Showing posts with label Belgium. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Belgium. Show all posts

Monday

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - What have you learnt about yourself and your family?

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations.
This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf
This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf
The prompt for the week is:    
What have you learnt about yourself and your family?
The Brief:

  • Think back to the question we asked in Week One - Who am I?
  • Before you look back at the answers you wrote then, answer the question again.
  • Now compare are there any similarites, it is the same, or have any of the answers changed?
  • What has made the change?
  • Now lets look at the wider and original question - What have you learnt about yourself and your family?
  • Is there anything you still want to write and explore?
I have actually looked back and used this as an example in a genealogy class I taught at the end of 2014. I then told them about this topic and that I would add to it some more things. I wouldn't take anything out because they are who I AM but now I found I am MORE.

One of my slides I used for my course on Genealogy
The answers have changed because of adding to them. As I'm researching each ancestor, things are becoming more interesting as I'm finding out more about them as a person. I used to be mad and annoyed at my grandfather, but as I started to research I found the things he did either were the result of someone else and not his or his was the result of what someone else did to him and this is how he handled it. An example would be I was told he was a drunk. I found this was probably because of the way his father treated him and how he was kicked out of the family home at 15. This was the way he dealt with those things as an escape.

I've learned over the last 2 years, when looking at your ancestor, or yourself, look for what is going on in their life and whatever it was caused a reaction - good or bad. Another example, is my great
Jimmy's wings he obtained before he left. He died about 3 weeks later.
uncle Jimmy (I've spoken about my mother's cousin before) Sherman. He saw how scared his mother, my great aunt Florence, was about World War 2. He joined the service to protect her and other females and children in the family. All very honorable, but he ended up loosing his life in a training accident.

In fact, in my newer classes or when I talk to people about their family histories, I ask about the era and what part of the world, and then ask them about what was going on during that time. When they don't know, I tell them to research that and it usually helps with understanding what is going on with them or what the actions and reactions in later life are. Then I use the many examples of my ancestors. In fact, I pressed home this fact with my cousins recently. I spent my holiday season tracing my Belgium ancestors - the Gauquie's - back to see how far I could go. Hoping to hit the link that took the name from France into Belgium. The family story was they left because of the French
The National Assembly taking the Tennis Court Oath (sketch by Jacques-Louis David). from Wikipedia
Revolution. I was able to go back to just before that war broke out with our timeline, but I could show them via history what happened and how it influenced how far they moved. The big question was did they move because of the French Revolution? Answer is - it was probably the events just before the revolution which caused them to leave. They probably said it was the revolution because it was one or more of the causes of it that made them leave before anything really bad happened.

Another great example I use is my great grandfather Jules. He left Belgium and arrived in the US in 1888. The way he treated his wife was as, I think, his father treated HIS wife - Jules' mother, Florence. As the Belgium custom is :
"Rural women were expected to work in the fields as well as in the home. Traditional roles for men and women were observed, and any deviation was often censured. Even though it was not uncommon for widows to carry on their deceased husband's occupation, especially that of farming, it was frowned upon if women assumed a community leadership role, except on a social basis. Children also had chores to do at an early age, and gender-based chores were commonly assigned. On farms, they also helped with planting and harvest, and as a result, were often absent from school during those times of the year."
 Which is why when I found news articles about my great grandmother getting hurt with cows and
then later talking to my cousins they told me she never had a winter jacket until a few months before she died. Sounds to me it was Belgium customs. Also, could the children part be why my grandfather and his siblings didn't really go to school and they left? We know now, this was why some of the people back then did not go to school and looked down upon it.
Great Grandmother Annie Gauquie has been hurt

As if that wasn't enough, it was how Jules treated his second wife, Belle, in comparison. According to the newspaper, she got 1/3 of Jules' estate. However, family stories has it she got most of his money and land before he passed away. Then she got basically everything after he passed and the kids didn't get anything. I was annoyed at this until I found out that Jules was born illegitimate to a maid servant. This explains why Belle got almost all of his money - because he was taking care of her and her child like no one did for HIS mother. Again - action and reaction.

Jules' birth certificate listing his mother and father - the writing on the right was when he was made legitimate

Oh there's still more that I want to explore. I'm slowly starting to fill in the holes on my mother's side. My father side? Well, that's another jumble that I'll have to try to unmangle again... I think I feel a headache coming on...

  Check back for the continuation of "The Book of me, Written by You" series.    

Friday

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - Memory Tree

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations.
This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf
This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf
The prompt for the week is:    
Memory Tree
The Brief:

 As we head into the festive / holiday season I want us to think of those who will not be with us for the season. If this was your memory tree who would you put on the tree and why?
This can of course be friends and family, but what about former pets and colleagues.

I guess the question is who is on the memory tree. Every year when we put up the tree, we have ornaments which are respective of people or pets that have been close to us. However, for my husband's side of the family, he hasn't done anything like this.
Our 2014 tree

On the tree are in remembrance ornaments. I started this in 2013 for each of my Polish ancestor families - Wojtkowski/Wojtkowska, Jagodzinski, and Ostrzycki. This was because I found Polish ornaments that were made in Poland.



I haven't been able to find ornaments for Denmark or Belgium. If I don't, then I'll have to get ornaments from countries near there and put a tag on them like I have the ones from Poland.

We have remembrance ornaments for the 2 babies we lost - our February baby and Jamie Sweetpea.

Also, we have remembrance ornaments for past dogs - JR, our Jack Russell, and Jackie, our terrier cross. We do have one for our current dog, Buddy (another Jack Russell), but it does not have an end date on it.

All year around we have pictures out of people who have passed - Brett's "Uncle Al", Brett's friend Mrs. Hodges and now Brett's grandmother, Wendy.


  Check back for the continuation of "The Book of me, Written by You" series.    

Thursday

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - Family Traits

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations.
This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf
This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf
The prompt for the week is:    
Family Traits
The Brief:
  • Do you exhibit any family traits?
  • Do you even recognise them or simply accept them as face value?
  • Do traits exist or are they simply a coincidence?

My first step to this post was to look up the words family traits. And even in doing that was interesting. Why you ask? The answer is there was more than one definition.

Ask defines it as:
"A family trait is a genetic likeness that is passed through parents' genes to their children. Most specific traits are passed directly from one parent. Genetic disorders are also traits that can be passed from a parent to a child." and "Recessive traits can be passed down by both parents. Green eyes and blue eyes are considered recessive traits, so a child with one blue-eyed parent and one green-eyed parent can have either eye color. Other recessive traits include nearsighted vision, red hair, blond hair, thin lips and attached earlobes."
Teach Genetics at University of Utah defines it as:
"Traits can be inherited from a parent, or traits can be learned. Family and cultural traditions often influence learned traits. "
As you can see, it depends on your definition as to which way you look at this prompt.

Inherited down from parents
I think I inherited my blue eyes, brown hair from both parents. As I've been researching, I've found that many of my ancestors had both brown hair and blue eyes which, to me, seems strange as usually you have a blonde or red head thrown in there.

Dad & I

Mom & I

I do have red highlights in my hair, which we think come from some ancestor in the past from Ireland. I do have Irish DNA (a tiny bit) which is probably why I have the red highlights in the hair.

I do know my annoyed or angry face I get from my mother. As everyone tells me, when I'm mad there is no doubt in anyone's mind as the annoyance factor.

I get the height from my mother as we are or were within a few inches of each other.

Inherited Traits
I'm not sure what traits I've inherited as I'm more of my own person. I do know that family means everything to me and if someone goes to hurt or do something to one of them, I'm there for them. I'm like that with my friends as well. Where do I get this? I have no idea. This might be just a by product of my Polish heritage and I have that from both sides of the family.

EU and Belgium flags
I know I've been told I'm a human Switzerland as well. In fact, when I was at my trade school at Orange Ulster BOCES or Vocational Center, the teacher would have me hash out differences with people because I treated each side the same and would work to get them do have a friendly outcome. The same thing when I was at the Computer Club at OCCC. They would have me work out differences. Could this be my Belgium side coming out? After all Belgium is the official seats of the European Commission, Council of the European Union, and European Council, as well as a seat (officially the second seat but de facto the most important one) of the European Parliament as Wikipedia states.

I'm not sure what other traits I have except for fighting. This must be the German coming out because the German's I've always known love to fight.

I'm not sure what other traits or other parts I've gotten from anyone as I've usually made my own way in my life rather than play follow the leader.

  Check back for the continuation of "The Book of me, Written by You" series.