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Dad sent out a text to the family thread on March 10th. Mom's birthday was coming up, the first since we lost her last August. Since then, our family has been dealing with a year of firsts. I received my first solo singing of "Happy Birthday" on my birthday in November. Up until now, it … Continue reading Medium Format Negative

1950 Census: I Think They Missed a Brownstone

On April 1st, 2022, the National Archives released the 1950 Census. A law passed in 1978 requires 72 years before the census is released to the public. The official count date for the 1950 Census was 1 April 1950. Because of the need to return and gather information from people that the census taker missed … Continue reading 1950 Census: I Think They Missed a Brownstone

The old Brownstone is for rent…

The "Siblings & Dad" thread on my phone pinged a few weeks ago on a Sunday morning. Bob, my brother, forwarded a link about the brownstone on 4th Street in the Park Slope neighborhood in Brooklyn that was home to my family in the 60s and early 70s. It is for rent. Wouldn't it be … Continue reading The old Brownstone is for rent…

Up On The Roof

While listening to Spotify a few months ago, a James Taylor cover of “Up On The Roof,” by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, began playing.  To me, the song is quintessentially about New York. As luck would have it, I was putting together flash drives of old family photos for my siblings at that moment … Continue reading Up On The Roof

I am getting back to work here

I have not posted on the blog since last summer. In the interim I have been working on my other blog. If you know about that blog, you know about it. If you don't, let's just say I do not want to cross contaminate between the two blogs. This is the lighter of the blogs, … Continue reading I am getting back to work here

The Perils of Disproving Family Legends

I am knee-deep in genealogy paperwork this weekend.  A package from the National Archives containing the military records of my great-grandfather, Sidney J. Kelly, Sr. spilled over 100 photocopied pages across my table that probably have not been disturbed since the 1920's at a time when his widow was seeking assistance with pensions and death … Continue reading The Perils of Disproving Family Legends