The Seed from which Apple's Tree Grew

I started my first blog in the final days of 2005. The Apple Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree is one of my mother's sayings and it seemed perfect for a family blog that would keep family members updated and allow me to share some of our family history with them. It turned out that I was writing mostly for myself. I did write a little about family history but I also wrote about so many other things that my blog had no focus .

I suffer from CRS and no longer remember how I first discovered Jasia and Creative Gene but I was surprised to find someone else writing about genealogy. I read through her archives and discovered the Carnival of Genealogy. That led to the discovery that there were others writing about family history too! I started lurking and poking around their archives too.

On 3 December 2006 Apple's Tree was born and on the 7th I wrote my first submission for the the COG. That was the 14th edition and my letter to Santa was something totally different than anything else I'd done. I submitted it and waited to see if it would be accepted. It was :-) That edition turned out to be an early milestone for the COG as Jasia wrote:

I want to thank each and every one of my fellow genea-bloggers who contributed to this edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. To Steve, JMK, Randy, Apple, Cameron, Dana, David, Miriam, Lee, and Susan I say a great big thank you! This marks a special milestone for me. It's the first Carnival edition that I didn't have to go out and look for blog posts or web sites to supplement those submitted for the Carnival. I like to have somewhere in the neighborhood of a dozen (or more would be great!) posts to feature in each edition. I just think the Carnival needs to average that level of content to be worth publishing on a regular basis. I wasn't sure the idea of a genealogy Carnival would fly when I started it but I'm cautiously optimistic now that it will.

From that time on I became a regular somewhat regular contributor to the COG. If you were to poke through my archives you would notice that when spring arrives Apple's Tree is sadly neglected while I focus my energy on my other passion, my garden. I have missed other editions for various reasons from time to time too.

The topics for the COG have inspired me to research and write about things I might not have otherwise. One such edition was the 45th, Cars as Stars! I immediately thought of all the times my grandfather talked about the Franklin automobile that was manufactured in Syracuse, NY. In researching the only picture I have of one of Grandpa's cars I discovered it was not a Franklin! I may have gone a bit overboard for that edition as in the end I wrote three different articles. Another edition that springs to mind was the 35th, Genetic Genealogy. At that time I was still very hazy on just what genetic genealogy was all about and the COG forced me to learn.

One of the best things about the COG for me personally has always been reading what others have written. There are so many very talented writers that I have discovered through their participation in the COG. Eighty-three editions have provided hours and hours of interesting reading! I've laughed and cried, I've been inspired to write about things that were difficult and I have learned so very much.

One of my most memorable COG moments was when Steve Danko read what I wrote for the 28th edition: Surnames. I was a bit lost and said, "I don't speak or read Italian and really have no idea where to go from here so it will probably sit on the shelf until I find some motivation to dig deeper." Steve not only read what I wrote, he wrote a post, Beginning Italian Genealogy, to help me and anyone else needing help with Italian ancestry. Thanks again Steve!

Another highlight for me was hosting the 73rd edition: The Good Earth. I wouldn't hesitate to host another edition but I could never write the great introductions that Jasia used to write.



This is my 42nd submission to the COG. I was surprised that I was only at 50%. I may not have written for every edition but I have tried to read them all.

I've enjoyed this trip down COG Memory Lane. I'll list my top five favorites (and it was very hard to pick just five!) and you can find the rest of my submissions here. You can find links to the past editions of the COG on the carnival index page.

1. The 42nd edition was Dinner with ancestors: Dining Out. I can't tell you how much fun I had writing this!
2. The 45th edition was Cars as Stars: Grandpa Loved Franklins. This is by far the best research project I have done for the COG and it was fun too!
3. The 36th edition was a carousel: Uncertain Future. In some ways carousels are tougher to write for than when I have a specific topic. What will happen to your family's treasures? I'd still like to hear your thoughts!
4. The 55th edition was Show and Tell: A Pink Ball Gown. I kept putting off dragging this gown out of the closet and writing about it. Thanks to the COG I finally got it done.
5. The 81st edition was Blog Obituary: What Is and What Could Be. Writing this was truly a turning point for me. I had stopped enjoying my blog. Writing out my feelings really helped to put me back on track!