My Ancestral History

Ancestry.com is a great website. It really has helped me in ways that I never knew possible. Aside from the little annoying emails I get trying to get me to buy some of their other products, they do provide inspiring stories they receive from people doing their own research. This story is just one of the stories that fascinates me. I personally am at the tip of the iceberg in my search. I'm only really finding facts rather than stories, but hopefully I will get to that point soon. Perhaps one day I will have an interesting story to send to the people at Ancestry.com and who knows, they may make a little article like this one.

Hello Family and Friends, As I mentioned in earlier posts, I have sort of neglected my research on my family history due to applying for Graduate School. Well it has paid off. I have (officially) been accepted to Claremont Graduate University in the spring! I start in mid January of 2011. I wish I can say that now that I've been accepted I will have some time to continue my research but unfortunately I don't think that will be the case. I will still try to gather information, but the time in which I have to do it will be slim to none. BUT...I still have till January, so let's see how much more I can get done until then....

FindAGrave.com is a wonderful site. It allows you to view graves of relatives you've just discovered online or to request a picture to be taken of relatives who are buried far away. I recently got an email alerting me that someone in Bakersfield, CA received, accepted and fulfilled my photo request for the headstone of Lupe Avila. Thanks to "Diane H" for this photo, now completing Lupe Avila's FindAGrave profile. I still hope to actually see it in person. I'm still not sure what she died of, how or where. Hopefully that will be listed on her death certificate, but for now, we finally know what her headstone looks like..."at Rest With Jesus"

Palomares Cemetery To whom it may concern, I am currently doing research on a family member by the name of Francisca Lopez Arvizu. I found that her grave is at the Palomares Cemetery by way of FindAGrave.com from a list that was done by a Mrs. Ethel Curtis in 1951 by the Pomona Valley Genealogical Society. However this list was entered in to the website by someone other than Mrs. Curtis (Sharyn Hay in 2005). My question is, does this cemetery still exist? I've read that it might have been turned into a park. Also, if it is still in existence and some tombstones still remain, is the property closed off to the public? My main objective is to visit this site and get a photo of Francisca Lopez Arvizu's marker. Any information you can offer is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance, Lynelle -------------- -------------------------------------------- Lynelle, Most all of the tomb stones in the Palomares Cemetery are missing and have been for decades, since the 1970...

I have had a lot of success lately with moving forward. I finally got around to looking further into the Lujan/Pardue part of my family. There are over 10 people who have already done the Pardue research for me (not to mention Pardue was a wealthy, Caucasian family and have better records) and I have traced most of them back to the 1400s in England!!! Let me say, there was so much to follow that after making connection after connection after connection all day, I had to finally take a break and rest.I'm still not done following the trail on that side yet. On the other side of my family, I was able to FINALLY figure out where Francisca Lopez Arvizu and Lupe Arvizu Avila were buried. Lupe Avila is buried at Greenlawn Memorial Park - Sunrise - Space 2 - Lot B - Block 2   3700 River Blvd.  Bakersfield Kern County California USA  Postal Code: 93305    Phone: (661) 324-9701  Francisca Lopez Arvizu is buried at Palomares Cemetery 2401...

Hello Family, Friends, and whom ever else finds their way here. As I'm sure you've noticed I've been a little absent lately. I think the combination of hitting a temporary brick wall, combined with studying and preparing to apply to Graduate school in 4 month, along with working two jobs, just made it a little difficult to continue full force with the family research. I'm trying to get back on track a little, while still juggling the other projects I'm doing (I'm about 90% done with the blouse I'm sewing). But most of the time I'm just way too tired. For instance, today I work from 9am to 12 midnight . I even canceled my gym membership because I never have time to go, and when I do I'm too tired to go. ...as for the ancestral history though, I've already begun to fill out the paper work to request birth, marriage and/or death records, since Ancestry.com has done all it can for me for the moment. My only problem is getting it notarized. Usua...

Today I spent some time at the Los Angeles Recorder's Office branch in Norwalk. I was looking for the marriage records of Lupe and Mariano Pacheco & Grandma Josie and Grandpa Ernie as well as the death record of Mariano Pacheco and Domingo Arvizu. Let me just say, finding the recorder's office was a bit scary. I felt like I was in a bad horror movie. Once I found the Birth, Death & Marriage records office half way down the creepy, quiet corridor and stepped inside, the people working there were really nice. I found the marriage records I was looking for under the womens' name instead of the mens' (which I looked up first). However I couldn't find the death records I was looking for which is what I went there for to begin with. The marriage record of Grandma and Grandpa's was actually really cute. I didn't realize how close their anniversary is (June 20th). I recognized Grandpa's handwriting first, then Grandma's, Grandma's is a very...