Well, Dad’s home from the hospital. Let’s hope that’s the last he sees of the place for a while. I talked to him briefly this afternoon, but he was pretty sleepy from medication so I didn’t keep him on the phone. I was going to go out to visit him tonight, but I have two days to finish up a project for one of my classes because this weekend, I don’t want to be on my computer for anything.

Yes, you read that right. I’m unplugging for the weekend. And if all goes well, I’m making it a regular thing. It’s become too much of a distraction and until I can make some progress in other areas of my life, I need to limit myself.

So, every night this week (with the exception of last night), I’ve been trying to spend the majority of the evening working on homework. The only thing I haven’t figured out is how I’ll work in the genealogy research. Fortunately, I’m at a point now where I have to physically go to a couple of libraries and the family history center. My aunt from Texas is coming into town next month and I want to pick her brain. She’s done extensive tracing on my dad’s side of the family, so I’m hoping she can give me some encouragement.

The death certificate I ordered is for a man that I believe is my great grandmother’s younger brother. I’ve been unsuccessfully trying to learn their mother’s name. Here’s what I know:

In the 1870 census, she appeared as Adaline Briggs, born in Pennsylvania about 1847. She was married to John Briggs, and they had three children: Alfred, Emma (my great grandmother) and a child listed as Thomas. Fast forward to the 1880 census and Adaline is no longer listed. Thomas isn’t either, but there is a James Dallas born the same year (and given what I’ve learned so far, he went by Dallas, which could have been confused as Thomas by the census taker). There’s also another daughter, Laura, born about 1874.

I know that Emma and Alfred both ended up in Ohio and I know that Dallas stayed in Pennsylvania. But I don’t know what happened to my great great grandfather, nor do I know what happened to the younger sister. Most of the 1890 census was destroyed in a fire, so there’s a large piece of the puzzle missing, in which I might have learned where both father and daughter ended up. And what happened to Adaline?

Even curiouser, what was her actual name? Emma’s death certificate lists her mother’s name as Ada Ebert. Alfred’s lists his as Elizabeth Ebbers. I can’t find ANYTHING on either one of those names so far. So, I’m hoping that the death certificate of James Dallas Briggs gives me a little more concrete information to use.

I only wish I would have developed an interest in all of this sooner, when my grandmother was still alive to answer some questions. But I’m not giving up. Someone somewhere has the information. I just have to find it. And finding information happens to be one of my strengths.  It’s a mystery. Good thing I grew up reading Nancy Drew!

And now it’s back to the homework… a little less worried and scared tonight. Dad, if you’re reading this, I love you. In fact, I love you even if you’re NOT reading this.

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