GOING DIGITAL

For the past 15 years, I have printed copies of my genealogical research -- birth, marriage and death records, census forms, and immigration and military service records -- and then filed them in notebooks.  Before filing them, I would create an "Individual Research Record" that would include all of the pertinent information about that individual, including sources,  in a concise form.  I even printed that record sheet on fuchsia paper for the females and aqua paper for the males. It served as my cover sheet for the individual's documents.

As a visual learner, this paper and notebook system worked well for me.  I could actually see the information in my hands and filling out the individual research record helped me digest and analyze the information.  Of course, it also took up my time.  Time that I was filing and filling out forms could have been time that I should have been researching or entering my research into my Roots Magic computer program.

As time went on my research documents and notebooks seemed to expand exponentially.  The good news was that the kids went away to college so there was more room for my now 25+ large notebooks.  The bad news was how large was this going to get? How many rooms can I devote specifically to genealogy research and storage?  Can you be a genealogical hoarder?

So, last week I made a huge decision -- it was time to digitize my genealogical research!  Time to slowly get rid of my 25+ notebooks -- well after those records had been digitized.  I guess I could have researched the best way to go digital but while I read some of those articles in the past, once again I needed to find a system that would work the best for me.

I created folders on my computers for each of the family branches -- Homrich, Sherlock, Chambers, etc.  Then within each of those folders are sub-folders for the individuals that I have already researched.  Going through each notebook, I then digitally save the documents as well as the fact sheet about the person on Ancestry.  I also have created an Excel spreadsheet for each of the family branches with the names and documents saved so that at a quick glance I can see what I already have and what I still need to look for.

I know that this digitization project will not only take some time (probably several months) and also be probably rather monotonous at times but it will be worth it in the long run.  I will not only have a lot more time to do actual research but will actually have rooms in my house that can be "guest rooms" instead of storage rooms!

GENEALOGICAL BUCKET LIST FOR VISITING IRELAND

After two visits to Ireland, I have now refined my bucket list for any possible future trips to the Emerald Isle.  While Dublin is a nice place to visit, I want to spend any time I have walking in my ancestors' (no matter how far back) footsteps.  So here is a listing of places I would like to visit --

1. Townland of Letter in County Mayo -- I got so close but not close enough to the home town of my Great Grandmother Elizabeth Chambers,  Perhaps I will get the opportunity some day to see the actual land where her father Thomas Chambers farmed and raised his family.

2. The townlands of Demailestown and Lady Rath in County Meath -- I have learned that what is called townlands in Ireland may be no more than a neighborhood or housing complex.  I would love to see the actual area that my Sherlock ancestors (my great grandfather Edward and his parents Bryan and Margaret Kilroy Sherlock) called home.

3. Clew Bay Heritage Center -- Situated in a 19th century building in Westport on the shores of Clew Bay, it would be wonderful to see the artifacts, photos and documents of the history of Westport and the Clew Bay area.  (Westportheritage.com)

4. Museum of Country Life -- I wish we had the time to visit this museum, located in Turlough Village (northeast of Castlebar in County Mayo) while we were in Mayo last August.  The museum tells the story of country life in Ireland from 1850 to 1950.  It would have given me a better understanding of the daily lives of my Irish ancestors.  (www.museum.ie/country-life)

5. Scurlogstown -- I would love the opportunity to visit Scurlogstown in County Meath or one of the other towns in Ireland named after my Scurlog ancestors.  I need a picture next to the sign!

6. City of Limerick in County Limerick -- Recently I have discovered that Limerick was the home town of my 5th Great Grandfather Zachary Myles and 5th Great Grandmother Katherine Conyers as well as their daughter Elizabeth Myles, my 4th great grandmother. Limerick was also the birthplace of my 6th Great Grandfather Thomas Myles.

SEEKING CASTLES IN SCURLOGSTOWN AND TRIM

So, for the final part of my trip to Ireland I was hoping to visit the townland of Scurlogstown in County Meath.  My ancestor William de Scurlog received some land grants in County Meath where he built a castle in 1180.  A town was then formed near the castle and was called Scurlogstown.  Of course, I would love to see a town that was named after my ancestor and my dream would have been to visit a castle built by or named after an ancestor.

There were a few problems with this dream, however -- even in the 1800's only ruins remained of this castle. Then years or so ago, some ruins were uncovered when they were building a business park in Scurlogstown.  That would be my luck -- a business park rather than a castle!  So, I didn't get to see the castle or even a sign with the name Scurlogstown.

We did end up 3.5 kilometers east of there at the location of the Trim Castle. I was getting to the point that any castle would have to do.  However, this castle is very special too.  Trim Castle is the largest Norman castle in Ireland and is located on the south bank of the River Boyne in Trim.   This castle was built by Hugh de Lacy (who my ancestor William de Scurlog accompanied to Ireland) so perhaps it is practically like family!

I did try to persuade my family (husband, son and daughter) who had accompanied me to start a coup and capture Trim Castle as our own family castle but alas, I had no followers!

Reference: "The Sherlocks of Ireland" by Arian E. Collins, c 1993, San Diego, California

Visiting County Meath

While my Chambers and Kilroy ancestors are from County Mayo, my Sherlock and Caffrey ancestors are from County Meath.  Since I visited Islandeady (in County Meath) in both 2012 and on the current trip, I wanted to make sure that I also visited County Meath.  Perhaps, I could see the townlands of Lady Rath and Demailestown, the hometowns of my great Grandfather Edward Sherlock.

In 1961, Grandpa Charlie visited the site of his father's (Edward Sherlock) childhood home in Demailestown.  Above is a photo of him at that house.

Demailestown and Lady Rath are very close to one another.  While they are listed as townlands, they are more like housing developments.  So, think of a housing development in a rural setting with a few houses.  Demailestown and Lady Rath are west of Drogheda, east of Kells, and north of Navan and Kilmessan.  I looked at both Demailestown and Lady Rath on Google Earth and couldn't find a house like the one in the photo above.  Of course, this photo was from 55 years ago and the house very likely could have been torn down and a new one built.

According to Grandma Theresa's diary, they visited Pat Sherlock's home and his cattle. They also visited the Carey's and Agnes Sherlock -- I am not sure which town-lands they lived in 1961.  Then they visited Mary Glacken in Navan.

Trying to find these town-lands in Ireland in person is a lot harder than trying to locate places on Google Earth.  Oh, if it could just be that easy!   Of course, it didn't help that we didn't have GPS so it was rather like looking for a needle in a haystack!  The roads were tiny rural roads and did not have a lot of signs.  We drove past Lobinstown, Wilkinstown, Slane Castle and Navan.  Lady Rath & Demailestown is to the east of Wilkinstown.  So, alas, I did not actually get to see Lady Rath or Demailestown despite our efforts.  Perhaps the only way this will ever happen is with a native guide who is familiar with these tiny town-lands.

THE WESTPORT HOUSE AND THE IRISH PIRATE QUEEN

Soon after my trip to Ireland in 2012, I learned about Grace O'Malley (Grainne Ni Mhaille) who was known as the Irish Pirate Queen or "The Sea Queen of Connacht",  I read the book "Ireland's Pirate Queen - The True Story of Grace O'Malley" written by Anne Chambers.  I am still hoping to discover that I am related somehow to both Grace O'Malley and Anne Chambers.

The Westport House is a beautiful historic home built in 1650 by Colonel John Browne and his wife Maud Burke (Grace O'Mallley's great great granddaughter).  It was built near the site of the O'Malley Castle.

I missed seeing the Westport House in 2012, but decided it was a "must see place to visit" on my latest trip to Ireland.  Although the Westport House property also contains a Pirate Adventure Park and campgrounds, our sole focus was the historic house.;  The house is located in parkland setting with a lake and terraces.  It also has a view of Clew Bay and Croagh Patrick.  It is definitely a must see on anyone's trip to Westport!

VISITING WESTPORT IN COUNTY MAYO

In 2012, my husband and I visited Westport for just a few hours.  We stopped there on our way back from Castlebar and Islandeady to Galway.  We ate some lunch and did a little shopping.  I thought it was a darling town and decided then that I needed to return some day to do more exploration. So, of course when planning our latest trip a stop in Westport was a no-brainer!

Westport (or in Irish "Cathair na Mart") is located on the southeast corner of Clew Bay.  Croagh Patrick is just ten kilometers west of the town.  One of the main things that I love about Westport is that the Carrowbeg River runs through the town, surrounded by low stones walls with hanging baskets of flowers from the walls and the bridges.

We visited St. Mary's Catholic Church in Westport.  The original church was built in 1831 in a neo-Gothic style.  However, the congregation became too big for the church so the present day church was built in two phases in 1928 and 1958.  

Spending just the afternoon in Westport was not long enough, so we decided to return the next day to tour the Westport House.

THE TOWNLAND OF LETTER IN COUNTY MAYO

The property (location of their farm) where my Great Grandmother Bridget Chambers was born and spent her childhood is located in the townland of Letter in County Mayo.  According to Griffith's Valuation, "Lietir means spewy hillside.  It is bordered on the north by Derrycruv, on the south by Derrycooraun and Derrygowla and on the west by Kilmaclasser."

Years ago my cousin Betsy got the opportunity to visit the actual property where the Chambers lived and has shared with me photos that she took while she was there.  I had hoped that during my trip to Ireland, that we would be able to see at least the townland of Letter.

 Townland may be misleading.  It is more like a housing development or a few houses with lots of land rather than an actual town.  As such it is rather hard to find.  It is much easier finding it on an online map at home than it is driving down tiny roads with no signs and hoping you don't get lost.  We probably got within 100 yards of it.

So I am keeping it on my "bucket list" with the hope that some day I may actually have the opportunity to see it.  Until then I will just appreciate Betsy's photos of the Chambers land.

INTRODUCING MY CHILDREN TO THE TOWN OF ISLANDEADY

It was important to me that my son and daughter got the opportunity to visit Islandeady (the home town of my great grandmother Bridget Chambers) while on our trip to Ireland.  So on our first full day in County Mayo, we drove to Bilberry Lake -- located near N5 road, halfway between Castlebar and Westport.  We drove down a narrow country road -- thank heavens for signs!  From there we could see the Old Islandeady Cemetery on a hill, across the lake.  I love how lovely and peaceful this lake is, surrounded by green trees, green hills and green grass.

After admiring the view of the lake and taking lots of photos, we drove over to the Old Islandeady Cemetery.  From the parking lot of the cemetery, you can see Croagh Patrick, where according to legend, Saint Patrick banished the snakes from Ireland.  The four of us walked through the cemetery and to the ruins of St. Eiden's Church, located on the shores of Bilberry Lake,

St. Eiden's Church has been in ruins since the penal times and was restored in the 1990's.  Of course we took photos to commemorate my kids' first visit to Islandeady!

We then drove a short distance to St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Islandeady.  This was my first visit to St. Patrick's.  According to legend, St. Patrick preached on the shores of the lake on his way to the holy mountain in 440 AD so hence the name of this church. The roof of this church was originally

thatched but the church building was slated in 1849.  Other improvements and upgrades have been made since then.  This was a very meaningful visit for me since this was the church that my 2nd great grandparents Thomas Chambers and Ann Kilroy Chambers attended Mass on Sundays and where their children, including my great grandmother Bridget Chambers was baptized. It is so exciting to me when I can actually walk in their "footprints".  It makes me a little sad, though, to think that my Dad and Grandpa never got to visit this place.  I think they would have enjoyed the peaceful lake, the old church ruins and just knowing that Bridget grew up not far from here.

Note:  This is my 200th post in this Home of Sherlocks blog and thought it was very fitting that it would be about Islandeady.

AMAZING HOUSE IN CARROWKEEL

After picking up our son at the Dublin Airport, we headed northwest to County Mayo.  It was a 3 hour drive.  We met the husband of the owner of our rental vacation house in a tiny town called Ballyvarry.  We then followed him to the house -- down the road to Carrowkeel, down another road, past a campground and down another long country road.  We arrived at the rental house and was greeted by the owner Ann Marie who had brought us a homemade cake called "treacle".

We were given a tour of the beautiful house with hardwood floors, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a washer and dryer.  The backyard was large and very green. The view out the front windows was mesmerizing.  During our three day stay at this house, I often stood by the window and gazed at all the beauty of the countryside.

My 2nd great grandparents, Thomas Chambers and Ann Kilroy Chambers raised their family in the townland of Letter (not more than 15 minutes away) in a rural setting, probably much like Carrowkeel.

THE RING OF KERRY

Visiting the west coast of Ireland would not have been complete without a visit to the Ring of Kerry.  Yes, we did visit the Cliffs of Moher on our last trip to Ireland in 2012.  Our bus tour of the Ring of Kerry would cover 110 miles and take over 6 hours.  Even though this would be a longer tour than we desired, we thought it was preferable to trying to drive it on our own.

Our first stop was at the Kerry Bog Village (photo above).  We saw Irish wolfhounds, peat bogs and Kerry Bog ponies.  We learned how to make Irish coffee and of course needed to sample one (okay, we drank the entire thing).  It was delicious!

Continuing on our tour, we saw the Dingle Peninsula and Slea Head (the most western point of Europe) and the Askill Islands.  We stopped again and watched a demonstration with two border collies displaying their skills at herding sheep.

Our next stop was the shores of Ballinskellig Bay.  We walked along the shore, admiring all of its natural beauty and of course taking lots of photos!

We stopped for lunch at Scariff Inn in Caherdaniel, where we enjoyed amazing views of Derrynane, Kenmare Bay and Bantry Bay.  Continuing on our tour we also saw Dunloe Gap, a spectacular glacial valley.

Our last stop (and my favorite) was at Ladies' View, which has an absolutely gorgeous view.  Supposedly this site was named "Ladies' View" after this area was admired by Queen Victoria's ladies in waiting.

I am in awe of all of the natural beauty in Ireland.  It is so peaceful and so beautiful!

KILLARNEY NATIONAL PARK

What should we do on our first full day in Killarney?  We wanted to see some of its natural beauty but not spend all day on a tour.  Killarney National Park is close by and I hear it is beautiful.

Cars are not allowed in Killarney National Park so we took a 1 1/2 hour tour of Killarney National Park in a jaunting car (a 2 wheeled horse drawn vehicle).  Killarney National Park was the first national park established in Ireland.  It is the home of red deer, black Kelly cattle and cypress, linden and holly trees.

We saw St. Mary's Cathedral, Mt Tomis, Loch Leane (the lower lake) and Innisfallen Island.  We stopped and visited the grounds of Ross Castle, which is located on the edge of Loch Leane and is the ancestral home of the O'Donoghue clan.

Later my daughter would tell me that visiting Killarney National Park was on her favorite highlights of her trip to Ireland.

DESTINATION: KILLARNEY

After meeting our daughter at the Dublin Airport (we were arriving from Amsterdam and she was flying in from California) our plan was to drive to the west coast of Ireland and in particular to Killarney.  It is rather amazing to me that we can drive from the east coast of Ireland to the west coast of Ireland in about 3 hours when it takes days to do that in the United States.

After driving through the counties of Kildare, Laoise, Offaly, Tipperary and Limerick, we stopped for lunch in the town of Adare and had a delightful lunch at Pat Collins' Bar.

After lunch we decided to explore the town of Adare just a bit -- after all it is a heritage city where the Desmond Castle and friaries are located.  We visited the Trinitarian Priory and Trinity Church.

Since it was raining (well it is Ireland) and our daughter was exhausted from her flight, we continued driving to our destination of Killarney and more specifically our vacation home rental.

The Killarney rental house has lots of space with four bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a backyard (even a washer and dryer) and was only a 15 minute walk into town.   Our Irish Adventure begins ...

TIDBITS ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY

The corned beef is cooking in the crock pot (corned beef won over Guinness stew this year at our house) and the Guinness chocolate cupcakes are baking in the oven.  When the cupcakes are cooled they will be topped with a Jameson whiskey caramel frosting.

As I am sipping on an Irish coffee, I am thinking about my Irish ancestors and my two trips to Ireland.  Since last St. Patrick's Day, I found out that my Sherlock ancestors actually originated from the Scurlogs who lived in Wales.  In the last month, I also found out that my Chambers ancestors originated from Abbotshall, Fife, Scotland.  I also spent 10 glorious days in Ireland but more about that in a later post.

I have more hope that my Kilroy and Caffrey ancestors have deeper roots in Ireland than the Chambers and Sherlocks do.  Currently I can trace my Kilroy ancestors back to Patrick Kilroy, who was born in 1730.  Of course, I still need to do a lot more research on the Dever, McLoughlin, Caffrey and Denning ancestors.

While I was in Islandeady in County Mayo this past August, we were visiting St. Patrick's Catholic Church.  It was the childhood church of my Great Grandmother Bridget Elizabeth Chambers Sherlock.  My husband took a photo of a picture that was displayed in the church.  It is the photo below.  I just love the little boy and his dog praying!

I would like to share one of my favorite Irish blessings --

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields and,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand

Wishing you all – 

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh!  (Happy St. Paddy’s Day!)

MOVIE MONDAY -- MURDER AND SING SING

I am continuing on my quest to watch as many of my Grandpa Charlie's moves as is possible.  This past week, the three movies seemed to have a common thing -- murder and prison.  The first movie was the 1935 "Murder in the Fleet", starring Robert Taylor and Jean Parker.  The movie was about murder and sabotage aboard a naval ship.  Grandpa Charlie played the role of a yeoman who was taking messages from the civilians on board to send to their families.  It was fun to hear Grandpa's voice, with lines such as "One at a time!" and "Lady, please!

The second movie I watched was the 1940 "Castle on the Hudson", starring John Garfield, Ann Sheridan and Pat O'Brien.  The movie was the story about a man in prison at Sing Sing who for superstitious reasons refuses to take part in a prison break.  Grandpa Charlie (the far right in the above photo) played the role of a prison guard who shoots the tear gas.

"Picture Snatcher" made in 1933 was the third movie I watched.  James Cagney played the role of an ex con who tries to go legit and works for a newspaper, taking sought after photos, including one of a woman who is being put to death in the electric chair.  Grandpa Charlie played the role of a reporter who is witnessing the execution.

It is rather amazing the variety of movies Grandpa Charlie had roles in.   I wonder which ones I can find to watch this week.

INTRODUCING MY CHILDREN TO IRELAND

In August of 2012, my husband and I visited Ireland for the first time.  We visited the Heritage Center in Cobh, the Cliffs of Moher, the cities of Dublin, Galway and Westport and my ancestral town of Islandeady in County Mayo.  Ever since that trip, I have had a yearning to introduce Ireland with its natural beauty and warm welcoming people to my children.  What better time to do that than following my Rhine River cruise?

While this trip to Ireland would include visiting some notable tourist sites such as the Ring of Kerry, Killarney National Park and Dublin, it was also important to me that we would visit my ancestral villages of Islandeady in County Mayo and Demailestown and Lady Rath in County Meath.

During the planning stages, it also became apparent to me that staying in vacation home rentals would not only provide us with more room and flexibility than hotel rooms but also would give us a different perspective.  We could add to that experience by staying in homes in different locales -- one a few blocks from the town of Killarney while the one in Mayo would be in a more country or rural setting.

So the airline and lodging reservations were made, itineraries for travel were created and we were ready to go.  Here's to hoping for a most memorable trip for all four of us!

MOVIE MONDAY

Last week, I watched two more of my Grandpa Charlie's movies. The first one was the 1935 "The Woman in Red", starring Barbara Stanwyck, in which she plays Shelby, an equestrienne.  Grandpa Charlie (2nd from the left in the above photo) played the role of "Mike", the 2nd photographer.  Charlie really gets into this role taking photos from all angles and even getting hit by some old man.

The second movie I watched was the 1935 "Devil Dogs of the Air"starring James Cagney and Pat O'Brien.  The movie takes place in San Diego at North Island.  Cagney plays a rogue rebel pilot who is joining the marines as a pilot.  Grandpa Charlie plays a student trainee with the marines. At the end of the movie, there is a mock invasion training session where they invade by land, air and sea.  Where did they invade?  La Jolla!  I guess that was much more likely in 1935.  I can't imagine that happening today!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

I would be remiss if I didn't write about my Dad (Donald Sherlock) today since he would have been celebrating his 87th birthday if he was still alive.  He died in 2001.  I have written several posts about him over the past 4 years.  So the only question is what should I tell you about him?

My Dad loved science and math.  He would always help us with our math homework.  Of course, he could always come up with the answer even if it was a different way than they taught us in the "new Math" (whatever that was!).  His studies in science at Los Angeles City College were interrupted when he was drafted into the Army to serve in the Korean Conflict from 1951 to 1952.  He eventually returned to his studies, even while having two little ones at home and earned his Associate Arts degree in June of 1955 from LA Valley College.

After working as a mail carrier for the US Postal Service (before and after his deployment), he was hired by Lockheed Aircraft in Burbank as a template maker in March of 1956.  By that time another baby was almost due!  When he was layed off of work in November of 1957, he then started working for Lockheed Missiles Systems in Van Nuys as an instructor, teaching Shop Math and Advanced Blue Print Reading.  Don then went back to work for Lockheed Aircraft in 1960 and worked there until his retirement in 1991.

In 1972 he completed training for computer graphics for drafting purposes.  In the late 1970's, he received a certificate after completing 100 hours of computer graphics operation. In May of 1975, he was featured on the cover of Machine Design Magazine.  The above photo is from that magazine.

What was amazing to me is that this all took place in an era when there were no personal computers in the home and probably not a lot in the workplace.  In fact, I remember him calling this "working on the scope" instead of calling it a computer.  When I see this photo, it reminds of me the Apollo XIII movie where they are trying to get the spaceship home, using a slide ruler.

Dad, you would be very happy to know that all 3 of my kids (your grandkids) have followed in your footsteps (either working in fields of math and/or technology).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!   Miss you and love you!

LEAP DAY AND FINDING JESS

Today is Leap Day -- February 29th -- which happens only once every four years. My Grandpa Charlie's half brother Uncle Joe (Gary) was born on Leap Day in 1912.  If he was still alive, he would have been 104 today but only would have celebrated 26 birthdays.

Four years ago, (wow, have I really been writing this blog that long?) when I wrote about Uncle Joe on this blog, I mentioned that I had very little information on his wife Jessica, who we actually knew as Aunt Jess. However, just recently I found more information on her.

First, I found her in the California Death Index.  She did outlive Uncle Joe and I do remember her living in Glendale, California so I was sure that this was her.  The death record gave her birth date as 18 Oct 1890 which meant she was 22 years older than Joe.  She did always seem a lot older than him. It said that she was born in Kansas (new information) and that her death date was 7 Sep 1979 (which seemed right).

I then found Joseph Gary (her husband) in the California, County Marriages records.  According to the record, Joseph Gary married Jessica G. Ray on 5 Oct 1941 at the Wedding Manor on Western Avenue in Los Angeles.  Joseph was listed as living with my Grandpa Charlie and his family in the US 1940 census.  So "Ray" was either Jessica's maiden name or married name from a previous marriage.  The marriage record did not include the marital status of Jessica.  Also listed on the record were the names of Jessica's parents -- Harry E. Williams and Minnie Denney.

I also found Jessica Gertrude Ray in the 1940 US census.  At that time she was 49 years old and her marital status was divorced.  Researching her mother (Minnie Denney), I found that Jessica had 5 siblings (which was big news to me because I had never heard of any relatives of hers).  She had an older brother Franklin, 2 younger brothers - Roger and Archie and 2 younger sisters -- Clara and Helen.  So, I found out a lot more that I had known previously.  Now I wonder how much of this information did my parents and grandparents know.

Well, back to Leap Day -- according to an Irish legend this is the day that allows women to propose to men.  I wonder if a lot of this is happening in Ireland today.  

Happy Leap Day!

MOVIE MONDAY -- SHE'S GOT BETTE DAVIS' EYES

Grandpa Charlie (Sherlock) acted in over 300 movies from 1932 to 1960.  Most of the time he wasn't listed in the credits, but typically only six to eight of the actors/actresses were listed.  Thank heavens for IMDB.com for their listings or otherwise I would never have the listing of all of his movies. Charlie's roles were usually small ones, anything from a character with a name and a small speaking part to on rarer occasions just part of the crowd.

My goal is to watch as many of Grandpa Charlie's movies as I can get access to.  So after ordering a few DVDs from Amazon.com, I have started my quest of watching his old movies.  I am not only enjoying seeing my Grandpa (who died in 1983) albeit onscreen, but also appreciating these old movies that I had never seen before. I never quite understood the fascination with old movies but now I have developed an appreciation for them.

Charlie's first movie was titled "The Dark Horse" and starred Bette Davis in 1932.  Charlie played the role of a man attending the Progressive Party's convention to elect the Governor. I wonder if back then they did have conventions to elect governors.  The premise was electing someone not because he was anywhere near the best person but to spite the other group and then to manipulate the person.  Wow, maybe times haven't changed that much!

The next movie I watched was "The Working Man" starring George Arliss and Bette Davis.  The story was about an aging shoe manufacturer and two spoiled rich young siblings from a rival shoe company.  Grandpa Charlie played the role of the waiter on a yacht in this 1933 film.  (The photo above of Grandpa Charlie acting as a waiter with Bette Davis (her back is to the camera is from another film -- Mr. Skeffington).  I am really enjoying watching Bette Davis as a young actress.

Back to the movies ---

VISITING AMSTERDAM

Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Theresa visited Amsterdam in 1961 and stayed at the Hotel Suisse.  They took a walk in Amsterdam with another couple.  Theresa doesn't say anything more about her visit to Amsterdam in her travel diary.

After we finished our Rhine River Cruise in August, we also visited Amsterdam.  Our first day in Amsterdam, we took a walk with another couple (my brother and his wife) and visited the flower market.  In the evening, we enjoyed a dinner canal cruise, touring the canals of Amsterdam.

When my grandparents visited Amsterdam in 1961, they bought a ceramic windmill that played music for each of their sons' family.  As a child, I remember ours sat on our TV in the living room.  So, one of my objectives when I visited Amsterdam was to find and purchase a ceramic windmill to display in our home.  I found the perfect one at Delft Blue.  Now, every time, I look at it in our entertainment center, I think about my Grandparents and about our recent trip to Amsterdam  Such great memories!