2023-03-28 Tuesday Pismo Beach Oceano Campground

Today was a day of looking for neighborhoods, and homes K & J may want to move to. We went along for the ride to check out the cities and towns around Pismo Beach. We left around 10:30 AM and stopped at Starbucks in Grover Beach on the way to Arroyo Grande. Ken stopped at a real estate office, and Jan went inside to see if she could get any information about neighborhoods and home prices in the area. She did get quite a bit of information from one of the agents. They exchanged contact information, and we were on our way. Jan and the agent texted most of the day. He was immensely accommodating all day. 

The first place the agent said to drive through was the neighborhood behind the real estate office. The homes were older homes and well-kept. All the houses had such character; you could tell they were well-maintained. Barry and I loved the area. K & J want a place with some property so they can store their motorhome and pontoon boat on their property, so this neighborhood would not work. When and if we move, that is what we want too. 

We drove east per the agent's suggestion. He said to stay on the road the real estate office is on and follow the signs to Lopez Lake. This is still in the city of Arroyo Grande. There was one neighborhood we stopped and drove through. It was a gated community but a UPS driver leaving gave us the gate code....so much for security. These homes were huge, and most had great views. Prices were over $1.2M. No trees, so I was not a fan. We drove around and then headed back down the hill to Lopez Lake. 

The lake is full, and the surrounding area is beautiful. It has a great campground and marina. You can waterski and fish. In the summertime, there is an adventure park, zip lines, and a water slide park. It would be an excellent place for our family summer picnic if it was not so far. We may have to check it out in the summer. Here are the links:

    Lopez Lake Marina and Campground

    Vista Lago Adventure Park and Zip Lines

    Mustang Water Park

We also drove through other parts of Arroyo Grande, but honestly, we drove through so many areas I can't remember. We all decided we liked Arroyo Grande, especially the renewed downtown area. 

I need to back up here. In yesterday's blog, I mentioned Jan's paternal grandfather was buried somewhere in the area, and I would research FindAGrave.com to see if I could find anything. I found he is buried in Los Osos Valley Memorial Park, Los Osos, San Luis Obispo County, California. I gave Jan the information this morning, and she was off to the races. She was unaware of FindAGrave before, but now she started looking for other family members this morning. I created a monster. The cemetery was only about 42 miles north of our campground. The plan was to go after Arroyo Grande. 

After driving around Arroyo Grande and back from Lopez Lake, our next stop was the cemetery in Los Osos (the bears). We headed north, found the cemetery, drove in, and parked at the office. Jan and I went in to get information about where her grandfather was buried. The attendant that helped us was so lovely. She gave Jan a map of the location for the future. Then, she wanted to get out of her office and walk us to the plot. I asked her if it was possible to get any burial or funeral information for Jan's grandfather. She said, of course, and would get everything they had after visiting the gravesite.  

Next to Jan's grandfather was her uncle, and Jan had no idea he was buried there. It was an emotional moment for her, and she shared a few stories about her grandfather. I was so happy to be a part of this event. After cleaning off the gravestone and taking photos, we returned to the office. The attendant met us in the lobby and had a folder for Jan. Inside was the card with the burial plot number, the forms filled out by her father for her grandfather's funeral, the funeral service card, and two newspaper obituaries. I was thrilled for Jan. It was everything a person wanted, especially me as a genealogist. With tears in our eyes, we thanked her for everything and for making today a special day. 

The next stop was to find the house Jan's grandfather owned in town. He also had a ranch somewhere in the area. We found the home, and she was able to reminisce a bit. You can tell she loved her grandfather. From here, we found another neighborhood to drive through. It was a great one, and we drove around for about ten minutes. The unanimous vote was this neighborhood was the best one of the day. 

Stopped for gas at Costco, you must ensure you have a Costco nearby wherever you live. It is just a thing and an unwritten rule. Now home to cook dinner. 

I cooked White Bean and Chicken Chili for dinner. My sou chef, Barry, helped with baking the cornbread. It was an excellent meal for a rainy evening. After the four of us spent a few hours talking, it was off to bed. We had another busy day planned, driving through areas again. 

    

Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline Threet Henderson, Jacqueline's Jaunts. All rights reserved.

Week 32 – Theme “At the Library” – 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

This week I’m combining a research trip and the “At the Library” theme into one blog post. 

Research Trip to Turlock, California

I have been planning a research trip to Turlock with my friend Lisa for a few years. We found out right before Covid we both have family that lived in the Turlock area at different times. We decided then to plan a trip together. 

We used Trello for planning and this way we could share Trello. We could see where and what each was planning. This enabled us to plan our trip in a logical manner and “kill two birds with one stone.” Below is a snapshot of our Trello board for our research in Turlock. 

California State University Stanislaus

We left on Wednesday and our first stop was the Archives and Special Collections at California State University Stanislaus. We both had contacted archivist Mary Weppler with a wish list of items we would like to view. Lisa's list was longer than mine. I mainly wanted to see any information about my dad’s construction company that built the baseball field. 

When we arrived, Mary had everything laid out on tables in the Reading Room, 13 boxes of material, most from the Turlock Mercantile, WWI & II material, houseboat photos from Don Pedro Lake, maps, and a few other items. This is my first time visiting this type of facility for genealogy research and I was very impressed. 

Mary gave us a tour of the Special Collections room, very organized. She has only been in her position since September 2021. She has done major cataloging and organization since then. She says there is still material that needs to be worked and her students will continue to work on the items when school starts in a few weeks. Come to find out the university newspaper is where I will most likely find information on the baseball field and Mary showed me how to find them online. 

Turlock Memorial Park and Turlock Historical Society

We got up early Thursday morning and headed to Turlock Memorial Park. My cousin, Jonathan D. Stearley died in 2019 and I didn’t get to attend his funeral. I wanted to visit his gravesite and take a photo of his gravestone. Turlock Memorial Park has a new feature on their website that you can find where a person is buried in the cemetery. We used that and were able to find him quickly. He’s not far from where other family members are buried. I took my photos, stopped by my parents and my dad's parents and we were off to our 9:30 appointment at the Turlock Historical Society. 

We arrived a little early but didn’t have to wait to enter. They are only open on Saturday, but Lisa was able to arrange for us to visit Thursday. Great museum and displays about the canning industry, local police department, how the town was founded and named, packing shed industry, and others. I enjoyed seeing the old photos of the town when it was in its beginning with dirt roads. They had a great collection of Turlock High yearbooks. Lisa found a few photos and I was able to find my mom, her brothers, my dad, and a few of his brothers and sisters from numerous years. We wanted to look at newspapers, but they were not available, and some were too delicate to handle. They are hoping to digitize them in the future. We were disappointed we could not access them but hopefully, the library has them. I consider this stop a success since I was able to take photos of the yearbooks. Now off to Allen Mortuary and Turlock Library. 

Allen Mortuary

Many of my dad's family funerals have been at Allen Mortuary. I did not make any phone calls to the mortuary but decided to stop by on our way to the library. I was interested in any information I could find out about my littlest sister, Cynthia Ann. She was stillborn in 1962 but there has always been a family story surrounding her birth. We walked in and I explained what I was looking for and the person at the front stated she thought all the books dating back to the time period Cynthia was born were stored at Turlock Memorial Park. She asked me the date again and said to wait a minute. She left and was gone about 10 minutes and came back. She said I was in luck and they still had the book. She was making a copy. She asked me to confirm my name and how I was related. She confirmed my personal information was what was on the document and she presented me with a document of information I don't have. At that moment I got all choked up and teary-eyed. I asked if there was any information about the funeral arrangements and who paid for them. She informed me that they do not charge for baby funerals. They cover all the costs. What an unbelievable gesture on their part. She said they have done this since they have been in business. Again my eyes welled with tears. I thanked her profusely and in my mind, I couldn't believe I was holding a document that helped explain a few things. I felt I struck gold and if I didn't obtain any other information on this trip I was happy.   

Turlock Library

I used to take my little brother (12 years younger than me) to this library for Storytime. I had a seat on my bike for him and he loved the ride there. We would pick out books to take home for me to read to him. Like most libraries they still have a great children's section. We roamed the library just to see what was there. At first, we could not find any microfilm area, but I saw a room with city directories and headed straight for it. I was in heaven! So many years dating back to 1922. Lisa was able to find some of her farming ancestors and I was successful in finding many of my dad’s family and my mom’s. This will help me fill in gaps in my timelines. I was a very happy person! We did find the microfilm reader and The Turlock Journal newspaper microfilm was stored right next to the reader. We both spent time looking through microfilms but unfortunately, we did not find anything. According to Mary at the CSUS library, they are looking into digitizing the newspapers at all three locations. Lisa and I are keeping our fingers crossed. 

Lakewood Memorial Park, Hughson, California

Friday and our last stop before heading home. I contacted a person last week and sent a list of family names I wanted to visit and take photos of their gravestones. She was able to find them all and in her last email instructed me to stop by the office and she would map the sites for me. With map in hand and once Lisa and I figured out how to find the row markers, we were able to find each site. What was somewhat unusual is how many gravestones were bronze, including my family. The one below is my great aunt and uncle. I took all the photos I needed, and we headed home to the Bay Area. 

I felt this research trip was a HUGE success for me and glad Lisa and I spent the time planning and researching up front what was available at each site. If you plan a research trip another suggestion is to check when the sites are open. We ran into a few roadblocks but that did not stop us. 

Copyright © 2022 by Jacqueline Threet Henderson, Jacqueline's Jaunts. All rights reserved.

I Finally Visited Eddie

I finally did something I’ve wanted to do for years, visit my Uncle Eddie Griffin’s burial site in San Jose, CA but life just seemed to get in the way. Two months ago, we dropped our motorhome off at Leale’s RV Service Center in south San Jose. Two weeks ago, we went back to tour Leale’s facility and check on the work that is being done. A few days before we left, I mapped the directions to the cemetery, and surprisingly, the service center was only two miles down the road. I think my Uncle was calling me. 

I took numerous photos of his burial site for my records. On the hill behind Eddie’s spot is a Pacific Bell tower. There is a memorial plaque commemorating when my Uncle Top (Columbus Utah Griffin) was killed while working on a Pacific Bell building in downtown San Jose, CA, but that’s a story for another time. I made sure the tower was included in a few of my photos. My mother, Wanda Lue (Griffin) Threet, had no idea the tower was there when she picked out the spot for Eddie. We found out later from my cousin Danny, Uncle Top’s youngest son. 

Eddie passed away April 15, 1988.[1] His memorial service was April 21, 1988 at Oak Hill Memorial Park in the Chapel of Roses building[2].  I remember attending the service. A lot of his friends attended along with most of our family. It was a beautiful service, and the weather cooperated that day. 

Eddie was only 3 years older than me. He was more like a cousin but always reminded his nieces and nephews he was our Uncle. He always carried school photos of each of us in his wallet and told his friends about us. Eddie and I remained close for most of his life. There were times I lived out of state or in Los Angeles, but we would write. If I went back to the bay area for work, I would stay at Grandma and Grandpa’s and we would try to hook up. He lived in San Francisco when he moved out of Grandma and Grandpa’s and at times, I would stay with him. We would bar hop or go to dance clubs….fun times. 

My mom, Uncle Top and Uncle Eddie are all siblings. There is a total of seven siblings in this order, Herbert Ray Griffin (died at the age of 2), Richard Lee Griffin, Columbus Utah Griffin AKA Top, Wanda Lue Griffin AKA Sis, Jimmie Dean Griffin, Reba Jean Griffin and Eddie Griffin (no middle name). I’m glad I finely visited him and now that nagging “thing” in the back of my head is gone. I think he was happy. I do miss him a lot but know he is with a bunch of our family members having a great time. Enjoy Eddie. I love and miss you tremendously. 

Photo is of Eddie, me and my cousin David. I'm guessing it's around 1961-1962. 

[1] San Francisco Department of Public Health, death certificate no 88, Eddie Griffin (d. 15 April 1988); issued to sister Wanda Lou (Griffin) Threet, then passed to her daughter Jacqueline Threet Henderson (Castro Valley, California) 2000. 

[2] Eddie Griffin Funeral Notice, San Jose, California, citing services on 21 April 1988; Jacqueline L. Threet Henderson Personal Papers, 1988---, privately held by Jacqueline L Threet Henderson, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Castro Valley, California.