It is okay to share. Emailed you the farm picture. Since we don’t really know each other my passion is the Japanese Tea Ceremony. I teach on weekends. Love to have people at the house and cook. We usually have a big group every 1 or 2. Also love to read and so genealogy.
Thank you so much for sharing that image of the painting of the family farm. That is a treasure. How did you find your passion for the Japanese Tea Ceremony? I think that is beautiful that you teach it and entertain around this custom. I'd love to get to know you better and since I'm originally British, I love anything "tea." Having mine right now as I type :) ox
My last year at UCLA I took this class from my favorite professor who taught Japanese Buddhism. Through the class I won a scholarship to study the Japanese Tea Ceremony in Kyoto for a year. This is my 40th year of study. If you come to Vegas please come for tea. We have extra rooms to stay. My husband John Potter remembers you from high school. He is good friends with Scott Riddle.
Growing ip I always thought I was 100% Jewish. After having my parents take a DNA test about 5 years ago, I found out that what I believed to be the case wasn’t true. After doing some digging and connecting with a third cousin who is a historian, I learned that it was commonplace for Jewish families in Russia to take in young pre teen non Jewish girls to help with the household chores. Since these girl’s learned grew up in kosher (proper) homes they were considered Jewish. My great great grandfather Solomon Konnonvich (Cohen) and wife Mary Borodinov brought their 5 children to America before ghe pograms in Kishnev, Moldova. The walked across the country lived in a cave in Wyoming. A family farm was built in Torrington, Wyoming. The Cohen’s along with many of the Moldovans settled in Omaha, Nebraska. My great grandpa Jake liked to paint and made a picture of the Torrington Farm.
Dear Jodie, I can't believe this! There are so many stories to share! They "walked across the country and lived in a cave!" Then they built a family farm? and the painting of it is beautiful. What our ancestors did is truly amazing and awe inspiring. They sacrificed so much to come here and make it. Thank you so much for sharing this. A story like yours is well worth telling. I'm going to look into the history of this practice too. ox
Hi Deb. My mom is almost 91. Through her example she taught me to send notes of encouragement to people, which I do whenever I can. Being a missionary in Ecuador since 2001, I was sad when the Ecuadorian government shut down the postal service during the pandemic. Now I send e-cards and text messages, but it doesn’t feel the same to me. When I am in the States, however, I keep Hallmark busy!! Haha! That is the legacy I received from my dear mother, who also led me to Jesus. Dad, too. He passed away in 2018.
Dear Ned, I can't believe your mama is almost 91 :) and it's so beautiful that she passed her love of sending encouragement through cards and letters. I am extremely appreciative of the letters you have sent to me and I keep them out to remind myself of how truly special it is to take that kind of time. I'm sure Hallmark loves you! I also love knowing that you grew up in a home where you were taught the love of Jesus. So many of us have to find Him for ourselves.
Like I told Linda, who also left a story here, the three of us met through The Walton's forums and I am so appreciative of our friendship. I am grateful you took the time to write this as I know being a missionary overseas keeps you extremely busy! Oh, and that great wife and family you have too! lol! Please give them my best! I'm going to reach out here again and see if I can round up a few more stories (it's a tough gig! ha ha!) and whatever happens I will be speaking about this on my next podcast, which is long overdue!
Much love! and God keep you out there in the field and always,
I grew up with a mother estranged from her family. I didn't meet her family until after she died when i was 12. My daddy died when i was 7 so I didn't know his family as well as I wanted to. At 18 I began doing Genealogy with very little information and It opened up a whole new world. I found out my heritage and actually made a point of trying to walk in my ancestors footsteps when ever possible. I met family members I didn't know about who shared what they knew to further my research. I traced my daddy back to Scotland from Mississippi to Mary Queen of Scots, who was supported by my family there, The Stuarts. I traced my mothers side from Texas back to Illinois and on to Madeira Island, Portugal where they were chased out by Catholics Because they were Protestants(SP?). There is a whole book about this group of Refugees. And I actually met descendants of many on trips to Illinois in 2012 and 2015. My grandfather changed his surname spelling to DeFratus from DeFrietias because he was so happy to be in the US. It sure made it easier to find family :) Due to my research I and my cousin David held the First DeFratus Family reunion in Texas in 2013. It was absolutely awesome. Luckily we had it before the oldest Family member Margaret Ruth passed and she was a trove of information and stories. She was 94 and the youngest was 6 months. there was at least 50 or more of the family there. A success! I have met many great people and did reenactments from historical events, Including Lincolns funeral in Springfield, IL in 2015, where I was Eliza Todd Grimley, who was appointed as Postmistress by Abraham Lincoln. Genealogy is an extension of my love of History growing up in a town rich in Civil war history. I really should thank my mom for being "crazy". :)
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS Linda and am VERY grateful you took the time to respond! I know you are extremely busy with work and life so this means a lot. It's truly amazing to research and find our family. Religion also separated many families!! What a story of about your family from Madeira Island being chased out? and thank God you found the DeFratus family because name changes can also make it so hard! My best friend and I were just talking about family members taken to orphanages and then being adopted and there's no trace of their original family because their name was changed! I love the picture of you and your cousin dressed in historical costumes! To organize and follow through with a reunion through all that research is really special.
It's such a blessing that both you and Ned responded and how the three of us met through The Walton's forums. Meant to be! We all treasure our family history and have spent many hours watching The Waltons and and other shows that give us that connected feeling of "family." I am going to send out another request and see if I can get a few more stories. If not I will be talking about this in a Podcast, because it's overdue! I'd love to include a few more so I'm going to be patient! Getting interaction is very hard but I'm praying about it!
It is okay to share. Emailed you the farm picture. Since we don’t really know each other my passion is the Japanese Tea Ceremony. I teach on weekends. Love to have people at the house and cook. We usually have a big group every 1 or 2. Also love to read and so genealogy.
Thank you so much for sharing that image of the painting of the family farm. That is a treasure. How did you find your passion for the Japanese Tea Ceremony? I think that is beautiful that you teach it and entertain around this custom. I'd love to get to know you better and since I'm originally British, I love anything "tea." Having mine right now as I type :) ox
Debbie,
My last year at UCLA I took this class from my favorite professor who taught Japanese Buddhism. Through the class I won a scholarship to study the Japanese Tea Ceremony in Kyoto for a year. This is my 40th year of study. If you come to Vegas please come for tea. We have extra rooms to stay. My husband John Potter remembers you from high school. He is good friends with Scott Riddle.
Growing ip I always thought I was 100% Jewish. After having my parents take a DNA test about 5 years ago, I found out that what I believed to be the case wasn’t true. After doing some digging and connecting with a third cousin who is a historian, I learned that it was commonplace for Jewish families in Russia to take in young pre teen non Jewish girls to help with the household chores. Since these girl’s learned grew up in kosher (proper) homes they were considered Jewish. My great great grandfather Solomon Konnonvich (Cohen) and wife Mary Borodinov brought their 5 children to America before ghe pograms in Kishnev, Moldova. The walked across the country lived in a cave in Wyoming. A family farm was built in Torrington, Wyoming. The Cohen’s along with many of the Moldovans settled in Omaha, Nebraska. My great grandpa Jake liked to paint and made a picture of the Torrington Farm.
Dear Jodie, I can't believe this! There are so many stories to share! They "walked across the country and lived in a cave!" Then they built a family farm? and the painting of it is beautiful. What our ancestors did is truly amazing and awe inspiring. They sacrificed so much to come here and make it. Thank you so much for sharing this. A story like yours is well worth telling. I'm going to look into the history of this practice too. ox
Hi Deb. My mom is almost 91. Through her example she taught me to send notes of encouragement to people, which I do whenever I can. Being a missionary in Ecuador since 2001, I was sad when the Ecuadorian government shut down the postal service during the pandemic. Now I send e-cards and text messages, but it doesn’t feel the same to me. When I am in the States, however, I keep Hallmark busy!! Haha! That is the legacy I received from my dear mother, who also led me to Jesus. Dad, too. He passed away in 2018.
You have my permission to use my name and story!!
Dear Ned, I can't believe your mama is almost 91 :) and it's so beautiful that she passed her love of sending encouragement through cards and letters. I am extremely appreciative of the letters you have sent to me and I keep them out to remind myself of how truly special it is to take that kind of time. I'm sure Hallmark loves you! I also love knowing that you grew up in a home where you were taught the love of Jesus. So many of us have to find Him for ourselves.
Like I told Linda, who also left a story here, the three of us met through The Walton's forums and I am so appreciative of our friendship. I am grateful you took the time to write this as I know being a missionary overseas keeps you extremely busy! Oh, and that great wife and family you have too! lol! Please give them my best! I'm going to reach out here again and see if I can round up a few more stories (it's a tough gig! ha ha!) and whatever happens I will be speaking about this on my next podcast, which is long overdue!
Much love! and God keep you out there in the field and always,
deb
I grew up with a mother estranged from her family. I didn't meet her family until after she died when i was 12. My daddy died when i was 7 so I didn't know his family as well as I wanted to. At 18 I began doing Genealogy with very little information and It opened up a whole new world. I found out my heritage and actually made a point of trying to walk in my ancestors footsteps when ever possible. I met family members I didn't know about who shared what they knew to further my research. I traced my daddy back to Scotland from Mississippi to Mary Queen of Scots, who was supported by my family there, The Stuarts. I traced my mothers side from Texas back to Illinois and on to Madeira Island, Portugal where they were chased out by Catholics Because they were Protestants(SP?). There is a whole book about this group of Refugees. And I actually met descendants of many on trips to Illinois in 2012 and 2015. My grandfather changed his surname spelling to DeFratus from DeFrietias because he was so happy to be in the US. It sure made it easier to find family :) Due to my research I and my cousin David held the First DeFratus Family reunion in Texas in 2013. It was absolutely awesome. Luckily we had it before the oldest Family member Margaret Ruth passed and she was a trove of information and stories. She was 94 and the youngest was 6 months. there was at least 50 or more of the family there. A success! I have met many great people and did reenactments from historical events, Including Lincolns funeral in Springfield, IL in 2015, where I was Eliza Todd Grimley, who was appointed as Postmistress by Abraham Lincoln. Genealogy is an extension of my love of History growing up in a town rich in Civil war history. I really should thank my mom for being "crazy". :)
You KNOW I am an open book so you have permission to share and clean up this little story.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS Linda and am VERY grateful you took the time to respond! I know you are extremely busy with work and life so this means a lot. It's truly amazing to research and find our family. Religion also separated many families!! What a story of about your family from Madeira Island being chased out? and thank God you found the DeFratus family because name changes can also make it so hard! My best friend and I were just talking about family members taken to orphanages and then being adopted and there's no trace of their original family because their name was changed! I love the picture of you and your cousin dressed in historical costumes! To organize and follow through with a reunion through all that research is really special.
It's such a blessing that both you and Ned responded and how the three of us met through The Walton's forums. Meant to be! We all treasure our family history and have spent many hours watching The Waltons and and other shows that give us that connected feeling of "family." I am going to send out another request and see if I can get a few more stories. If not I will be talking about this in a Podcast, because it's overdue! I'd love to include a few more so I'm going to be patient! Getting interaction is very hard but I'm praying about it!
Love you bunches and thank you again!
deb ox