2012 Christmas Eve

For Calvary Chapel St. George's Christmas Eve service at the Dixie Center, I got to play piano [OK, keyboard] prelude. I'll post photos of the event.

(1) Me
(2) The Band
(3) Children's Choir
(4) Setting up the convention hall

Learning New Techniques

While playing with different photo programs, this capability really captured my interest.  The photo editor that I liked so much disappeared with my old computer and isn’t offered anymore – nor will the old program play nice with my new computer.  So once I figure out how to recreate this and which program introduced it, maybe I can cause people to think I’m my own grandma!!

Toole Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful trip (outside of an allergy to cats!!) to the Bay Area for our annual pre-Thanksgiving celebration with several kids and their families.  For our photos from that event, go to this photo album:  Toole Thanksgiving

2010 Nov Marine Corps Birthday Ball-Salt Lake City

Genealogy Surprise

I have received a notification of a 37 of 37 marker match to the Parks DNA project by Carey Parks.  Carey’s oldest proven ancestor is James Parks born about 1796 in Tyrone, Ireland (five years after my James Parks was born in Virginia) who emigrated from Ireland around 1821 to Pennsylvania and died in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania in 1861.  DNA results this close suggest a close relationship within five or fewer generations.  It is possible James Parks 1796 and my James Parks 1790/91 were cousins, but there is a 1-5 generation possibility.  I don't feel it is likely these two James were first cousins, but we will sure try to find out.  There is still much to research, which hopefully will be enhanced by Carey’s plans to travel to Ireland in the spring.  I have a cousin, Sonya, also a Parks genealogist, who is visiting in Washington, D.C.  She will see if she can locate anything on this connection at NARA. 

Following is information sent by Carey on his findings on this ancestor:

From History of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania:

James Parks (William B. Parks father) was born in Tyrone, Ireland, where he was reared and educated, attending the common schools adjacent to his home. When twenty-five years of age he determined to seek a new home for himself amid new surroundings and accordingly emigrated to the United States, settling in Allegheny county Pennsylvania, where he spent the remainder of his days. At the early age of fifteen years he married , and the death of his wife occurred nine months later. He married a second time, this wife dying one year later, survived by one child, and at the age of twenty-five years he married his third wife, whose maiden name was Mary Ann Woods, in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, and they had eight children: Alexander, deceased; Martha, Nancy, Alice, deceased; Ann Jane, William B., mentioned hereafter; Thomas, and James, deceased.  It appears that Carey's James' father was William Parks, born about 1778 in Ireland.

A reference I found on Accessible:

HISTORY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY. Thomas Cushing. A. Warner & Co, 1889, p. 128.

TOWNSHIPS AND BOROUGHS (CONTINUED).

PENN TOWNSHIP.

January 16, 1850, Robert Logan, Thomas Davison and Daniel Beeber were appointed by the court to view the boundaries of a new township to be formed from the northern part of Wilkins. July 8, 1850, by decree of court, a division of the latter was confirmed agreeably to their report, and the territory adjoining the Allegheny river erected into Adams township, the other portion retaining the name of Wilkins. August 31, 1850, the action of the court was reconsidered, and the name changed to McNair, but the records are silent as to the time when the present name was adopted. How often the name may have been changed in the meantime is matter of conjecture.  Among the settlers here prior to the Revolution was Thomas Wilson. He secured a patent for four hundred acres under the name of Wilson’s mount in 1788, but had made his first residence here in 1770, removing to Fort Pitt in 1776.

Other early settlers were:

Thomas Sampson and sons John, James, William, Thomas, David and Alexander; John Johnson and son James; John Duff and sons James, William, John, Alexander, David, George and Samuel (the last now living at the age of eighty-one); William Parks and sons James, John, David, William, Robert and Thomas; Alexander Damster and son James; William McQuay and sons John, Samuel and Thomas; Charles Johnson and sons John, James, William and Andrew; Henry Morrow and sons John, James, Henry and Hugh; Robert Donaldson and son Hugh; Samuel Ferguson and sons Enoch, Samuel, Isaac and James; 

Fun, Fun, Fun!!

It was so much fun surprising Bill with special guests at his 80th birthday party.  The ballroom at SunRiver was an elegant backdrop for our party plans.  Five of our six kids attended, Mike gave a wonderful toast to his dad, we got to introduce our kids to our friends, Kendra presented a slice of cake and candle to her grandpa, the food by Players and cakes from Harmon's were extra special and our special guests were the 94 year-old St. George "flagman" Lee Warren, past Speaker of the House for Utah, Dave Clark, Representative Don Ipson, and Col. Ray Blum who came in from California's headquarters to represent Devil Pups, Inc.  It was definitely an overwhelming time for The Big Guy and we thank everyone who attended, including Col. Dave Houston for his excellent M.C. duties.

You can read Mike's toast and the tribute from Devil Pups, Inc. in the documents attached to the photo album, link below.

Here is a photo of the octogenarian and some guests, plus a link to all the birthday photos. 

Terry Dunne, Lee Warren, Bill and Donna Toole, Mr. and Mrs. Foster Johnson; Speaker Dave Clark in background.

Bill's 80th Birthday Photos

An interview about the new Veterans Nursing Home project:
Bill Toole Interview

Mystery Children - McDougalls??

Here's a photo, possibly circa 1890's of three children and one ratty dog!!  This photo was in my aunt's possession but she doesn't know who these children are.  For years she has been the repository for our family photos and now she is the last of her generation.  I am rebuilding her photo album/scrapbook and we'd like to discover who these children are.  

In a prior posting, I included a group photo that includes Persis McDougall Phelps.  A careful review of that group photo shows three children, at a slightly older age than this photo, who could well be these three children.  They are spread throughout that group shot, with the little girl close to the middle and the boys on each end.  Given that these three faces "could" be in the group shot, I am wondering if these are the children of Persis' brother, George McDougall (1853-1905) of Heart Prairie, Wisconsin.  His children were two boys, Colin (1883-1945), Shirley (1886-1951) and one girl, Nellie (b. abt 1889 - death unknown).  There is no identification of the photo whatsoever, other than a photographer's studio name which appears to be "Hoaglund and Anderson."  I've been unable to discover where that photographer was located in the timeframe of this photo.