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Is Joanna Elliot the Mother of Dorah Darragh? Completing the 14-Day RLP Challenge

It's been a busy second week of the Challenge! I followed the Research Like a Pro process, step by step. I reached the finish line and have a report written up. Here's what I did Day 8-14.  Day 8 - Research Planning -  "Today, you will review your hypothesis and your list of identified sources. Which sources in your list to you think will help you prove or disprove your hypothesis?" As mentioned earlier, my best chance of finding either Joanna and Dorah's burial records, or Dorah's marriage record, would be in the Catholic church records, but my requests have thus far not been filled. However, there are still sources I can check, including a couple of Ontario Catholic church collections online: Ontario, Canada, Roman Catholic Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1760-1923 Ontario, Canada, Roman Catholic Marriages, 1827-1870 Some other collections on Ancestry and FamilySearch might reveal a civil marriage record naming Dorah's mother. These record sets are ava...
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Ornamental Christmas

In this last of my holiday posts, I'd like to share Christmas tree ornaments which have special meaning to our family. 

Every holiday, when we decorate the tree, it's like walking down memory lane, glimpsing various times in our family life. We can also remember our dear ones who have gone before but who left these tangible remnants of their lives and Christmases past.

I've always liked Christmas trees that look like a toy shop. You just never know what you're going to find when your eye roams over its branches. Colorful and shiny and bright. And fun! If it's homespun, even better.


This sparkly star was handed down from my Mom's tree. I believe it was one of the first ornaments my parents ever had, from the early 60s.

When Jim and I were newly married, I embroidered a few ornaments one Christmas.

Another embroidered ornament. These remind me of those early days of our marriage and our first Christmases together.
 
My very first angel ornament from 1966.
 
First family ornament after sweet little daughter Anne was born.

I sewed several of these "Snowsuit Kids" from a pattern in a magazine.

First family ornament after James was born. He was such a little nugget!

Mom sewed these from the "Snowsuit Kids" after I gave her the pattern. These two represent my sister Sharon and me. The leopard print was leftover material she still had from PJs she made us when we were kids.

I got this ornament for Jim, as both he and his father are lifelong OU fans. This was before our son ended up going there for college. So, doubly fitting!

This golden bell, with its lead clapper, belonged to my grandmother, Margaret Simonik Kozlina. I call it the Grandma Bell, and it returns to our tree each year.

 
We have so many ornaments that we can't possibly fit them all on our tree. It's tough to choose which ones to include each year. The hope is that someday our kids have their own trees and we can gift the ornaments to them and their future families. 
 
And from our family to yours, a wish for the loveliest of holidays, special memories to keep close to your heart, and a bright New Year.
 
Until next time... 

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© Nancy Gilbride Casey, 2024. All rights reserved.




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  1. Linda StufflebeanDecember 25, 2024 at 10:55 AM

    I love your embroidered ornaments - definite keepsakes! Merry Christmas!

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    1. Nancy Gilbride CaseyDecember 25, 2024 at 11:24 AM

      Thanks Linda. They were a labor of love when we couldn't afford much else! Merry Christmas to you and yours.

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  2. AnonymousDecember 25, 2024 at 11:05 AM

    Those are beautiful ornaments and wonderful heirlooms.

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  3. Sandra RobertsonDecember 25, 2024 at 3:14 PM

    I have enjoyed your Christmas blogs, especially the Christmas ornaments. Our ornaments are also a time capsule of our family, our life and our travels.

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    1. Nancy Gilbride CaseyDecember 25, 2024 at 3:42 PM

      Thank you so much, Sandra! I hope you and Charles and your family are having a wonderful holiday!

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  4. Diane HenriksDecember 27, 2024 at 7:09 PM

    What beautiful ornaments and beautiful memories. Thanks for sharing your holiday heirlooms and the memories they bring! I love your grandmother's bell and the fact that you still have it! P.S. I have the same exact creme crocheted star (although, yours is in the form of a garland and mine is in the form of an ornament) that my daughter made for us as a Christmas gift one year. :)

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    1. AnonymousDecember 31, 2024 at 2:14 PM

      That's fun that we have the same stars! Hope you had a nice holiday! Thanks for reading!

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  5. Jenny December 28, 2024 at 10:32 AM

    Every ornament tells a story, yes! I love thinking back on what each one means, or where I lived at the time, or getting the ones for my children. Your ornaments are beautiful and you have beautiful memories to go along with them.

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    1. Nancy Gilbride CaseyDecember 31, 2024 at 2:16 PM

      My Mom actually started giving each of us kids a different ornament each year, with the idea that we would eventually take them for our own family trees. I then started that with our children. Such great memories. Thanks for reading.

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  6. AnonymousDecember 29, 2024 at 5:38 AM

    Hello Nancy. Thank you for your December Christmas-themed posts ! You are right to give importance to everything that makes the Christmas atmosphere. It’s important for children … and adults too who become children again. Continue to surprise us. Every Wednesday around 16-17PM (I live in Belgium 😊) I look forward to your new post. Happy end of year 2024 and happy new year 2025 ! Daniel

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    1. Nancy Gilbride CaseyDecember 31, 2024 at 2:20 PM

      Bonjour, Daniel! Thank you for your kind thoughts. I am honored that you like to read my blog, and I hope I have many more surprises for you in the coming year. Maybe we can find more Cailteux/Schiltz/Trauscht surprises together!

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