Genealogy Reviews Online

My Father - Louie Agazio (1921-1972)

Find Your Ancestors In Civil War Documents 

(note:  click on all of the photos to get the full size)

I thought writing about my father would be easy, but I discovered I really don't know much about him other than what's in my faded memories.  He died when I was 15 years old so I never really got the chance to pump him for information about his life.  Since I started on this genealogy kick, I found it easier to learn about his father, and my other ancestors, because there was more documented information available.  I concentrated on them because it was easier.  My father didn't leave a very extensive paper trail  - there are no letters, diaries, school records or any other documents that would tell me what he was like as a child and young adult.  If he did write any letters during his World War Two service they were lost to history long ago. The little I have doesn't tell me much.  I have his 8th grade diploma, his social security number application, his Army discharge paperwork, copies of his birth and death certificates, and little else.  I'm left to tell his story mostly from my memory and the little tidbits of information I do have - plus many assumptions.

Naval Service in the WAVES

A few minutes ago I was digging through a box looking for info on my father so I could finally participate in the Carnival of Genealogy Father's day theme and came across something about my mother (Mary J. Zaring) that I had to post.  Recently, Becky Wiseman posted a couple of articles on her Navy Service - one was on letters she wrote to her mother while she was in Navy boot camp, and the other was a letter from the Navy telling her mother that she arrived safely and provided some tips to help Becky through training.  I found two documents that are similar to what Becky's mother received from the Navy and thought I'd share them.  The first one is a letter, dated 3 August 1944, to my grandmother telling her that she should be proud of her daughter's contribution to the war effort and included a window display piece "to let the rest of America know that a member of your family is serving her country in the WAVES."   I loved Becky's posts and was thrilled to find something similar.  I've mentioned before that I have many letters, photos, and souvenirs from my mother's 2 years in the Navy and I want to eventually post them.  My problem right now is all of the letters are glued into a scrapbook and I'm afraid they will get damaged if I pull them out to scan.  I also feel bad about taking the scrapbook apart because my mother obviously put a lot of work and thought into creating it.  Hopefully I'll figure this dilemma out.  I'm still working working on my father's day post and hope to get it done before the deadline.  Thanks to Miriam for giving me a good idea on how to write it. (Click on the thumbnails to get a full size view of the documents.)    

Memorial Day Tribute to My Family - A Week Late

Find Your Ancestors In Civil War Documents 

I saw a number of other bloggers post articles about their family's military history and I decided I wanted to do it too.  This is what I came up with, a week late, but I figure it's never too late to honor family members who served their country.

Sidney R. Cone (1847-1931)

Sidney R. Cone is one of my maternal great - great grandfathers.  He began his service in Company C, 7th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry in June 1864.  He was 17 at the time, and like most young men who have never seen war, probably looked on it as a grand adventure and couldn't wait until he was old enough to join.  Sidney's Civil War Pension file says he was present at the battle of Tupelo, Mississippi in July of 1864 where he "received sunstroke affecting his head and general system."  This was the basis for years of struggle to get the government to grant him a pension.  According to the Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kansas, 1861-1865, Sidney's unit was on the right flank of the Union forces at the battle of Tupelo, but was not heavily engaged.  From the unit history, it appears the 7th Kansas Cavalry was involved in multiple small engagements during the remainder of the war, but was not involved in any major battles.   The photo is from a Colorado Springs, Colorado newspaper that shows the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1926.  Sidney is in the middle of the first row (seated).  (Click the image to see the full sized photo.