A decade has flown for Small-leaved Shamrock!

"Téann an saol thart mar a bheadh eiteoga air." - Irish Gaelic saying meaning Life goes by as if it had wings

Ten years ago today I created an account on Blogger.com, started a couple of blogs, and put out the word to the world that I was tracing my family tree and planning to share my family's stories with anyone who happened to click over.

I didn't know it at the time.

I thought I was reaching out to a few cousins who might read my blogs and be fascinated by our shared history. But it didn't quite go that way. The world found me, and my humble little blogs opened up connections that I had not expected.

Up to that point, my genealogical research project had been primarily a very personal project - a hobby that I pursued quietly on my own. The start of my blogs introduced me to other genealogists and a world of connections that have enriched my life and enhanced the search for my roots in a great many ways.

On this 10th anniversary of the date I started my blogs, I want to shout out to all my fellow geneabloggers who took the brave (or foolish!) step to jump out into the internet with their family stories! You continue to inspire my spirit and enliven my personal research journey.

I also want to give a round of applause to all of my family members - distant and not so distant - who made the effort to read my blogs, share what they know about our family, and spread the word to more cousins. Your interest in my work helps ensure that our ancestors will not be so quickly forgotten, but will become part of the collective memory of many more branches of our family tree.

It is a joy to see the way the stories I have shared on these genealogy blogs continue to touch others - those within my family (both in the United States and in my ancestral homelands), and those outside my family (wherever the internet can reach). Just yesterday a friend informed me that within a lesson on blogging in an online genealogy course she was taking, she found my familiar Small-leaved Shamrock listed as one of two blog examples. I continue to be surprised at where I find mention of my work and who has stopped over for an online visit.

For much of the past decade, I have not given the attention I had hoped to my genealogy blogs. But they have patiently remained waiting in the wings, ready for the time when I mosey back over and give them some new material. During this time, the stories I've shared have continued to receive new readers, many of whom I've connected with. I have spent the past several years using the genealogy time I have available to educate myself on research standards and to apply those standards to the work I thought I had done so well early on. The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know.

My blogs continue to be an incredible resource for me - a easily accessible reminder of the work I have done on various family lines, the social history of the regions from which my ancestors emigrated, the questions I still want answered.

If you are new to Small-leaved Shamrock, here are a few highlights: some of the most popular articles and some of my personal favorites.

• "The long and stormy passage": The 1823 sea voyage of Patrick Cowhey and a spirited Irish priest
• Mother to 15, Widow at 38: My discovery of the photograph of my quietly heroic great-great-grandmother
• One-hundred and twenty years ago today: The death of Ann Cowhey, 1893
• Death comes in threes: The sorrows of Margaret Foley Cowhey, 1891-1895
• A horrifying end and a hero's farewell, November 1892
• Crossing the Potomac with William: A soldier's story
• Seeing double! Twins in the family and the need to study genealogical records with a careful eye
• The provenance of a hairbrush: Thievery and the family historian
• Irish women in America: Our grandmother's stories
• Coal region Catholics: The story of Pottsville's Church of St. Patrick
• A St. Patrick's Day miracle for the Irish/Hungarian genealogy blogger

Thanks for making a visit - I hope you find something here that inspires your own search for family history.

If you have an interest, stop over to the other two blogs I also started ten years ago: 100 Years in America and A Light that Shines Again. You can also find more about my work at my website: smallestleaf.com.

There is an Irish blessing that begins:

"May there always be work for your hands to do...". 

If you are a genealogist, that is certainly a given, and one of the reasons why I hope to keep these blogs going for many more years to come.

All I Really Needed to Know About Genealogy I Learned in Kindergarten

Well, not exactly. But it got me off to a great start!

If you are in the Philadelphia area on Thursday, June 18, please join me at the Third Thursday meeting of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. I'll be presenting a back-to-basics look at the genealogical research process using Robert Fulgham's well-known essay and examples from my search for my Pennsylvania roots.

"And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK." - Robert Fulgham

We’ll step back and look at some genealogical basics, with a light-hearted but serious eye toward improving the quality of our research process, and finding joy in the genealogical journey as we do! I hope you’ll come out and join us!

It's official! My PA roots go back prior to the Civil War

It's official! The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania has accepted my application for their First Families of Pennsylvania lineage society. My Keystone State roots go back to 1840. That makes me a "Keystone and Cornerstone" member.

I've always been proud of my PA roots. I've never lived there, I wasn't born there, and I've not spent nearly enough time visiting, yet I love the state of Pennsylvania and now I have the official certificate showing one reason why!

As I mentioned in my earlier post at the time I mailed my application, I combined all my research into this line of my family into eighty-three final pages, including sixty-five pages of documentation and a sixteen-page summary of the generations and sources I used to document them. All in all, I compiled documentation for six generations of my family spanning 174 years back to 1840 in Pennsylvania. Not bad for a spare-time genealogist!

Documentation for the two earliest generations of my Cowhey family members in Pennsylvania.

Above is a screenshot I took of the pages within my application including genealogical documentation for just the earliest two generations of the Cowhey family in Pennsylvania:

• Patrick Cowhey (c. 1807-1871)
• Ann Cowhey (c. 1812-1893) - Patrick's wife
• William Cowhey (1834-1892) - Patrick and Ann's son
• Margaret Foley Cowhey (1855-1912) - William's 2nd wife

If you are a cousin of mine and we are connected through Patrick & Ann's family tree, please contact me and I'll give you details about making your own application to the First Families of Pennsylvania.

Good news! I've done the hard work for you (finding proof back to our earliest ancestors in PA). Now you just have to connect the pieces in later generations, send in your application and - voila! - you, too can be an official First Families of Pennsylvania member. Please let me know if you'd like help with the process. I'd love to have some cousins join me in celebrating our Pennsylvania roots in this way!

First Families of Pennsylvania application - check!

My application consisted of eighty-three final pages, including sixty-five pages of documentation and a sixteen-page summary of the generations and sources I used to document them. All in all, I presented my research into six generations of my family spanning 174 years back to 1840 in Pennsylvania. Not bad for a spare-time genealogist!

It has been a joy to trace my roots in Pennsylvania and it will be an honor to see my ancestors included within the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania's official list of First Families of Pennsylvania within the designation "Keystone & Cornerstone: 1791-1865".

I always love to visit Pennsylvania, but it will be even more special to step onto the soil of the Keystone State once I receive word from GSP that my application was accepted and my family is enrolled within their list of First Families. This is one package that was sent to Philadelphia "from Texas with love", for sure!

On Christmas bazaars, ping pong tables and a pleading daughter

If you are reading this because the title intrigued you, you may be surprised to learn that this article is about Christmas ornaments. More specifically, it is about a woman, her dedication to the year-round crafting of such ornaments, and her grown daughter's desire to be the recipient of some of those creations.

Let me begin by introducing the woman herself (my Nana): Anne (Cowhey) McCue. When our story begins Anne is in her sixties and in ill health. She has raised her children to adulthood, though one still lives at home. She has more time on her hands than she has had for many years. Although she finds some days challenging because of her physical state, Anne has taken on a monumental task for herself: to design, craft, and sell loads of felt Christmas ornaments to raise money for the church bazaar at her parish: St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Massapequa (Long Island), New York.

Anne (Cowhey) McCue, 1978

Anne takes regular walks at the local mall, hiding a small sketchbook in her purse. Whenever she sees a character or other design that she thinks would make a good ornament, she takes a few minutes to sketch it, watching over her shoulder for clerks who might not appreciate her "stealing" an idea. She sketches figures of all kinds, including newly popular characters (this is before the age of the internet, so she can't go look Ziggy or the Hobbit up online when she decides to make them into felt ornaments).

Before too much of each year goes by, Anne's brainchild design ideas have been crafted into touchable felt ornaments. Where to store all these treasures while they await the annual parish bazaar? Her solution is her basement: on top of the ping pong tables that take up residence down there. Visiting grandchildren who love to play ping pong get ousted certain months of the year when the ornament population is high. The church bazaar takes precedence!

Speaking of visitors, one visitor and great admirer of Nana's ornaments is her eldest daughter. Whenever she is in town during peek ornament season, she enjoys taking the steps down into the basement to admire her mother's work. Walking around the ping pong tables, she admires the many characters, mentally choosing the ones she'd like for her own Christmas tree. But her wishes are in vain - her mother has dedicated herself to raising money for the church bazaar. Quantity counts, so the ornaments must remain in inventory!

Over the years, Anne's daughter is able to procure a very small collection of her mother's ornaments: sweet little winking mice, teddy bears, Santas, puppy dogs, even a Nativity ornament. Her collection, which is just a small sampling of her mother's work, is a family treasure enjoyed by herself and her children each year as they set up their Christmas tree many states away from Nana and her ornament workshop.

Anne McCue died in 1985 at the age of 71. Yet Nana is still fondly remembered in a special way each year at Christmas in my household and the households of other family members who were lucky enough to receive a few of her ornaments. When I unpack Santa (pictured above) each year, I can't help but think of Nana and wonder whose Christmas trees might also be graced by some of her handiwork and who might have benefitted from the church funds raised because of her valiant effort to fill a basement with Christmas cheer in the form of felt ornaments.

Nana with some of her larger hand-crafted friends

 ~

As Nana's eldest grandchild, I had the privilege of getting to know her better than many of my siblings or cousins. (Here I am with Nana and Mommy on my second birthday. Notice me eyeing the cake.)

Not only did I have the joy of getting to know Nana, but since I was old enough when she began making her famed Christmas ornaments, she spent some time teaching me how to make them. I made a handful of her designs with her help, and even created a few new ones myself. I still have some of Nana's unfinished ornaments in the box in which I keep my little treasured collection. Maybe someday I'll take up ornament-making again and finish the work she started. But I can't imagine filling up even one ping pong table-full (not without a team of little elves!).

This article is part of a series written in celebration of the Advent and Christmas seasons. It will be included as part of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories 2013, Day 9: Christmas Crafts and Day 15: Christmas Tree Decorations. For more Advent and Christmas memories here at Small-leaved Shamrock (going back to 2007), scroll through these articles or stop by my Pinterest page. Visit this preview for more details about the GeneaBloggers Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories and to get some inspiration to get yourself in the holiday spirit!

Small-leaved Shamrock celebrates Family Tree Magazine's top 40

Go raibh maith agaibh!

A heartfelt thanks (in Irish Gaelic) to all of you for a great honor.  Small-leaved Shamrock, humble birthplace of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture, is proud to reside within Family Tree Magazine's top 5 heritage blogs - a small contingent among their "Fab Forty": Family Tree Magazine's 40 Best Genealogy Blogs (which includes some of my very favorites!).

Maureen Taylor wrote the magazine's announcement and said kindly about Small-leaved Shamrock:

"A lovely photo of the Irish countryside hooks you the moment you land on this blog. The blogger—a self-described Hungarian / Croatian / Irish-ancestored woman named Lisa—offers research tips and compelling stories of Irish life. The Small-leaved Shamrock is home to the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture: Lisa’s links to participants’ posts."

Thank you to Diane Haddad, Maureen Taylor, and all of the Family Tree Magazine staff for the honor; Jordan McClements for the use of his beautiful photograph of the Irish countryside; my creative daughter for the Top 40 logo above; and you, my faithful readers, who placed your vote for Small-leaved Shamrock or have supported this blog in other ways.  I consider you part of my Irish clan! (Although I can't find a way to fit all of you into the pedigree chart.)

When the idea for this blog took root almost three years ago, I had the intent to connect my extended family and help them to rediscover their Irish ancestry. I had no idea where else the journey might take me.  Along the way I have discovered an even deeper appreciation of my heritage, a new collection of friends in genealogy along with some newfound cousins, and some accolades from readers and fans: including this very special recognition from one of my absolute favorite magazines. 

"From quiet homes and first beginning,
Out to the undiscovered ends,
There's nothing worth the wear of winning,
But laughter and the love of friends."

~ Hilaire Belloc, from "Dedicatory Ode," Verses (1910)

Thanks for visiting this little Irish corner of the web.  Don't forget to join us for the upcoming online St. Patrick's Day parade, whether you have Irish heritage or not.  The deadline to submit your entry is Sunday, March 14.

Please take the time to read Family Tree Magazine's May 2010 issue highlighting the top 40 genealogy blogs.  The list includes some of my very favorites (although many others that I enjoy didn't get a mention this time):


All-Around

• Creative Gene by Jasia Smasha
• footnoteMaven by footnoteMaven
• GeneaBloggers by Thomas MacEntee
• Genea-Musings by Randy Seaver

Cemetery

• The Association of Graveyard Rabbits by several authors
• Granite in My Blood by Midge Frazel

Corporate

• Ancestry.com Blog by various authors

Genetic Genealogy

• The Genetic Genealogist by Blaine Bettinger

Heritage

• George Geder by George Geder
• Scottish Genealogy News and Events by Chris Paton
• Small Leaved Shamrock by Lisa
• Steve’s Genealogy Blog by Stephen Danko
• Tracing the Tribe: The Jewish Genealogy Blog by Schelly Talalay Dardashti

How-To

• Family Matters by Denise Barrett Olson
• Genealogy Guys by George G. Morgan and Drew Smith
• Genealogy Tip of the Day by Michael John Neill
• The ProGenealogists Blog by various authors

Local and Regional

• California Genealogical Society and Library Blog by Kathryn Doyle
• Sandusky History by the staff of the Sandusky (Ohio) Library Archives Research Center
• Midwestern Microhistory by Harold Henderson

News and Resources

• The Ancestry Insider by the Ancestry Insider
• DearMyrtle by Pat Richley-Erickson
• Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter by Dick Eastman
• GenealogyBlog by Leland Meitzler

Photos and Heirlooms

• The Family Curator by Denise Levenick
• Shades of the Departed by footnoteMaven

Personal and Family

• AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors by Miriam Midkiff
• Apple’s Tree by anonymous
• BeNotForgot by Vickie Everhart
• Educated Genealogist by Sheri Fenley
• Greta’s Genealogy Blog by Greta Koehl
• Heritage Happens by Cheryl Fleming Palmer
• Herstoryan by Herstoryan
• Janet the Researcher by Janet Iles
• Kinexxions by Becky Wiseman
• Little Bytes of Life by Elizabeth
• Our Georgia Roots by Luckie Daniels
• WeTree by Amy Coffin
• West in New England by Bill West
• What’s Past is Prologue by Donna Pointkouski

Blogs mentioned by Family Tree Magazine in addition to their top 40:

The Chart Chick
Elyse’s Genealogy Blog
Everything’s Relative 
Finding the Flock 
The Genealogue
Olive Tree Genealogy Blog
Polly’s Granddaughter
Renee’s Genealogy Blog
Seeking Michigan
Think Genealogy

The You Go Genealogy Girls

Wisdom of the past: The rite of "churching" new mothers

It was with great interest that I read the article in Rachel Murphy's Irish Family History blog about the rite of churching. "Churching" refers to the visit to the church and corresponding priestly blessing conferred upon a married woman after the birth of her child. It seems that this was a religious tradition carried on in past centuries. A beautiful idea, yet unfortunately it may have collected some superstitious beliefs along the way.

I revisited this article recently after the birth of my baby. It read:

‘Churching’ refers to a blessing that mothers were given following recovery from childbirth. After remaining at home for 4-6 weeks after giving birth, the woman would go to church where she would thank God for the safe delivery of her child and receive a blessing from the priest. Only married women were eligible for the blessing. They were to be appropriately dressed, and would carry a lighted candle. The priest would then mark the woman with the sign of the cross in holy water.

What struck me when I read this now, after some time has passed following the birth of my new baby, were the words 4-6 weeks. Remain at home for four to six weeks? What a joy that would have been! By the time my baby had reached that age, I had (with baby along, of course) attended the wedding of one family member and was getting ready to take a trip for another family member's wedding, made my way through the hospital several times with one of my other children who had a broken leg, celebrated my little one's Baptism (complete with party afterwards), hosted a birthday party for another child, and begun many of the routine errand-running that life requires.

How I would have liked to have a church-sanctioned reason to stay home for four to six weeks! I have often wondered how mothers have navigated through motherhood throughout the centuries. Life did not slow down for this mother of several children living in today's world. It seems that new motherhood may have been a little bit different for mothers of new babies in previous generations. Our modern disposable diapers and other conveniences (like car seats, strollers and baby carriers) make it too easy to be mobile too soon.

Several times after the birth of my little one I have wished that the world would stop for a few weeks so that I could enjoy my new baby without all the distractions of the rest of life. Too late I've discovered the excuse I should have used: the long-ago tradition of churching. It would have allowed me to tell friends and family, "Sorry, but I can't leave the house yet. It's not yet time for me to be 'churched'. I'm staying home with my baby."

Painting: Berthe Morisot's The Cradle, 1872.

A "little bit" of news from Small-leaved Shamrock

Wondering where I've been for the past few months or so?

Stop over at 100 Years in America for the announcement of the "project" I've been working on lately that has kept me away from the blogosphere.

Hint: There's a new little leaf on my family tree.

Small-leaved Shamrock turns toddler: Two years old!

Born on June 2, 2007, this little blog has reached toddlerhood today. It is the ripe young age of two!

Thanks to all of my readers out there - family members, fellow genealogists, lovers of Irish lore and culture - you have made this journey an exciting one. As I continue to share the stories of my Pennsylvania Irish ancestors and celebrate the joy of being Irish here at Small-leaved Shamrock, I hope you'll continue to tag along for the ride. You have made this family history project of mine more successful, more meaningful, and lots more fun!

Here's a special blessing for you today as Small-leaved Shamrock celebrates its 2nd anniversary:

"May you find truth in the year's smallest grace
and hope in the year's heaviest cross;
may a pillar of light before your face
shine through the dark so you're never lost.
May your journey be safe wherever you go,
and the angels keep you from all harm.
May you learn to take life easy and slow,
and celebrate your gift of Irish charm,
and may the God of new beginnings grant you
a year of health, happiness and prosperity."

Adapted by the Irish Culture & Customs website from a blessing by Fr. Andrew Greeley

Thanks again for stopping by Small-leaved Shamrock. I look forward to sharing another wonderful year with you celebrating Ireland and the Irish!

If you'd like to read some of my favorite articles here at Small-leaved Shamrock, take some time to browse the Best of Small-leaved Shamrock list on the sidebar, or stop by The best of 2008: Small-leaved Shamrock iGene Awards or this blog's one-year-anniversary review at Happy Anniversary, Small-leaved Shamrock! You might also enjoy stopping by the two-year-anniversary celebrations over at 100 Years in America and A light that shines again.

Growing the family tree: In both directions

Many take up the hobby of genealogy when their children grow up and leave home or when they retire. Me, on the other hand, I couldn't wait so long. My interest in history has always been such a part of me, I can't imagine not digging into the story of my family. This has led to a type of balancing act for me - growing the family tree backwards at the same time as I'm "growing" the next generation of the tree: my children.

Photograph privately held by Lisa, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,]. 2009.

Lots of benefits have come from this type of arrangement, of course. Starting earlier has allowed me to know what types of questions to ask my older relatives before they've passed away. (Although you can never start early enough on this one - there are so many relatives I wish I'd sat down and talked with when I'd had the chance.)

Another benefit of tracing the family tree with young children around is the fact that you are never at a lack for good stories to share with them. How much more meaningful a story is when you can tell your child that it was true and happened to their own ancestor!

I'm hoping that my children's proximity to me as I work to uncover our family's stories will give each of them a desire to become genealogists themselves and carry on the work that I've begun, or at least appreciate and be good caretakers of what I've uncovered myself. After all, if they grow up with a mother who fits genealogy into their lives from day one it wouldn't be right not to include it in their own children's lives one day.

Being the genealogist-Mommy has had its challenges. Finding time to fit genealogy into my family's life has often been a struggle. I find that the wee hours of the night or morning are often my best time to make progress on family history projects. Days are often hectic and it is hard to find time to complete most projects, no matter how small. On the evenings when I've discovered something new about our ancestors, it has been fun to greet them in the morning with a, "Guess what I found out about our family tree last night?"

Spending time on the phone is never easy, but I've sometimes made an effort to make a genealogical-phone-call-a-day when I've been working on a particular project that requires direct contact with archives or libraries. Many a call has found me closely covering one ear with the phone and one ear with my other hand while I tuned out a distracting child in the background who had suddenly forgotten that I had asked for the house to be "as quiet as possible for a few minutes while Mommy is on the phone".

Not every genealogical library or archive happily welcomes children. I had to ask for special permission to take my eleven-year-old daughter into the National Archives with me, but what a memorable experience it was for both of us. She received her own personal photo ID and was able to enter the reading room with me to view her great-great-great-great-uncle's Civil War pension file.

I have often squeaked in research when I had the chance. One evening at the local library my older children were in a nearby room at an activity while my toddler was asleep on my lap. I decided to take the opportunity to sit at the computer and spend time on the library's Ancestry subscription. Moments later I discovered a real find: the ship passenger list for the immigrant ancestor of the Cowhey family. It was a moment of triumph - after having heard the family story of Patrick Cowhey's arrival about 1820 as a young teenager, I had found proof that he made his way to New York in 1823. I was so happy I could have shouted aloud or done a happy Irish jig, but that was not quite possible in this particular setting and with the little angel dozing on my lap. I had to settle for beaming widely and sharing my excitement with my family later.

I'm sure that my children have sometimes wondered why I enjoy the genealogical pursuit so much.

Did they understand the tears in my eyes when I read the story of my great-great-grandfather's demise on the railroad in a train explosion and realized how his wife and children must have suffered?

Do they fully understand my stories of the struggles that our ancestors endured, such as their great-great-grandmothers' trans-Atlantic crossings: one with several children and a baby and one with an ill child who was detained at the Ellis Island hospital on arrival?

Did my children wonder why I left them all at the dinner table suddenly one evening after the delivery truck had left a thick package from the National Archives that I had eagerly been waiting for?

Photograph privately held by Lisa, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,]. 2009.

Even if they haven't completely understood, they have certainly seemed to enjoy our genealogy work together, and at the very least they will have some unique stories to share about their mother when inevitably the next generation will ask them about the family tree.

Postscript: After reading this article, one of my children was concerned that what I wrote here might be misconstrued. She wanted me to assure readers that she and her siblings very much enjoy learning about their family history. She, in fact, has contributed much to our family history blogs, including sharing pictures she has taken and assisting me with writing quite a few articles. You can be assured that our family’s history will be in very good hands for coming generations!

Irish dance: "... the merry love the fiddle..."

"...And the merry love the fiddle, and the merry love to dance..."
~ W.B. Yeats

One of the aspects of Irish culture that has become a large part of the life of my family is Irish dance. Several dancers in my family practice the ancient Celtic art as it has evolved into its modern day form. Others in the family are regular attendees at practices, performances and competitions.

You may have been introduced to modern Irish dance through the likes of Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, and Michael Flatley and friends. You may have had a brief introduction to ghillies, hard shoes, the reel, treble jig, hornpipe, etc. Perhaps you know a little more about Irish dance and have attended regular performances every St. Patrick's Day or even heard of a feis (a local Irish dance competition, pronounced "fesh"). If Irish dance is a part of your life, too, you may be aware that this is the season for the exciting regional competitions in many areas, otherwise known as the Oireachtas (pronounced "oh-rock-tis").
If you're like some of us, you know that once you've been bitten by the Irish dance bug it is hard to turn back. It is a beautiful art and a challenging sport at the same time. It is an activity for all ages, both boys and girls and men and women. It involves intricately decorated dresses, lively music and both solo and group performances.

Want to see some Irish dance performances live in your local area? Here in North America, check out the website for IDTANA (Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America). Through their site you can find links to member schools and also links to Irish dance organizations throughout the world. Chances are, there are regular performances put on by various dance schools in your local area or in a city near you. Particularly during the month of March (St. Patrick's month, as we sometimes refer to it because it is so busy for Irish dancers), you almost can't help but run into Irish dancers dressed in their finery and dancing figures (group dances).

With my own young dancers busy with their Irish dance activities, I couldn't help but notice the need for a combination journal, competition record book, and performance log for student dancers. I couldn't find one, so I designed and now sell my own. The book, Feiseanna, Figures & Friends, includes pages for dancers to record their competition results, St. Patrick's Day performances, other special shows, fun memories of Irish dancing, autographs from their friends, and more. Here's a little promo for the book. If you are interested in purchasing a copy, visit my online store.

"Feiseanna, Figures & Friends: My Irish Dance Record Book" by Smallest Leaf Press

Musical accompaniment is Natalie MacMaster's Catharsis from her album No Boundaries.

All images © 2008 Smallest Leaf Press.

Getting to Know "Small-leaved Shamrock"

It has been more than a year since I began sharing my family history on my three blogs: my Irish side of the family at Small-leaved Shamrock (with an emphasis on my Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania roots) and A light that shines again (with an emphasis on my Boston and Quincy, Massachusetts immigrant ancestors) and my Hungarian/Croatian side of the family at 100 Years in America.

Read Getting to Know “100 Years in America” for a little more background on me and my interest in family history.

Inspired by my abundant and endlessly fascinating Cowhey family ancestors of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, I began Small-leaved Shamrock to tell their stories and the tales of the region that gave birth to many of them, to anthracite coal and to several well-known railroads. This area of Pennsylvania helped shape America into what it is today through the blood, sweat and tears of many immigrants (including numerous Irish). We owe a debt of gratitude for their hard work as laborers and their service to the nation during the Civil War.

My focus here is also to rejoice in the love of Ireland. I hope to continue to learn and share more about my family's origins in Ireland (in County Cork, Limerick and Tipperary) and the Irish culture in general. The inspiration for the name Small-leaved Shamrock came from this poem by an anonymous poet named only S.M.E. published in March 1921 in The Catholic World:

The Gift of Shamrocks

He took the small-leaved shamrock from his breast
As though it were a diamond-mounted crest
And gave with eyes grown deep with love and pride
And as I took the gift of mystic green I knew
He saw, not me, but fields brushed by the dew
That lay, so green, his mother's home beside.

And still each year I take from that kind hand
The dainty leaves sent from far Ireland
Though sorrowing time has come and stood between.
Still see the tear-dimmed eyes, the glance so true;
Through them behold the hills I never knew:
The Irish hills where grow the shamrocks green.

Small-leaved Shamrock is the home of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture, a compendium of “all things Irish” published every so often on many a topic. See a compilation of the first eight editions of the carnival and your invitation to attend the next one here.

To get a further introduction to Small-leaved Shamrock, you might enjoy reading the following. Inspired by Terry Thornton's "Getting to Know You" challenge, I've listed what I've chosen as the "brightest", "breeziest" and "most beautiful" articles here at Small-leaved Shamrock.

Brightest (my best work): A look back at Schuylkill County: 1908

Breeziest (best light-hearted article): The provenance of a hairbrush: thievery and the family historian

Most beautiful: To be born Irish

I choose not to write too much about myself on my various family history blogs. The preservation of the stories of my family's deeper history are usually my focus. However, you can learn a little more about me at The view from my corner of the world. Thanks for reading. I appreciate your comments, so please write!

Who is Lisa and why the leaf?

You can tell a lot about me by the entries and links at 100 Years in America, Small-leaved Shamrock and A light that shines again. I’ll let you guess the rest…

I consider each of my blogs a "leaf by Lisa". This is a take on a wonderful little short story called Leaf by Niggle written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published as part of his collection Tree and Leaf. It expresses one man’s desire to work on and complete something beautiful during his lifetime. Somehow life keeps getting in his way. You’ll have to read this little story to get the full idea and understand how his magnificent tree that turned into a full landscape all came down to one beautifully painted little leaf in the end.

He was the sort of painter who could paint leaves better than trees. He used to spend a long time on a single leaf, trying to catch its shape, and its sheen, and the glistening of dewdrops on its edges. Yet he wanted to paint a whole tree, with all of its leaves in the same style, and all of them different.

~ J.R.R. Tolkien, from Leaf by Niggle

My three family history blogs are each a small leaf in the landscape of my life and my family tree. I have been researching my family history for many years in the midst of the busy-ness of life. I hope you'll continue to enjoy reading a little bit of what I've learned throughout my search, and be inspired to look at the world in a different way than you might have before you visited.

Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain.

~ Henry David Thoreau

If you are a regular reader of Small-leaved Shamrock or are just stopping by for the first time, I'd love to hear from you. Post a comment or send me an email when you have a minute. Thanks for reading.