Los Osos...

Today I was working in Los Osos, (same area from where the picture at the top of this page was taken). I always find it amazing that on one side of a home it can be windy, cold and 2 jacket weather, and then all you have to do is walk to the other side of the house and it's shirts off, lay back and have a cool drink weather. Ah yes, this is California coastal weather. I wouldn't trade it for any other place in the world.

First Flight Cover 1935 - Miriam Forbes

Miriam Forbes worked for Pan American Airways in China. China National Aviation Corporation was taken over by Pan Am in 1933. As you can see by the address on this 1935 First Flight cover, it is addressed to Miss Miriam Forbes at CNAC in Chungking China. She was the secretary to Mr. Bixby, president of operations in China.

Great Aunt and Great Grandmother in Hawaii 1937.

Recently I digitized a number of old family photos that my sister had in her collection. Among those pictures were a series of old black and white negatives. We couldn't tell what the pictures were, so I scanned them, and realized that the 2 women in the photos were my great aunt Miriam Forbes and her mother (my great grandmother) Johanna (Ahern) Forbes. It is obvious that my grandmother had hawaiian leis around her neck, but no one knew if she had gone to hawaii or was just celebrating. So I decided to do some investigative work. A few years ago I had researched articles in the local newspaper telling the story of my aunt Miriam and g-grandmother Johanna leaving Shanghai for Manila on the ship S. S. President Jefferson, after the Japanese invaded China. This was in late 1937. My aunt Miriam worked for the  P.A. Airways System, and their office was in Hongkew.
My assumption was that Miriam had either met Johanna in Hawaii prior to going to China or after they returned from their ordeal. One of the things that sticks out in the picture was the tower behind them. I didn't know what the tower was, but based on the fact that it looked like they were in Hawaii, I did a google search for: 'tower in hawaii'. The search came back with multiple hits showing pictures of 'Aloha Tower' in Oahu. That was it! I have been to Oahu but never noticed this tower. I learned the history, and that it was almost demolished but became part of the Aloha Center. Aloha tower is located where all the cruise ships arrived, back in the 30's. I am still researching this part of my aunt and g-grandmothers life, and hope to determine when exactly they were in Oahu. As a side piece of history, Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was aboard the same ship, (S.S. President Jefferson) when they left China. She had written for the United Press a graphic account of her experiences in Shanghai.

TheResearchman...

Someone asked me the other day why I use the screen name of "TheResearchman". I thought it was obvious, but maybe it isn't if you don't know me. I started using it on genealogy sites because mostly what I do on those sites is research my family. I have been an amateur genealogist for about 30 years and have spent many hours researching in libraries, courthouses, other cities, etc. In the last 5 years the research information available to the family historian online has multiplied exponentially. I have been able to find copies of original documents that just 5 years ago I would have had to travel to the towns and countries where these documents resided, and spend hours looking for these documents. Now with a simple (sometimes not so simple), push of a computer button, up pops my ancestor, and the copy of the original document.
Anyway, since I am a man and I spend hours, for fun, researching my families, I thought the screen name of "TheResearchman" fit. So now I use it for my screen name whenever possible. By the way, I still have to travel, write and look for info in other places. Not everything is online!

Early to bed, early to rise...

Ben Franklin is attributed with the quote, "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man health, wealthy and wise". Well I don't know about the wealthy and wise, but I seem to be healthy enough. Ever since my early 30's, I have been getting up early in the morning (generally between 4 and 5 am). Once I awake, I very seldom can go back to sleep. I haven't used an alarm clock in years. If I need to get up earlier, I can tell myself before I go to sleep, and I will wake up at that time.
I love and enjoy the quiet of the early morning. To me there is nothing better than arising before the sun and watching the sunrise. I feel like I am privy to a world that no one else is aware of. I can relax, read, watch a movie or just prepare for the day, and know that I am ready to take on my life. Try it sometime... Unless you already are an experienced early riser, you don't know what your missing.

Goofing off

So, here I am. My favorite time of the day. When all my work is done and I can sit and discover the many things available to play with out in cyberspace. Yea, that's how I got here! I took a link from my niece to her blog, and then followed the steps to set up my own blog... WHY? Hell, I don't know. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time! I guess the question is, will I return to write more at a later date. Check back and see.
So this is the first entry in "TheResearchman Blog". Have a great day!