Venice Beach, 2020

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Venice Beach, 8 Jan 2020.

Summer in Geneva, Wisconsin

 

Whiting House, Geneva, Wisconsin

In June 1880, Anna Maria O'Brien was working as a seamstress and staying at the Whiting House hotel on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Anna was a sister of my 2nd-great-grandfather John J. O'Brien. I found her in the 1880 US Census, listed as a visitor at the Whiting House. She was 19 at the time. A description below from the Lake Geneva Cisco in 1881 gives a sense of what it was like for Anna to stay there.

Lake Geneva Cisco, 16 Jul 1881

Library of Congress. Lake Geneva, 1880.

2020, the Pandemic Year

 

Photos by Patrick Jones. My Instagram BestNine for 2020.

This is my annual reflection on the year. The COVID pandemic upended planned adventures and postponed experiences into 2021 and beyond. Unlike so many others, we've survived the year in good health. A number of friends and colleagues have had loved ones who've dealt with COVID, and several of my family in other parts of the country have been touched by the virus. Other than being a bit sick of each other from the extended stay at home time, we've been lucky.

I'll start with a look back at my top nine photos which heavily feature scenes close to home. The top left was throwback from capturing legendary photographer Estevan Oriol's LA Hands at Beyond the Streets in May 2018, reposted after watching his LA Originals documentary on Netflix. The top middle is of cherry blossoms in our neighborhood, along with chalk art by our daughter in the top right. The middle left was from a sunrise run in Singapore back in January, one of the few trips I was able to complete before our organizational travel ban went into effect. The center middle photo is by Bordalo ii, taken in Tallinn, Estonia in February. The right middle is our lab rescue Maya, who we adopted in May. The bottom left is Vermeer's Girl With a Pearl Earring, taken in February when I was giving a lecture at The Hague. The bottom middle is one of Allison's homemade fig and prosciutto pizzas, one of many we enjoyed during quarantine. The bottom right is another throwback, one of Invader's mosaics in Paris taken after visiting the Louvre in October 2019.

2020 began as in prior years with a trip to headquarters in LA. On the same trip, I continued on to the Singapore office for meetings and to deliver a staff training. While in Singapore I had a bonus day over the weekend to go paddleboarding on Sentosa.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Marina del Rey, 8 Jan 2020.

Photo by Patrick Jones. View from the Singapore office, 13 Jan 2020.

At the end of the month, we took a family trip to DisneyWorld while Allison had a conference.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Monorail at EPCOT. 31 Jan 2020.

In mid-February, I had a lecture at Leiden University in The Hague, which provided an opportunity to visit the Mauritshuis Museum. As I arrived in Amsterdam, I was able to catch an exhibition by street artist Alice Pasquini. The February trip also included a lecture for the Estonian Internet community in Tallinn and a stop on the way back through Dublin, Ireland.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Tallinn, Estonia, 16 Feb 2020.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Pre-pandemic live music, Dublin. 18 Feb 2020.

March featured my last flights of the year before work travel was suspended. For the remainder of 2020, we transitioned into quarantine cooking, home projects, online school, virtual art classes for my Mom, and lots of reading. I think I've read more books in 2020 than in the past four years combined.

The pandemic cancelled spring baseball and closed our local courts and fields. I had trips planned to Germany, Poland, France, Uzbekistan, Malaysia and Germany again that were all cancelled due to COVID. In-person events moved to Zoom lectures for stakeholders in Germany, Southeastern Europe and universities in Hungary and Sweden. Our major conferences were also hosted on Zoom instead of in-person in Mexico, France, Malaysia and Germany.

Photo by Patrick Jones. 19 Apr 2020.

We learned some new things too, words such as social distancing, chin diapers (masks worn below the mouth instead of covering face) and working from home. My Spanish streak is up to 438 consecutive days and counting. We adopted Maya, a black lab mix originally from Lafayette, Louisiana. She's been a great addition to the family and we're lucky to have ended up with such a well mannered dog.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Maya. 7 Jun 2020.

In July I ran into DC for a trip to the dentist, and on the way back at stopped by the DC office to see some of the signs and murals near Black Lives Matter Plaza before running eight miles back home. We're largely in a comfortable bubble here in Alexandria, far removed from the protests that rocked the country this summer. We are hopeful of the change to come in 2021.

Photo by Patrick Jones. DC, 8 July 2020.

I took a few opportunities during the lockdown period for some socially distanced exercise activities with my sister, either paddleboarding on the Potomac in May, or hiking in Shenandoah and the Billy Goat Trail. I ran the virtual San Francisco Marathon 10K in November and ran a virtual 5 mile Alexandria Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving.

In August we took a family excursion to the Outer Banks, where we rode out Hurricane Isaias. The beach trip was much needed for everyone, including the dog.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Allison & Maya.

September brought back the return of Little League Baseball under enhanced protocols, such as no players in the dugout, masks for the players, no parents in the stands and socially distanced with masks.

S on the mound, 7 Oct 2020.

We were grateful for the extended summer and enjoyable temperatures, well into November. We completed a major landscaping & drainage project in late November, allowing us to add a basketball hoop above the garage. This had been a wonderful addition. We updated the game of HORSE for 2020 and have already played many rounds of COVID on the new goal.

Photo by Patrick Jones. 22 Dec 2020.

We are fortunate to work in fields that allow us to do what we do from home during the pandemic time. Our kids are in a school system where they've been able to continue learning via Chromebooks and Zoom class with their teachers. While we've lost out on other experiences, we've been able to stay connected with close friends and family through regular video calls. We've stayed healthy, and that's something.

As I look ahead to 2021, vaccines and a hope for normalcy has me positive that next year will be better. In the meantime, stay safe.

Hiking the Billy Goat Trail

 

Photo by L. Jones. Me on the Billy Goat Trail.

On Wednesday, my sister and I went on a morning hike to the Maryland side of Great Falls to take on the Billy Goat Trail. Section A is rated strenuous, and is definitely more rock scrambling and climbing than trail hiking. We had a clear but cool morning for our hike without many crowds.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Potomac River, 23 Dec 2020.

Christmas Greetings

 

NYPL Digital Collections. Christmas card, 1900-1909.

Opening Gifts

 

Photo by K. Jones. Christmas 1962.

The photo above is my Dad and Nana, opening presents in 1962 in Indianapolis. This is part of a larger set of photos that we're going through over the holiday break. He would have been 16 at the time.

Christmas Lights

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. 21 Dec 2020.

Nearby lights and decorations from last night's walk with the dog.

Snowman, 1961

 

Photo by K. Jones. Indianapolis, Dec 1961.

The Moon Rock

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Taken 26 Oct 2016.

Yesterday's news about the return of China's Chang'e 5 mission with lunar samples brought back memories of my own experience with a potential connection to the Moon. The story goes that my grandfather received a small Moon rock in the 1970s as a gift when he was working in Houston for Oakite Products. NASA used Oakite cleaning products at its facilities, and Gumpy was involved in the sale of those products to NASA. My Uncle Bob (Gumpy's brother) was the CEO of Oakite between 1963-1972. The rock in its original case is pictured above. When he died in 2013, the rock went to my Dad, and when he died in 2016, the rock went to me.

I read about how NASA was interested in seeking the return of lunar samples. In October 2016, I reached out to NASA's Lunar Rock Curation team, but initially received an out-of-office reply. I followed up again in January 2017 and in July 2018. On the third try their team lead responded, suggesting that I send the rock to their office in Houston where it would be examined to see if it was a lunar sample. If it was, they would send back a letter explaining the likely source if possible, which mission, and it would be returned to the collection for use by scientists in the future. If not, they'd send it back with an explanation of what it is.

I sent the sample off to Houston, and I know it was received, but never heard back. I followed up in November 2018 and July 2019, and didn't receive a reply to those queries. They're certainly busy, but I had hoped to get some clarity on whether the rock was just a rock or something more. In any case, I have the story that my Gumpy had a Moon rock, and maybe I did too.

Hiking in the Smoky Mountains, 1965

 

Uncle Bill & my Dad, 1965

I'm helping my Mom go through old photos that belonged to my Nana for a Christmas break project. Above is a shot of my Uncle Bill (on left) and my Dad (on right), taken while they were hiking in the Smoky Mountains in 1965. There are many more photos in this set and I'll post a selection during this project as I move them to digital storage.

Revisiting Records

Ancestry. Ohio Wills & Probate Records.

The section above is from the will of my 5th-great-grandfather John Conner, written 3 January 1825 in Guernsey County, Ohio. I wrote about this back in February 2014. At the time, I didn't pay close enough attention to the text. In the line I've highlighted above, John left his daughter Jean (my 4th-great-grandmother Jane Conner) a horse, saddle and bridle valued at $57, a cow, and one bed and bedding. She was seventeen at the time. Jane later married my 4th-great-grandfather Azariah Davis in Guernsey County on 12 January 1832.

When I wrote about the will in 2014, I didn't follow up and write about the rest of the Conner family, so I'll do that now.

John Conner Sr. was born in Pennsylvania. He married Mary Stevenson, and they had the following children:

- Rebecca Conner (1787-1854)

- James Conner (1788- )

- John Conner Jr. (1790-1873)

- Joseph Conner (1792- )

- Catherine Conner (1793-1874)

- Thomas E. Conner (1796-1876)

- Robert Conner (1800-1870)

- Mary S. Conner

- Eliza Conner

- Jane Conner (1808-1842)

Mary Stevenson Conner died in 1840. The Portrait and Biographical Record of Guernsey County, Ohio (available on Archive.org) mentions the Conner family and has a section on John S. Conner (grandson of John Conner Sr.). Based on the will, there appear to some errors in this recap on the family history. The text states that John Sr. was born near Pittsburgh, and in his early life he was a tailor, but later devoted himself to farming. In 1808 he settled near Claysville on 160 acres in Guernsey County, Ohio, and acquired a similar sized plot of land in Spencer Township, which he gave to his sons.

A screenshot of his land patent from Guernsey County is below.

BLM Land Patent, 26 Oct 1820.

His son John Conner Jr. served in the War of 1812 and has a large pension file (54 pages) available on Fold3.

This time last year

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Istanbul, 12 Dec 2019

Last year this week I was finishing a multi-country trip by visiting the Istanbul office. The shot above is from a rooftop view overlooking the Bosphorus, taken after a dinner with colleagues. I'm looking ahead to 2021 and hope for a return to travel in the coming year.

The Sunrise Run

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Panatheniac Stadium, 8 Dec 2018.

Two years ago yesterday, I landed in Athens early in the morning on a flight from Kyiv. I checked into an Airbnb, dropped off my stuff, and went on a run to the nearby Panatheniac Stadium. This was the site of the original Olympic Stadium and a venue for the first modern Olympics in 1896. When I arrived at the stadium I was the first one there. The guards let me in and I had the whole place to myself for the first thirty minutes before other early morning runners arrived. I completed a mile loop around the track and then explored the grounds and the stadium museum.

I'm a little surprised that I haven't covered this before on the blog. Looking back, I did post a photo from the stopover, and I have shared more photos on Instagram from that 24 hour stay. This is a reminder that I should write more about unique experiences like my time in Athens, and I'll need to revisit this during the holiday break.

Ancient Art and Modern

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Mural in Del Ray. 5 Dec 2020.

On Saturday while walking the dog I captured a photo of a recent mural in our neighborhood. The cave art-inspired mural is by an artist who painted another mural around the corner for a local sushi restaurant. This seemed timely after reading about the enormous murals painted by prehistoric artists in the Colombian Amazon 12,000 years ago (see the articles in Smithsonian and The Guardian). It's amazing that ancient art of the type found in the Amazon can still be discovered.

Christmas Lights in Brussels

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Grand Place, Brussels. 4 Dec 2019.

This shot was taken a year ago today while I was visiting the Brussels office. Last year at this time I was starting a multi-country trip through Iceland, Belgium, Hungary, Romania and Turkey. After a day of meetings, my colleagues and I enjoyed a lovely dinner in a local pub and checked out the Christmas market at Grand Place. Maybe next year we'll be able to do this again.

History Repeats

 

El Paso Herald, 25 Oct 1918

Revisiting New Orleans Connections

 

New Orleans City Directory, 1908.

Yesterday I looked back at the address where my great-grandfather Harry O'Brien lived when he was in New Orleans between 1906 and 1911. The 1908 City Directory had his name misspelled as Bryant instead of O'Brien. A closer look at the marriage record for Harry and Marguerite Barba revealed some names that I missed previously but now recognize as closely associated with the Barba family. Their marriage was witnessed by E. J. Barba, O. E. Soderstrom, and Mrs. F. L. Fuller. I'm not sure yet who E. J. Barba was, but Mrs. F. L. Fuller was Marguerite's sister Leonora. O. E. Soderstrom was Oscar Soderstrom, son of Adolph Soderstrom of Pascagoula, Mississippi. Marguerite's mother Margaret visited the Soderstrom family in 1920.

708 Carondelet

 

New Orleans Times-Democrat, 8 Sep 1901

In prior posts I have written about my great-grandfather Harry O'Brien's time in New Orleans, where he attended Soule College, played music in jazz clubs and married a first wife. During his time there, Harry lived at 708 Carondelet, a home close to the Mississippi River and nearby theatres. Above is an entry from the New Orleans Times-Democrat newspaper, announcing the sale of furniture at the house, including an upright concert grand piano. From other news clippings, the home at 12 bedrooms and was well furnished.

New Orleans Times-Democrat, 4 Sep 1898.

It isn't clear from the records I have when Margaret Barba acquired the house. In the 1900 US Census she was in Birmingham, Alabama with her children, working as a dressmaker. By early 1906, the home was being advertised with rooms for rent, some at the rate of $1 per night.

Family history blogging has been slow the past few months. I am trying to write more during in the month of December.