A Month I Want to Leave Behind

A major hard drive crash this month!  If I had it to do over again, there are a lot of smart things I would do that I didn't do after getting my latest computer.  I had too much trust in Carbonite - which did its job, by the way - but what good is a backup when you can't even get into your computer to back files up?!?  No, I hadn't made a repair disc.  Sheesh.  So here it is, 15 days later and I'm still not back to "normal."  Everything seems to be fine except my e-mail program, which I use the most of all. 

Back to Parks Research

I am back to Parks research, both for my line and for Cousin Carol's line through our DNA connection.  But first I must wait for my reformatted hard drive.  A botched attempt to add some incorrect version software seems to have set off a firestorm, possibly with other issues involved, and now I will need to reload programs and get all my data from backup.  This is not my favorite thing to do!

O'Tooles of Tipperary

A “hit” on the O’Toole DNA brought me in contact with Cousin Colleen.  Colleen has ancestors in County Tipperary, but seemingly no O’Tooles.  Common names to both our trees are Sweeney and Meagher.  While we were not able to find a match at this time, we worked on some elusive ancestors of hers, one of them Patrick Tracy (sometimes Treacy; sometimes Tracey] who was born in August of 1860 in Drangan, Tipperary the eighth child of William (Liam) Treacy and Mary Byrne.  According to family lore, Patrick arrived in Boston about 1881.  There were relatives in Appleton, Wisconsin, but according to my research, Patrick settled in Covington, Baraga, Michigan where he married Mary Doeing (sometimes seen as Doering or Deering) in 1903.  In 1926 the family is seen in Lake County, Indiana where Patrick died in June of 1934.  

His obituary reads:

1934 Jun 4, Hammond Times, P83, Hammond, Indiana

Patrick Tracey[sic] Dies Sunday

Funeral services will be held tomorrow for Patrick F. Tracy, 75, who died Sunday morning in St. Catherine’s hospital.  He resided at 1402 East Chicago avenue and had lived here eight years.  Besides his wife, he is survived by three daughters, Mrs. Mary Gatewood, Mrs. Agnes Ebeltoft and Miss Catherine Tracy, and by two sons, William and John Tracy.  Rites will be conducted at 9 a.m. tomorrow at St. Patrick’s church, Indiana Harbor, and interment will be in Mount Mercy cemetery.

Patrick and Mary (Doeing) Tracy had at least seven children:

Francis H. Tracy (1903-1903)

Mary F. Tracy Gatewood (1905-1986)

William P. Tracy (abt 1907-Unk)

John Henry Tracy (1908-1979)

Agnes Cecelia Tracy Ebeltoft (1914-2000)

Catherine M. Tracy Day (1920-2003)

Frank Fremont Tracey (1922-1922)

We will keep an eye on this connection and hope to find more DNA matches to make the search more productive.

Follow-up Doctor Visit

Visited the pain doctor today for a follow-up.  I'm doing very well.  She thinks I'll get a minimum of six months' relief from the recent pain shot (I was hoping for more) and that I can take a couple of meds that won't hurt my various organs or become addictive (I was going cold turkey).  Since my allergies have improved so much and since she thinks spinal decompression will help, things are looking good for this non-healing injury. 

Miss Mary Ann of Romper Room

Remember Romper Room???

My great great grandfather, James Parks, had a daughter, Lydia Jane Parks (sister to my great grandfather).

Lydia married (2d husband) William F. Mullen and they had a son, Alonzo Mullins (he changed the name from Mullen to Mullins) who moved from Indiana to Iowa and then to California where he was a minister in the Ceres area.

Alonzo and his wife had five girls.  The second girl was Virginia (Betty) Mullins who married an unrelated (at least as of now) Parks, Lloyd S. Parks (born and died in Modesto).

Lloyd had an older brother named Stanley R. Parks whose son, Douglas Eugene Parks (who went to Cal Poly San Luis), married Mary Ann Carpenter who became Miss Mary Ann on Romper Room.

And that is how I am “related” to Miss Mary Ann of Romper Room.  It was Miss Mary Ann who taught Shannon the Pledge of Allegiance.  My software says the relationship is Miss Mary Ann’s husband is my “nephew of husband of second cousin 1 times removed."  Life's a romp! 

Sunny Outlook

Now that the shot in my back has taken effect, life is much sunnier!  In fact, other issues have also cleared up since the shot.  Ever since our auto accident in 2002, my allergies have been on high alert - and it's really nice to have them behaving a little better.  I'll have a follow-up appointment with the pain specialists on the 21st of August to discuss the bulging discs and continued treatment.  I feel much better!

New Devil Pups

SoUtah new Devil Pups, including Honor Pup Ivan Cataluna.  Wish I had been there for the excitement!