I am a bit late reading your piece, but I loved it! I definitely related to opening phone books anytime I was in hotel/motels to see if my surname was there because 'Falconer' was not a common spelling of my name. I could definitely see myself jumping into a jaunt, like you did! Wow! What an exciting adventure, so well written I could picture you along the journey & was cheering you on. I was also waiting to find out the family relationship (I knew there was one) -- OMG, how exciting to find out the relationship! I am on Ancestry discovering family trails & don't miss a TV show with those discovery stories. I also have a California connection: but it is my son - who is making big history there himself and I get to see lots of Cali & LA where he lives. I looked at your background, writing and journalism chops. Do you have other writing aspirations? You sure kept me reading in this short piece.
Hello, Linda. Thanks so much for your kind comments about the column! I was bitten by the genealogy bug when I was a young girl, and I've uncovered some interesting stories. This is one of the best ones. I'm glad that you enjoyed it so much! Aspirations? I think I may have a nonfiction book or two in me, but I'm not sure how to gain enough traction to get out of the starting blocks! Thanks again.
I loved this story! I grew up on a farm in Ida County. While attending Iowa State in 1974, I also traveled to California, but I visited LA, not San Francisco. I later sought out relatives in San Francisco and LA who had moved there between 1930 and 1941.
👍
I am a bit late reading your piece, but I loved it! I definitely related to opening phone books anytime I was in hotel/motels to see if my surname was there because 'Falconer' was not a common spelling of my name. I could definitely see myself jumping into a jaunt, like you did! Wow! What an exciting adventure, so well written I could picture you along the journey & was cheering you on. I was also waiting to find out the family relationship (I knew there was one) -- OMG, how exciting to find out the relationship! I am on Ancestry discovering family trails & don't miss a TV show with those discovery stories. I also have a California connection: but it is my son - who is making big history there himself and I get to see lots of Cali & LA where he lives. I looked at your background, writing and journalism chops. Do you have other writing aspirations? You sure kept me reading in this short piece.
Hello, Linda. Thanks so much for your kind comments about the column! I was bitten by the genealogy bug when I was a young girl, and I've uncovered some interesting stories. This is one of the best ones. I'm glad that you enjoyed it so much! Aspirations? I think I may have a nonfiction book or two in me, but I'm not sure how to gain enough traction to get out of the starting blocks! Thanks again.
What a wonderful adventure!!! My hope was that he had named you in his will .....
Oh, yes, now that would have been an entirely different story!
Such a fabulous adventure and connection!
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
I loved this story! I grew up on a farm in Ida County. While attending Iowa State in 1974, I also traveled to California, but I visited LA, not San Francisco. I later sought out relatives in San Francisco and LA who had moved there between 1930 and 1941.
Thank you! Yes, California was a common destination for many of our Iowa relatives, wasn't it? I hope that you had some success connecting?
Yes, I later connected with great aunts in LA and San Francisco, both of whom shared stories of my father as a boy.
Oh, those memories would be precious!