Life has taken many twists and turns since my last post in 2011 (gulp). I have been busy raising the next generation in my family tree and haven't spent as much time posting about the generations that have come before. However, that doesn't mean my research has stopped and since 2011 I've made many new discoveries, both through DNA and by traditional research methods. Therefore, if we have common ancestors or research interests, PLEASE email me. My email is tracysroots at gmail dot com.
I will be happy to communicate with you. Who knows? I might have the information you need to knock down a brick wall. Or you could hold the key to something I've long searched for.
Don't be shy. Please email me at tracysroots at gmail dot com.
©2016, copyright tracysroots
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Ancestors' Geneameme
Jill from the Geniaus blog has created a new meme: The Ancestors' Geneameme. Here are my results.
The list should be annotated in the following manner:
Things you have already done or found: bold face type
Things you would like to do or find: italicize (colour optional)
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type
You are encouraged to add extra comments in brackets after each item
The list should be annotated in the following manner:
Things you have already done or found: bold face type
Things you would like to do or find: italicize (colour optional)
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type
You are encouraged to add extra comments in brackets after each item
Which of these apply to you?
- Can name my 16 great-great-grandparents
- Can name over 50 direct ancestors (I can name 108 at last count)
- Have photographs or portraits of my 8 great-grandparents (I have six, but have seen a portrait of the last two, but do not have a copy of it)
- Have an ancestor who was married more than three times (I wrote about Medina Sherer here)
- Have an ancestor who was a bigamist
- Met all four of my grandparents (only three, my grandpa Lee died before I was born)
- Met one or more of my great-grandparents (I saw my Hiby great-grandparents several times before they passed away)
- Named a child after an ancestor (my children's middle names only)
- Bear an ancestor's given name/s
- Have an ancestor from Great Britain or Ireland (my most recent would be Fanny Arnold Harmon, my 2nd great-grandmother)
- Have an ancestor from Asia
- Have an ancestor from Continental Europe (yep, lots)
- Have an ancestor from Africa
- Have an ancestor who was an agricultural labourer (I think nearly all my ancestors were involved in agriculture)
- Have an ancestor who had large land holdings (not sure how large is large, but many had 160+ acres)
- Have an ancestor who was a holy man - minister, priest, rabbi (Rev. Isaac Grindstaff, a Baptist preacher)
- Have an ancestor who was a midwife
- Have an ancestor who was an author
- Have an ancestor with the surname Smith, Murphy or Jones (sigh, yes, at least two different unrelated Jones lines)
- Have an ancestor with the surname Wong, Kim, Suzuki or Ng
- Have an ancestor with a surname beginning with X
- Have an ancestor with a forename beginnining with Z (Zerlinda, daughter of Medina mentioned in #4 above)
- Have an ancestor born on 25th December (nope but a set of great-great-grandparents got married on Christmas)
- Have an ancestor born on New Year's Day (4 relatives, but not a direct ancestor)
- Have blue blood in your family lines
- Have a parent who was born in a country different from my country of birth
- Have a grandparent who was born in a country different from my country of birth (my most recent ancestor of foreign birth is Fanny Arnold born in Warwickshire, England in 1856)
- Can trace a direct family line back to the eighteenth century
- Can trace a direct family line back to the seventeenth century or earlier
- Have seen copies of the signatures of some of my great-grandparents
- Have ancestors who signed their marriage certificate with an X (While I'm sure I do, I'd be happy to just have a copy of a marriage certificate!)
- Have a grandparent or earlier ancestor who went to university (I was the first college graduate in my family, followed by my sister three years later)
- Have an ancestor who was convicted of a criminal offence (I've heard rumors of a bastardy bond filed against a couple of ancestors - sure would like to see the evidence of it.)
- Have an ancestor who was a victim of crime
- Have shared an ancestor's story online or in a magazine (several times here on my blog)
- Have published a family history online or in print (Details please)
- Have visited an ancestor's home from the 19th or earlier centuries
- Still have an ancestor's home from the 19th or earlier centuries in the family
- Have a family bible from the 19th Century (I do have copies of pages from an early 20th century bible that lists some 19th births/marriages.)
- Have a pre-19th century family bible
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Porter J. Harmon and Rebecca Armstrong
Porter J. Harmon and Rebecca Armstrong are my third great-grandparents, through their son Walter Harmon.
Porter J. Harmon was born 14 May 1819 in New Marlborough, Berkshire, Massachusetts, to Walter Harmon and Azubah Hyde. He was the oldest of five known children of this couple. Very little is known of Porter's early years, but recent research has led me to his first marriage to Jane S. Hubbard on 25 November 1840 in Monterey, Berkshire, Massachusetts. To this union was born one known child, a daughter Emma Jane Harmon born about 1842.
By 1845, Porter, his daughter Emma Jane, his parents Walter and Azubah, his sister Mary and her husband Ira Heath, and another brother, had arrived in Whiteside Co, Illinois. Porter and his father Walter homesteaded property in what would later become Hopkins Township in Whiteside Co. More specifically they lived near a small community called Round Grove.
In 1849, Porter married Rebecca Armstrong, also of Round Grove. Rebecca was born in Pennsylvania in about 1825. While little else is known of Rebecca, I strongly believe that she is the daughter of the Barbara Armstrong living nearby in the 1850 census in Whiteside Co, Illinois. I have an unsourced date of death for Rebecca Armstrong Harmon as 31 March 1876. It may be likely she was buried in the nearby Round Grove Cemetery. Porter and Rebecca had the following children:
In about 1883, Porter, his son Walter and family, his daughter Adaline and family travelled to Clark Co, South Dakota where they homesteaded near the town of Clark. Porter died in Clark on 25 November 1897 after having gone out to do the chores. According to his obituary, Porter was living with his son Walter. Porter is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery north of Clark. His children Walter and Adaline and their spouses are buried nearby.
Please contact me if you are researching this family. I would be thrilled to share information. Sources available upon request.
©2011, copyright tracysroots
Porter J. Harmon was born 14 May 1819 in New Marlborough, Berkshire, Massachusetts, to Walter Harmon and Azubah Hyde. He was the oldest of five known children of this couple. Very little is known of Porter's early years, but recent research has led me to his first marriage to Jane S. Hubbard on 25 November 1840 in Monterey, Berkshire, Massachusetts. To this union was born one known child, a daughter Emma Jane Harmon born about 1842.
By 1845, Porter, his daughter Emma Jane, his parents Walter and Azubah, his sister Mary and her husband Ira Heath, and another brother, had arrived in Whiteside Co, Illinois. Porter and his father Walter homesteaded property in what would later become Hopkins Township in Whiteside Co. More specifically they lived near a small community called Round Grove.
In 1849, Porter married Rebecca Armstrong, also of Round Grove. Rebecca was born in Pennsylvania in about 1825. While little else is known of Rebecca, I strongly believe that she is the daughter of the Barbara Armstrong living nearby in the 1850 census in Whiteside Co, Illinois. I have an unsourced date of death for Rebecca Armstrong Harmon as 31 March 1876. It may be likely she was buried in the nearby Round Grove Cemetery. Porter and Rebecca had the following children:
- Adaline born Sept 1853, married Almon Zimmer on 3 July 1871 in Whiteside Co, Illinois and died 24 Jan 1922 in Clark Co, South Dakota.
- Evaline born in 1855, married Lemuel Moffat on 20 Aug 1878 in Whiteside Co, Illinois and died in 1904 in Clarkesville, Butler, Iowa as a victim of a fire.
- Walter J. Harmon, my great-great-grandfather, born Feb 1857 and died 6 June 1921 in Clark Co, South Dakota. He married Fannie Arnold on 16 Feb 1882 in Whiteside Co, Illinois.
- Mary born May 1862, married Samuel F. Etter on 29 Dec 1881 in Whiteside Co, Illinois. By 1900 the couple was living in Adams Co, Washington.
- Barbara born 1867 in Whiteside Co, Illinois
- Milo born 1869 in Whiteside Co, Illinois. It is presumed he died before 1880 as he is not found in that census with the rest of the family.
In about 1883, Porter, his son Walter and family, his daughter Adaline and family travelled to Clark Co, South Dakota where they homesteaded near the town of Clark. Porter died in Clark on 25 November 1897 after having gone out to do the chores. According to his obituary, Porter was living with his son Walter. Porter is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery north of Clark. His children Walter and Adaline and their spouses are buried nearby.
Please contact me if you are researching this family. I would be thrilled to share information. Sources available upon request.
©2011, copyright tracysroots
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Memory Lane: What a Difference an Apple Makes
I was a tween in 1986 when I first worked on an Apple computer. It sat in the back corner of my school classroom and we were given assigned times to work on it. I recall it had a 5 1/4 inch floppy drive and a flashing green cursor, but have no recollection of what I did on the computer.
Two years later, I was in junior high at a different school district taking a required computer class. I again worked on an Apple computer until I had "paid my dues", so to speak, and was able to move up to one of the limited numbers of Macintoshes in the room. I was in love! This computer stuff was easy. I remember thinking once I learned to type (which came the next year - backwards, I know) working on computers was going to be great.
Fast forward to high school where I took a variety of business and computer classes as some of my elective choices. One of the offerings was desktop publishing on a Mac. I remember loving that class, the teacher, and marveling at how simple the Mac interface was. As a senior, my business teacher recommended that I take another class that focused on learning the PC interface as preparation for college. My god, it was like taking a step backwards trying to learn WordPerfect 5.1 on a DOS-based system. It got worse when as a college freshman I was required to take another computer basics class where we learned more DOS programs. I missed my Mac, but I was suddenly immersed in a PC world.
That was about the time I met my husband who was a landscape architecture student. Because of all the draft courses in his major, he used a Mac. I used his computer a few times to write papers, rather than fighting for a computer in the labs spread across campus. As my husband and I entered the workforce, our focused shifted to PCs and we drifted away from our beloved Apple products.
And then came the iPod. It was musical magic. I stopped buying cds and started converting our existing cds to play on the iPod. Then my husband upgraded to an iPhone, which really helped with his work. I was green with envy and couldn't wait until I was due for a phone upgrade. On Mother's Day 2011, my husband gave me a white iPhone. He was like a kid in a candy store as he helped me set up my newtoy phone. The first app I downloaded was the Ancestry.com app so I could have my trees handy! While I never really cared about the kind of cell phone I had before, this iPhone has changed my life, just as I expect Steve Jobs thought it would.
Just last week while checking Facebook on my iPhone, I learned of Steve Jobs passing. It's hard to describe how his innovations have changed the last 25 years for me. Rest in peace, Mr. Jobs. There will never be another like you.
Note: I am not affiliated with Apple, Inc. or any of their products mentioned. I am just a satisfied paying customer.
©2011, copyright tracysroots
Two years later, I was in junior high at a different school district taking a required computer class. I again worked on an Apple computer until I had "paid my dues", so to speak, and was able to move up to one of the limited numbers of Macintoshes in the room. I was in love! This computer stuff was easy. I remember thinking once I learned to type (which came the next year - backwards, I know) working on computers was going to be great.
Fast forward to high school where I took a variety of business and computer classes as some of my elective choices. One of the offerings was desktop publishing on a Mac. I remember loving that class, the teacher, and marveling at how simple the Mac interface was. As a senior, my business teacher recommended that I take another class that focused on learning the PC interface as preparation for college. My god, it was like taking a step backwards trying to learn WordPerfect 5.1 on a DOS-based system. It got worse when as a college freshman I was required to take another computer basics class where we learned more DOS programs. I missed my Mac, but I was suddenly immersed in a PC world.
That was about the time I met my husband who was a landscape architecture student. Because of all the draft courses in his major, he used a Mac. I used his computer a few times to write papers, rather than fighting for a computer in the labs spread across campus. As my husband and I entered the workforce, our focused shifted to PCs and we drifted away from our beloved Apple products.
And then came the iPod. It was musical magic. I stopped buying cds and started converting our existing cds to play on the iPod. Then my husband upgraded to an iPhone, which really helped with his work. I was green with envy and couldn't wait until I was due for a phone upgrade. On Mother's Day 2011, my husband gave me a white iPhone. He was like a kid in a candy store as he helped me set up my new
Just last week while checking Facebook on my iPhone, I learned of Steve Jobs passing. It's hard to describe how his innovations have changed the last 25 years for me. Rest in peace, Mr. Jobs. There will never be another like you.
Note: I am not affiliated with Apple, Inc. or any of their products mentioned. I am just a satisfied paying customer.
©2011, copyright tracysroots
Monday, July 11, 2011
Children of Walter and Fanny (Arnold) Harmon
As I mentioned in my previous post, my great-great-grandparents, Walter and Fanny (Arnold) Harmon, had five children. In this post, I will present a bit more information about the children. Please contact me if you have further information. I would LOVE to share.
1. Edward Joseph Harmon, my great-grandfather. I wrote about him in this post.
2. Edna Barbara Harmon: born 16 Feb 1885 in Dakota Territory in what became Clark County, South Dakota. Edna married a second cousin, Willis Fellows Heath, in Clark 15 July 1901. According to the 1910 U.S. Federal census, they were in Jefferson Co, Colorado and had 2 living children (Maud and Emmett) and one child deceased. Willis registered for the WWI draft in Kansas City, Missouri and they were residents of that city in the 1920 U.S. Federal census. By 1930, they were apparently living apart. I have found Barbara living with their son Emmett. She lists herself as head of household and married. I have not been able to find Willis in 1930. Willis died 11 October 1944 in Kansas City of stomach cancer. The death certificate indicates he was buried in Lawrence, Kansas and his last residence was in Merriam, Kansas. Edna married a second time to a Clarence W. Harrod. She died 11 April 1951 in Kansas City as a result of bronchial pneumonia, abdominal peritonitis, and likely the ultimate culprit was metastasized liver cancer.
3. Ida Elizabeth Harmon: born 13 July 1890 in Clark Co, South Dakota. Ida married Walter W. Watson on the 30 October 1909. They were living in Clark Co in 1910 for the U.S. Federal Census but by about 1914, they had moved to Alberta, Canada. According to Fannie Arnold Harmon's obituary, Ida was living in Gadsby, Alberta Canada in 1945. She died there 14 May 1954 and is buried in Stetler-Lakeview Cemetery. Ida and Walter had at least four children: Vivien about 1911, Vienna about 1912, a son Virge about 1913 and Victor in 1929.
4. Fannie Mary Harmon: born 12 March 1892 in Clark Co, South Dakota. Fannie married Herbert E. Schaefer on the 6 June 1911 in Clark. By 1920, Fannie and Herbert were living in Orleans, Winnesheik Co, Iowa, which is the area Herbert was from. The couple had four children (birth dates are approximate): Esther b. 1914, Arvine b. 1915, Viola b. 1917, and Laverne b. 1923.
5. Morris Walter Harmon: born 25 April 1896 in Clark Co, South Dakota. Morris married Jessie Mae (last name unknown) prior to 1920. They had three children (birth dates are approximate): Wilma Joyce (1920-1920), Ida born 1922, and Izetta born 1923. Morris served as a Private in the Air Service in World War I. Morris lived in Clark County his entire life and died there in 1962. Jessie died in 1971. The couple is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, Clark County, South Dakota in the Harmon family plot with Morris' parents, Walter and Fannie, and Walter's father, Porter Harmon. Their infant daughter, Wilma, is also in the family plot.
I would be thrilled to connect with any descendants of Edna, Ida, Fannie and Morris. I do have a few pictures and more specific information on the oldest child, Edward, who is my great-grandfather. I am happy to share my sources and further information. Also, if there are any errors in the above information, please let me know so I can update this post and my database.
©2009-2011, copyright tracysroots
1. Edward Joseph Harmon, my great-grandfather. I wrote about him in this post.
2. Edna Barbara Harmon: born 16 Feb 1885 in Dakota Territory in what became Clark County, South Dakota. Edna married a second cousin, Willis Fellows Heath, in Clark 15 July 1901. According to the 1910 U.S. Federal census, they were in Jefferson Co, Colorado and had 2 living children (Maud and Emmett) and one child deceased. Willis registered for the WWI draft in Kansas City, Missouri and they were residents of that city in the 1920 U.S. Federal census. By 1930, they were apparently living apart. I have found Barbara living with their son Emmett. She lists herself as head of household and married. I have not been able to find Willis in 1930. Willis died 11 October 1944 in Kansas City of stomach cancer. The death certificate indicates he was buried in Lawrence, Kansas and his last residence was in Merriam, Kansas. Edna married a second time to a Clarence W. Harrod. She died 11 April 1951 in Kansas City as a result of bronchial pneumonia, abdominal peritonitis, and likely the ultimate culprit was metastasized liver cancer.
3. Ida Elizabeth Harmon: born 13 July 1890 in Clark Co, South Dakota. Ida married Walter W. Watson on the 30 October 1909. They were living in Clark Co in 1910 for the U.S. Federal Census but by about 1914, they had moved to Alberta, Canada. According to Fannie Arnold Harmon's obituary, Ida was living in Gadsby, Alberta Canada in 1945. She died there 14 May 1954 and is buried in Stetler-Lakeview Cemetery. Ida and Walter had at least four children: Vivien about 1911, Vienna about 1912, a son Virge about 1913 and Victor in 1929.
4. Fannie Mary Harmon: born 12 March 1892 in Clark Co, South Dakota. Fannie married Herbert E. Schaefer on the 6 June 1911 in Clark. By 1920, Fannie and Herbert were living in Orleans, Winnesheik Co, Iowa, which is the area Herbert was from. The couple had four children (birth dates are approximate): Esther b. 1914, Arvine b. 1915, Viola b. 1917, and Laverne b. 1923.
5. Morris Walter Harmon: born 25 April 1896 in Clark Co, South Dakota. Morris married Jessie Mae (last name unknown) prior to 1920. They had three children (birth dates are approximate): Wilma Joyce (1920-1920), Ida born 1922, and Izetta born 1923. Morris served as a Private in the Air Service in World War I. Morris lived in Clark County his entire life and died there in 1962. Jessie died in 1971. The couple is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, Clark County, South Dakota in the Harmon family plot with Morris' parents, Walter and Fannie, and Walter's father, Porter Harmon. Their infant daughter, Wilma, is also in the family plot.
I would be thrilled to connect with any descendants of Edna, Ida, Fannie and Morris. I do have a few pictures and more specific information on the oldest child, Edward, who is my great-grandfather. I am happy to share my sources and further information. Also, if there are any errors in the above information, please let me know so I can update this post and my database.
©2009-2011, copyright tracysroots
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Obituary of Fannie Arnold Harmon 1856-1945
Published in the Clark County Courier, June 14, 1945, Thursday edition:
Funeral Friday for Early Pioneer
Mrs. Fannie Harmon Passed Away in Clark Home Tuesday Evening.
Funeral service will be conducted from the Peace Evangelical Lutheran church Friday afternoon for Mrs. Fannie Harmon, early day pioneer of this community, who passed away Tuesday evening at the home of Mrs. Sarah Felstehausen in this city. Mrs. Harmon was nearly 89 years old at the time of her death.
Born at Warwickshire, England, November 7, 1856, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Arnold, she being the last member of a family of 13 children.
At the age of 10 years, Mrs. Harmon came to Ontario, Canada, with her parents. As a young woman she went to Illinois to work and there met and married Walter Harmon, at Round Grove, Illinois on February 16, 1882. To this union 5 children were born. Mr. and Mrs. Harmon came to Clark county, Dakota territory, in March, 1883 and filed on a claim in Mt. Pleasant township. They farmed in Clark county until 1908, when they moved to the city of Clark.
Mr. Harmon passed away at his home in Clark on June 6, 1921. Mrs. Harmon was a member of the church of England, and became a member of the Peace Evangelical Lutheran church of Clark, a few years ago.
Besides her five children, Edward of Henry, Morris of Raymond, Mrs. Edna Harrod of Kansas City, Mo., Mrs. Ida Watson of Gadsby Alberta, Canada, and Mrs. Fannie Schaefer of Cresco, Iowa, Mrs. Harmon is survived by 15 grandchildren and 18 great grand children.
Services will be held from the Peace Evangelical church in this city Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock with Rev. W. H. Zuecher in charger. Interment will be in the family lot in the Rose Hill cemetery. Pallbearers will be George Sherwood, Earl Anderson, Ardean Graff, E.A. Silfies, L.T. Strand and Max Brown.
Notes:
This obituary says she died at the home of Sarah Felstehausen. I do not recognize that as a relative nor do I recognize any of the names of the pallbearers. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who know know of those individuals.
©2011, copyright tracysroots
Funeral Friday for Early Pioneer
Mrs. Fannie Harmon Passed Away in Clark Home Tuesday Evening.
Funeral service will be conducted from the Peace Evangelical Lutheran church Friday afternoon for Mrs. Fannie Harmon, early day pioneer of this community, who passed away Tuesday evening at the home of Mrs. Sarah Felstehausen in this city. Mrs. Harmon was nearly 89 years old at the time of her death.
Born at Warwickshire, England, November 7, 1856, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Arnold, she being the last member of a family of 13 children.
At the age of 10 years, Mrs. Harmon came to Ontario, Canada, with her parents. As a young woman she went to Illinois to work and there met and married Walter Harmon, at Round Grove, Illinois on February 16, 1882. To this union 5 children were born. Mr. and Mrs. Harmon came to Clark county, Dakota territory, in March, 1883 and filed on a claim in Mt. Pleasant township. They farmed in Clark county until 1908, when they moved to the city of Clark.
Mr. Harmon passed away at his home in Clark on June 6, 1921. Mrs. Harmon was a member of the church of England, and became a member of the Peace Evangelical Lutheran church of Clark, a few years ago.
Besides her five children, Edward of Henry, Morris of Raymond, Mrs. Edna Harrod of Kansas City, Mo., Mrs. Ida Watson of Gadsby Alberta, Canada, and Mrs. Fannie Schaefer of Cresco, Iowa, Mrs. Harmon is survived by 15 grandchildren and 18 great grand children.
Services will be held from the Peace Evangelical church in this city Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock with Rev. W. H. Zuecher in charger. Interment will be in the family lot in the Rose Hill cemetery. Pallbearers will be George Sherwood, Earl Anderson, Ardean Graff, E.A. Silfies, L.T. Strand and Max Brown.
Notes:
This obituary says she died at the home of Sarah Felstehausen. I do not recognize that as a relative nor do I recognize any of the names of the pallbearers. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who know know of those individuals.
©2011, copyright tracysroots
Friday, January 28, 2011
Memory Lane: The Challenger Explosion
That frosty January morning of my fifth grade year started as every other school day did. I got up and began to get ready for school. I decided I really didn't feel well and went to my mother. After feeling my forehead and taking the obligatory temperature, my mother decided I wasn't going to school that day. My sister, three years my junior, headed off on her own to wait for the bus. My mother got herself ready for work and then I was at home with just my grandma. I can't recall where my grandpa was but likely out working in his shop on something or other.
I had settled onto my mom's bed with pillow and blankets in tow to watch morning television. I distinctly recall seeing the first few minutes, maybe even as much as a half hour, of Bob Barker and The Price is Right. Suddenly there was a breaking news story cutting into the show. The Challenger launch at Cape Canaveral had gone awry. It was too early to know what happened, but I recall there was a lot of speculation on the news anchor's part.
When it became apparent that The Price is Right wasn't going to resume any time soon, I relocated to the living room sofa. My grandma had likely been watching Donahue as was her routine after everyone left for work or school. She was watching the NBC coverage and I can distinctly see Tom Brokaw talking about the apparent explosion of the Challenger Space Shuttle. The morning wore on, the coverage continued, and the questions began. I must have watched that short, but tragic video clip a hundred times that day. The focus seemed to be so much on Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space.
Probably the reason this day sticks so much in my memory was that Idaho teacher Barbara Morgan was in the Teacher in Space program with McAuliffe and was backup to McAuliffe for the Challenger launch. Our local news coverage was heavy in the days leading up to the Challenger launch, with particular emphasis on the Morgan connection. She was an elementary school teacher in the McCall-Donnelly School District and it was big news that little ol' Idaho had such a teacher worthy of being selected for this elite group. I remember it was talked about in my fifth grade class.
My memories of the rest of that day are blurry, likely from not feeling well. I know I went to school the following day. I remember the teacher talking to the class about explosion. It was the top story of the NBC news coverage for days to come. And I remember learning that the Teacher in Space program was suspended.
Though the program was halted due to the catastrophe that January day, Barbara Morgan did get her turn in space when in August 2007 she participated in a 12-day mission to the International Space Station. Following her successful mission, she has been a speaker and more recently at the local university as a Distinguished Educator in Residence. However, nearly all news coverage of her links her to the Challenger disaster and Christa McAuliffe.
It seems hard to believe 25 years have passed since that day I didn't feel well.
©2011, copyright tracysroots
I had settled onto my mom's bed with pillow and blankets in tow to watch morning television. I distinctly recall seeing the first few minutes, maybe even as much as a half hour, of Bob Barker and The Price is Right. Suddenly there was a breaking news story cutting into the show. The Challenger launch at Cape Canaveral had gone awry. It was too early to know what happened, but I recall there was a lot of speculation on the news anchor's part.
When it became apparent that The Price is Right wasn't going to resume any time soon, I relocated to the living room sofa. My grandma had likely been watching Donahue as was her routine after everyone left for work or school. She was watching the NBC coverage and I can distinctly see Tom Brokaw talking about the apparent explosion of the Challenger Space Shuttle. The morning wore on, the coverage continued, and the questions began. I must have watched that short, but tragic video clip a hundred times that day. The focus seemed to be so much on Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space.
Probably the reason this day sticks so much in my memory was that Idaho teacher Barbara Morgan was in the Teacher in Space program with McAuliffe and was backup to McAuliffe for the Challenger launch. Our local news coverage was heavy in the days leading up to the Challenger launch, with particular emphasis on the Morgan connection. She was an elementary school teacher in the McCall-Donnelly School District and it was big news that little ol' Idaho had such a teacher worthy of being selected for this elite group. I remember it was talked about in my fifth grade class.
My memories of the rest of that day are blurry, likely from not feeling well. I know I went to school the following day. I remember the teacher talking to the class about explosion. It was the top story of the NBC news coverage for days to come. And I remember learning that the Teacher in Space program was suspended.
Though the program was halted due to the catastrophe that January day, Barbara Morgan did get her turn in space when in August 2007 she participated in a 12-day mission to the International Space Station. Following her successful mission, she has been a speaker and more recently at the local university as a Distinguished Educator in Residence. However, nearly all news coverage of her links her to the Challenger disaster and Christa McAuliffe.
It seems hard to believe 25 years have passed since that day I didn't feel well.
©2011, copyright tracysroots
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