Where's my snail mail ??

Hello everyone ! Welcome to year 2007 !!

I sincerely hope that your new year will be peaceful & happy, and that you will find that"missing link" that is eluding you.

My first "geneapost" concerns my experiences in research using the snail mail.

As you all probably know from my profile, I live in France.

Genealogy research is difficult when you live in a place that is hundreds or thousands of miles away from the ancestral homelands .

But, I still try ... with mixed results.

In 2005, I started writing to a parish in Schuylkill, County, to try and find my great-grandfather's baptismal church.

Well folks, even with a well documented letter, typed on a computer, AND with a IRC ( Int'l Reply Coupon) to pay for return postage... that letter took 4 months. Add the extra month, because the person who addressed the letter put the wrong zip... and it went to the wrong postal area !

This letter was from St Vincent de Paul church in Minersville .

After, the French postal office "sat on it" for about a month. Before it was finally delivered. That last one was because of the postal administration here !

5 months total !!

You would think that France is on another planet, considering the long respose time...

You know how we genealogists are; when we don't have our answer ( even a negative one), we don't let go !!

So friends, I tried again in 2006. I wrote to 3 other parishes. And once again, the replies are very long in coming ! I'am at 4 months... and counting .

The only one of the three that I received ( in less than 2 weeks !!! ) was from St Ambrose church in Schuylkill Haven

Thumbs up for St. Ambroses' courteous and rapid answer !!! :) .

I'll keep you posted on the 2 other replies from these Schuylkill Co churches.

If anyone has experiences ( good or bad ) with area churches, I would be interested in hearing them !

Maybe, I'am not the only one who is getting cramps waiting by the mailbox !!

Take care,

Barbara

Happy Holidays !

Hello to all,

The holidays mark the point where everyone thinks about the new challenges for the coming year.
In 2007, I would like to finally " pinpoint " the dates of death of our ancestors, John Carroll and Jennie McEntee. I'am contacting a pro ; his name is Kenneth Milano. He does some excellent work in Philadelphia, and especially the area called Kensington. He helped me track our grandmother's Dad, Christian Hansen .

So, I hope that I will have some good news to share in 2007 concerning this reasearch .

If anyone is catching this blog for the first time , you can either scroll down( from our most recent family members), and click on to " older posts". Or take the blog in chronological order, starting in November.Included in the first posts, " Our Carroll ancestors" , which is a diagram of our " family tree ".

Don't miss the photo galleries, that I have included throughout the pages .

I welcome your feedback , and reactions. All Carrolls are welcome here, as well as all genealogy fans, and even the curious passerby !

I'am wishing you all a very Happy holiday Season, and a wonderful year 2007 .
Have a healthy & safe year , and lots of luck with your genealogies !

Sincerely,

Barbara ( Carroll ) Joly

Virginia Rose Jefferds ( born Carroll )

Names: Virginia Rose Carroll
Relation to blog author : Her aunt ; Relation to my Jefferds cousins; Their Mother;
relation to the children of my cousins; their grandmother .

Sources used : Family bible .
Occupation : homemaker ; worked with an institution called " Angels Unaware ", during several years .

Location: grew up in several cities, due to her father's career in the U.S. Navy .

Summary of imortant facts :
Virginia was born in 1922, in Honolulu, HI .
She was the second child of John Bernard Carroll Sr. and Mary Agnes Carroll .
Virginia was the sister of John Carroll Jr ( a.k.a. John Bernard ).

See the individual chapter on John & Mary for more information on them .

From a childhood with several moves , she found a permanent home in San Diego . It was also here, that she met her husband, Donald Francis Jefferds. Donald was a native of New York State that came to work in California as an aeronautical engineer .

They married in 1942 . Four children were born from this union :

William ( Bill ) Jefferds
Kathy
Patsy
Peggy

Donald, Virginia's husband, passed on in 1991.
Virginia passed on in 2006, surrounded by the family she loved .

Virginia was a cheerful and smiling person . The quality that would describe her was " loving".
She had an unending supply of love for her family and friends , and is missed by many people .

Remembering you, Virginia, for the love you gave me.

Portrait gallery of Virginia Jefferds' family

Virginia Rose Carroll and her husband, Donald Francis Jefferds .

My cousins ; Bill, standing, and Kathy Jefferds .


From left; Kathy,Peggy,Patsy and Bill Jefferds .


From left; Patsy, Peggy and Kathy .



Virginia at work in an institution called " Angels unaware " .




Family portrait .

Family portrait taken in 2004 .

Bill and Virginia .

The following are photos of Virginia's grandchildren :

From left ; Angela Baggett, ,Chrystel Brinkman, daughter of Patsy and Jim Brinkman,Adam Brinkman and Tim Brinkman;

Angela is married to Eric, and Mom to Erica and Krissa.

Tim is married to Autumn, and father to Hunter and Ava .

From left; Hailie, Lisa, her Mom, and Jo, Lisa's Mom and Bill Jefferds' wife .

Tyler, son of Peggy and Patrick McLaughlin , with his girlfirend, Erica .

Mike Trenkle, Kathy's son. He is married to Vicki and a father to Brian and Jennifer .

John Carroll Jr. ( a.k.a John Bernard )

Name : John Joseph Carroll ( baptised with these first & middle names ).
a.k.a : John Bernard Carroll Jr.
Relation to blog author : Her father.
Relation to my Jefferds cousins: Their uncle; relation to their children; their great-uncle .

Sources used: Family Bible .
Certificate of baptism from Saint Boniface's Church in Philadelphia .

Occupation: U.S. Navy .

Location: Numerous, due to his father's career in the U.S. Navy. Himself, he had travelled in the Navy, especially through the Asia-Pacific zone .

Summary of important facts :

John was born in 1920 in Philadelphia. He was the son and eldest child of John Bernard Carroll Sr. and Mary Agnes Carroll ( born Hansen).
He was the brother of Virginia Rose Carroll .

See individual chapter on John and Mary Carroll .

After several major moves in the Continental U.S. and Hawaii, John and his family lived from the 1930's in San Diego, California. This is where John atttended the remaining of his schooling, graduating from St Augustine's High School. After some college, and odd jobs, John made the decision to enroll in the U.S. Navy. As it was for his father, this would become his career, from the 1940's, up to his retirement in 1970.

He called San Diego, CA home, up until 1963 or 1964, when he was stationed to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
Before having his own family, he saw his nephew and nieces grow up, and
" Uncle John " enjoyed being a part of their lives.

In 1958, he wed Kazuko Suzuki, whom he met during his tour of duty in Japan.

Out of this union, were born:

Barbara ( blog author)
DM ( Name withheld for privacy).
Charles

John passed on in 1999 , in his home in Hawaii .

For myself, the phrase that best describes him is ; " family first ". He loved his family above all. Despite some problems in his life, he always had time for us. It was important for him to know that we lacked nothing, and were happy and healthy.

We haven't forgotten you , Dad .

Portrait gallery of my family

A photo of my mother . Taken in Japan .


John and Charles ( Chuck) my brother. Chuck is the third born child .



Sixth grade school photo .


Charles at 16 or 17 years ) , with my Mom.



Barbara's baby portrait .







About 2 years old .



Sixth grade class photo .


Barbara's senior year photo .

Portrait gallery of John and Virginia Carroll

Dedicated to my father, John, and his sister, Virginia.

You are always loved .

A photo of our Grandfather, John Bernard Carroll Sr. , with his young children, John ( in the sailor suit ), and Virginia. Undated photo .

An undated photo, with John and Virginia. John might be about 10 years old here.




An undated photo taken in San Diego; John, Virginia and our Grandmother, Mary.








Undated photo from the forties, taken in San Diego. With their beloved Cocker spaniel, Duke .

One of the last photos taken of John and Virginia together. Taken in 1980, in John's house in Hawaii. On John's lap is Tim and on Virginia's lap is Adam.They are the sons of my cousin Patsy, and her husband, Jim Brinkman .