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A Rose for Sharon

  For many years now, I have posted the single pink rose image to my social media on August 19th and June 4th. Those who know me well know it is in honor of my little sister, Sharon, who died in 1994. Her birth date and her death date. That has been the extent of my communication about my sister or her life since. Thirty-two years is a long time to hold onto words. I have considered writing about her. It doesn't matter how deep my feelings are for her or how much I cherish her memory, the words don't come easily, if at all. Words feel cheap and wrong. It's hard to even describe why. Maybe it is because she was our family's: Our sister, our cousin, our niece, our daughter. We knew her best, so no one else should have the right to know about her like we did. Maybe that's why I hold onto my words. But I realize that if I don't tell her story, who will?  I have spent hour upon hour researching my long-gone ancestors, yet I haven't written about my own sister. I ...
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Celebrating 300 Blog Posts with My Top Ten Favorites

 

October 1st marks my 300th Leaves on the Tree blog post. Hooray!!

Writing my blog posts is one of my very favorite things to do. I am excited to share my discoveries, family stories, photos, heirlooms, and more. It's always a kick when a cousin, subscriber, or even casual reader comments on a post or finds their own link to my extended family. What could be better than to find connection?  

To celebrate this milestone, I've picked my Top Ten Leaves on the Tree Blog Posts. 

And wow, it's hard to pick just ten favorites. But here they are, in no particular order:

  1. What Would You Tell Me, Catherine? My imagined conversation with my second great-grandmother, Catherine Ryan Gilbride.
  2. In Periculo Mortis A reflection on my strange baptism.
  3. Mom's Chocolate Covered Cherry Caper A favorite holiday story!
  4. Family Fun Stories: The Rabbit Another fun anecdote involving my mother and brother.
  5. What is a Pickslate? Defining the role my great-great uncle took as an eleven-year-old in a Scranton mine.
  6. Dear Sir: How I Found My Civil War Ancestor The first of a multi-part series about my great-grand uncle, Union soldier Michael Gilbride. 
  7. So Far Away: What Drew Vjekoslava to America?  Two-part series about my Croatian great-grandmother who came to the U.S. in 1905 and what her life was like. (Part II: Settling Into America: From Vjekoslava to Louise) 
  8. From Buffalo to North Evans: Mary Jane Sheridan's Early Life I'm particularly proud of this 4-part series which was inspired by a great book called Telling Her Story: A Guide to Researching and Writing About Women of the Past.
  9. Rally Round The Team: A Fabulous Photo Find  One of my favorite "discovery" stories.
  10. It's All In My Head  I came to an important realization about the importance of writing our research up. 

Thank you for sharing this family history journey with me. Here's to 300 more posts!

Until next time...

© Nancy Gilbride Casey, 2025. All rights reserved. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

  1. Linda StufflebeanOctober 1, 2025 at 9:54 AM

    Congratulations, Nancy! 300 is a big number and I love your stories.

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    1. Nancy Gilbride CaseyOctober 1, 2025 at 9:55 AM

      Thanks so much, Linda! I appreciate you being a loyal reader!

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  2. Colleen G. Brown PasqualeOctober 1, 2025 at 12:50 PM

    Lucky 300. ha. Congratulations on your accomplishment & hope there are many more posts to come.

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  3. Diane HenriksOctober 1, 2025 at 2:31 PM

    Woah, 300?! Congratulations on such a feat. :) Favorite child??? There are no favorites. ;)

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  4. Marian B. WoodOctober 1, 2025 at 3:51 PM

    Fantastic to reach the 300 post mark! Looking forward to your posts in the future.

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    1. Nancy Gilbride CaseyOctober 2, 2025 at 12:40 PM

      Thanks for the support and encouragement, Marian! And for being a reader as well!

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  5. Lisa S. GorrellOctober 1, 2025 at 4:22 PM

    Congratulations! That's a wonderful statistic. Looking forward to more to come.

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    1. Nancy Gilbride CaseyOctober 2, 2025 at 12:40 PM

      I appreciate that, Lisa. Thanks for being a frequent reader/commenter.

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  6. AnonymousOctober 2, 2025 at 3:02 AM

    Bonjour Nancy. Félicitations pour ces 300 publications, toujours captivantes, documentées et rigoureuses ! Celles qui me plaisent le plus sont évidemment celles qui touchent à nos ancêtres communs. Mais j’ai aussi un faible pour celle du 27 novembre 2024 ‘Chroniquer ensemble le passé familial’ 😊. Bon anniversaire à toi aussi ! Cousin Daniel de Belgique

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    1. Nancy Gilbride CaseyOctober 2, 2025 at 12:43 PM

      Bonjour Daniel,

      Ah, je suis ravi que cet article vous plaise. C'est également l'un de mes préférés ! Comment avance votre livre ? Je n'ai pas fait beaucoup de recherches sur notre famille commune ces derniers temps, à part quelques travaux sur John Schiltz, le fils de Peter et Anne Marie. J'espère pouvoir les publier sur le blog prochainement.

      Merci d'être un lecteur/commentateur fidèle.

      À bientôt...

      Cousine Nancy


      Traduit avec DeepL.com (version gratuite)

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