Slow Week for Genealogy Research

It seems this time between Christmas and the New Year has been a slow one for my research, most of the work on my family has been sorting through papers and trying to get organized.  My dad has been giving me a lot of his old research papers and family photos to go through.

I did manage to send off two requests for military records, form SF 180, to the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, MO, requesting records for both of my grandfathers.  According to the paperwork, there is no charge for a copy of the records if sent to the next of kin, so I had my parents sign and request the paperwork.  Better to do it now while I can.  I submitted copies of my grandfather's obituaries as proof of death, hopefully that will work.  If not, will resubmit with death certificates, when I obtain them (one of my goals for 2011).

My maternal grandfather, William Lee Wright, served in the U.S. Army Air Corps  during World War II.  My paternal grandfather, Ord Wehrly LeMaster, served in the National Guard in the 1920s.  While I have some military records for Grandpa Wright, I do not have anything on Grandpa LeMaster, and I'm hoping that St. Louis has something in their files.  I understand there was a huge fire in 1973 that may have destroyed the records that I seek.

Wordless Wednesday: Bill & Vicki (Walsh) Seamans

Bill & Vicki (Walsh) Seamans, 1976

Wordless Wednesday – a great way to share your old family photos! Create a post with the main focus being a photograph or image. Some posters also include attribute information as to the source of the image (date, location, owner, etc.). Wordless Wednesday is one of the longest running “memes” in the blogosphere and is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Tombstone Tuesday: Imo Chew

Source: Salamonia Cemetery (Jay County, Indiana), Imo Chew marker, photographed by Travis LeMaster, 26 March 2009.

Imo C. CHEW is buried in the Salamonia Cemetery, Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana.  Imo was my paternal 1st cousin 3 times removed.


Imo was born November 20, 1902 in Jay County, Indiana, the daughter of William Anderson and Emma Susan (STRAIGHT) CHEW.


Imo never married and was a school teacher in Jay County.  She died in 1971, but I do not yet have the exact date.


Tombstone Tuesday – To participate in Tombstone Tuesday simply create a post which includes an image of a gravestone of one or more ancestors and it may also include a brief description of the image or the ancestor. This is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.