Fall has arrived and we’re in the last weekend of September. This month has flown by!

Randy Seaver has a new Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge for us this week and it’s a fun one!

1) Think of any number of genealogy events or moments that make you have a genealogy happy dance, an ah-ha moment, or a genea-gasm.

I can think of several and I’m sure I’ll have forgotten some.

1980 – I can still remember the very first ever death certificate arriving in the mail. It was for George Rogers Tarbox, who died in 1895 in Calais, Maine. It included his birthplace – New Gloucester, Maine. I was beyond thrilled.

Summer 1981 – I took my very first genealogically-oriented trip back to New England, visiting Calais, Washington, Maine, where my first family members had settled by the 1830s. We also visited Gloucester, Massachusetts and New Gloucester, Maine, along with visiting current family members living back east. Hubby Dave, much to his chagrin, learned all about visiting ancient cemeteries and that I had absolutely no intention of leaving one without finding the gravestone in question! I even got to Deer Island, Canada, where my Adams ancestors settled. The first person I spoke to off the ferry was an Adams cousin! Serendipity. 🙂

1980s – I was gifted with many of the ancient family photos on my mother’s side of the family, complete with some family stories passed down along the way. The earliest photos date from c1850 and I am proud to be the current caretaker.

May 1985 – I was able to locate the widow of my paternal grandfather’s brother, Mary Sabo. I took the old family photos to share with her, hoping that her identification of each person was the same as my Nana said. 100% agreement!

1994 – Dave’s aunt and I visited the Barry County, Missouri courthouse. While there, I found the original divorce packet between his 2X great grandfather, Isaac Sturgell, and his second wife, Susannah Douthit Alberty. I also found a land deed proving that wife #1 was still alive and had also left him, as did wives #3 and #4!!!

Finding the New Brunswick, Canada land deed that proved the parentage of my 3X great grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Astle, which was filed 37 years after her father died!

Winter 2013 – My trip to the Family History Library broke down the brick wall of my 3X great grandfather, Johannes Jensen, who had been given up for adoption.

May 2014 – I had a chance to truly walk in the footsteps of my Danish and Swedish ancestors in Copenhagen, Denmark and Öved, Sweden. After our transatlantic cruise ended in Amsterdam, I had no intention of returning home without those visits. Dave was onboard, even though it was genealogy, because he had never been to either country.

2016 – Sending off thousands of family history photos and documents to have them all digitized brought a smile to my face. The job was completed in a few weeks and everything I now have is also in digital format.

Spring 2018 – Our cruise included a stop in Northern Ireland, where, in Carrickfergus, I was able to again walk in the footsteps of my Tuttle ancestors.

Fall 2019 – Our last trip before Covid included two back-to-back New England/Canada cruises. The Canadian ports allowed me to visit the adopted homes of some of my Loyalist ancestors.

I’m sure I’ve forgotten some biggies, but these are the ones that came to mind. Thanks, Randy, as always, for this week’s challenge.