine, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Here is their story.

Huron Pride Rutabaga Bag - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 7)

Huron Pride Rutabaga Bag - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 7)

This belonged to my father who, in his late high school and early college years (late 1960s), worked at a grocery store where he picked up this Exeter Produce & Storage Huron Pride Rutabagas burlap bag. He turned it into a piece of “art” that is enjoyed, off and on, today.

A Family Bible from the Teamsters Local Union 299 - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 6)

A Family Bible from the Teamsters Local Union 299 - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 6)

My maternal grandfather, James William Halvangis (1920-1973), drove truck for a living in the city of Detroit, Michigan. He was a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local Union No. 299. When he died, his Teamster Brothers presented our family with this Holy Bible.

A 1951 Wedding Invitation - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 5)

A 1951 Wedding Invitation - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 5)

This is the wedding invitation of my wife’s maternal grandparents, Laurence A. Petit Jr. (1925-2007) and Muriel Joy Gregory Petit (1930-2014). Beautifully framed, it hangs proudly in our home. They were married on October 5th, 1951.

A Grandmother's Rose Petal Rosary - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 4)

A Grandmother's Rose Petal Rosary - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 4)

This rosary was made from the dried rose petals that adorned the casket of my maternal grandmother, Claire Pawlowski Halvangis (1916-1980). It was subsequently used by my older brother when he made his First Holy Communion.

John J. Harrington (1895-1963) World War I Identification Tags - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 3)

John J. Harrington (1895-1963) World War I Identification Tags - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 3)

These are the World War I identification tags (i.e., “dog tags”) of my 2nd great uncle by marriage, John Joseph Harrington (1895-1963), of Hubbell, Michigan. He married my 2nd great aunt, Margaret Hanley Harrington (1894-1979), the younger sister of my great grandfather, Michael John Hanley (1890-1964).

Public School Geography (Canada, 1905) - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 2)

Public School Geography (Canada, 1905) - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 2)

This “Public School Geography” book came from my wife’s collection. It was published in Toronto Canada by the Canada Publishing Co. in 1905. It cost 75 cents and believe to a Miss Bessie Millson.

Grandma's Recipe Box - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 1)

Grandma's Recipe Box - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 1)

This is the recipe box of my paternal grandmother, Betty Grace Sears Hanley (1924-1981). It includes recipes for “Thrifty Peach Bavarian”, “Fiesta Shrimp Sauce”, and “Honeyscotch Sundae”. Bon Appetit!

Family History Artifact of the Day Challenge - May, 2020

Family History Artifact of the Day Challenge - May, 2020

Do you need to re-energize your family history research and writing? Try the “Family History Artifact of the Day Challenge” for every day in the month of May, 2020.

Military Images Magazine Photo Colorization: U.S. Sharpshooters (1860s)

Military Images Magazine Photo Colorization: U.S. Sharpshooters (1860s)

Two Civil War photo colorizations of U.S. Sharpshooters. This was a unique collaboration between us and Military Images, America’s only magazine dedicated solely to the study of portrait photographs of Civil War soldiers.

Old-Timey Radio During Your COVID-19 Quarantine

Old-Timey Radio During Your COVID-19 Quarantine

There are many heroes during these challenging times. I am not one of them. Most of us are simply being asked to stay home in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re already binged out on Netflix and Hulu you might try some old-timey radio shows.

Colorization in the Time of Coronavirus

Colorization in the Time of Coronavirus

As I write this the world is in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic. Professional photo colorization is literally the last thing anyone needs to be thinking about right now. But, I have some time on my hands. So here we are. Vote for the photo you would like to see colorized next.

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The Tragic Motorcycle Death of Germain W. Rhoads (1906-1940)

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The Tragic Motorcycle Death of Germain W. Rhoads (1906-1940)

My 1st cousin 2x removed, Germain W. Rhoads (1906-1940), died after the motorcycle he was driving struck a car in Mt. Morris, Michigan on June 15th, 1940. This is his story.

Win a "Genealogy Fun Pack"!

Win a "Genealogy Fun Pack"!

Enter for a chance to win this Genealogy Fun Pack which includes: 1. A Consult With The Psychogenealogist ($150 value), 2. Copy of “In The Blood” a Jefferson Tayte Genealogical Mystery by Steve Robinson and 3. Five random cabinet card photographs from the early 1900s!

Man Reads Florida Outdoors Magazine Underwater (1956)

Man Reads Florida Outdoors Magazine Underwater (1956)

Okkama Colorization at The Psychogenealogist of “Man reading the November 1956 Florida Outdoors magazine underwater at Silver Springs”. Original courtesy of the State Library and Archives of Florida.

Say Uncle: What Every Niece and Nephew Needs

Say Uncle: What Every Niece and Nephew Needs

On the main branch of the Au Sable River, about ten miles east of Grayling, Michigan, I learned everything I know about fly fishing, most of it from Uncle Bill. The importance of having (and being) an awesome uncle has been under-appreciated. Here are some tips.

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Boy's Bulldog "Beauty" Wins British Dog Show (1928)

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Boy's Bulldog "Beauty" Wins British Dog Show (1928)

“A young boy clutches his winner of 42 first-place prizes - a bulldog, named Beauty - as he arrives at the London Bulldog Championship Show in 1928.” That, and the history of Spratt’s Dog Cakes! Okkama Colorizations at The Psychogenealogist (2020).

Arthur Sears (1900-1964), The Blackhawk Restaurant, and The Spinning Salad Bowl (Chicago, 1950s)

Arthur Sears (1900-1964), The Blackhawk Restaurant, and The Spinning Salad Bowl (Chicago, 1950s)

Learning about where your family ate, drank, smoked, or celebrated can be as meaningful as knowing where they married, prayed, or were buried. My great grandfather, Arthur Bryan Myers Sears (1900-1965) dined at The Blackhawk Restaurant in Chicago, IL one 1950s evening with his colleagues. He likely had The Spinning Salad Bowl.

Kodachrome Canada Goose of Crawford County Pennsylvania (1950s)

Kodachrome Canada Goose of Crawford County Pennsylvania (1950s)

I never anticipated that my interest in genealogy and family history would lead me to learning about the history of Canada geese. But here we are.

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Home From War, A Soldier Visits His In-laws (1944)

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Home From War, A Soldier Visits His In-laws (1944)

This is an interesting grouping of men in my family tree. My grandfather, James William Halvangis (1920-1973) stands with his father in-law, two brothers in-law, and two nephews some time between 1943 and 1945. Photo was colorized by Okkama Colorizations at The Psychogenealogist (2019).

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