Gems Jotted Down by Jensen Kids

 As there has been a focus on Poetry here on the blog recently, I thought I'd feature some poetry from the next generation (to see if it really is in the genes *Ü*). I stuck "poem" into the search bar in the Jensen Journal and found a few to feature here. I also searched Dropbox and found this classic poem from Josh to start us off ...

Good things to come

I love to run

Soccer is fun

That is my poem.

Wendy had saved this little poem Janelle made about Janika ...

Made even more special with the original artwork!

Creative ways to ask/answer for dances would often use rhyme.

Here's a poem from Jase. It got him the date.

Tomorrow - we'll feature some poetry from the Blackham Boys.

We'd love to feature the other families too!

Send pictures/poems to Jen to be showcased in a future post!

Documenting Your Dwelling

 

Here on the blog, we've done several spotlights on where our ancestors lived. Before pictures were so easy to come by in today's technology, finding photos that show the houses from years past are few and far between. Mom/Margie as commented that she wishes she had more pictures of the house she grew up in, and while we do have some photos of the Hermitage House, it would have been nice to have more. Pictures of the outside, the yard, the various rooms. Often we can see parts or portions behind a person, who is the subject of the shot ... but what about taking pictures OF your house, just for the sake of documenting your dwelling?

Derek and Danielle have done a great job decorating their home. They are always adding new projects and clever creations. As a little side-hustle (one of many) D&D have an Instagram and Website to showcase their home and their projects, often with step-by-step instructions. They had Alicia come and capture their home on camera ... both for social media sharing and because it's great to have these things preserved in pictures.  I know it's probably a photography faux pas  to crop/collage these pictures ... but they are all are included in their entirety in Dropbox (D&D/2021). 

Here's a little look at Derek's wallpapering project ... 

Quite the camouflage. 

Consider this a challenge, to make sure you document your dwelling and decor!

Take pictures and write up what you remember, what makes your house a home.

Check out all the Home Sweet Home posts here on the blog.

Biblical Brothers

 Peter, James and John ... they may be more well known from the bible, but they were also brothers of one of our ancestors (Archibald, great-grandfather to Dad/LaMar). 

The trio would have been brothers to Lucille's grandfather. So Lucille's "grand-uncles". 

It's her handwriting, and her album where we found the photo. 

Here's a couple snags from Family Search ... tracing back the relationship.

For the Westra Six Siblings - the men would be "2nd Great-GrandUncles"

"2nd Great" is the same thing as "Great-Great" ... two "Greats"

Boy, the word "Great" looks weird when I see it so often!

For the grandkid generation - they would be "3rd Great-GrandUncles"

And LaMar's Great-Grand Uncles.

Interesting that Peter's middle name is ... Peters.

John's middle name is MacFarlane ... which is also Archibald's middle name.

McFarlane was their mother's maiden name. 

10 siblings. Archibald was third, the first son.

Peter, John and James were 7th, 8th and 9th.

About 10 years between Archibald and Peter.

And just 2-3 years between the births of the three biblical boys.

Easter 2021

Covid continued, and there wasn't really any talk of resuming the annual Westra Easter gathering, which is not to say there wasn't some family get-together. The Jensen family welcomed Shane and Alicia's family for the Easter holiday, which took place on April 4 in 2021. It coincided with Conference weekend.

Here's a little picture peek at some of the fun they had ...

From a candy tasting, to coloring eggs, to overflowing Easter baskets ...

Wendy has more on her blog. Easter 2021.

Chris's crew had a hunt ...

He shared pictures in dropbox.

I'm assuming there will be pictures next year from Scott's family, as it will be little Lettie's first Easter in 2022. Surprisingly, Derek didn't seem to have any photos of their Easter celebration. The Blackham's pulled out the fluffy ears, filled up the Easter buckets, and made some yummy food for their celebration.

Happy Easter!

Tiny Dancers

 Mini Margie

Mom/Margie's memories from these photos ... I was maybe around age 7–9, just a guess.  In front of our house on 4568 Boxelder St.  Nelva and I both took dance lessons for a few years.  I took tap dancing, ballet, and toe dancing (now they call it "Pointe").  

Naughty Nelva

This would have been in 1949/1950.

Dancing Sisters!

In the News ...

... and here's a picture of Margie's group. 

A little older than in first few pictures. 

Mom/Margie is on the back row, second from the left.

Here's a few of Mom/Margie's memories inspired by these photos ...

Mother didn't sew, so my Aunt Neva made all our costumes. It seems like Mother was at one of our dance recitals in an auditorium somewhere when Mother was called out and told that her sister, my aunt Neva Dye, had been accidentally shot in the leg by her young son, my cousin Kelly.

I still remember how I would take the bus alone on State Street from our Murray home to the dance studio in Midvale or Sandy, past that cement bridge thing over the road. In those days, you would drop the fare/coins into a little clear plastic thing by the driver. When I went to get off, the driver said I owed ____ cents more. I told him I had put all my money in when I got on. I guess you paid so much for a certain distance and then paid the rest if you went further (kind of like the commuter lanes now). Funny how you can remember those scary times as a child, for 60+ years!

While Wendy and Jeni were heavily involved in singing and musical theater, neither was really a "dancer" per se. The girls would choreograph some numbers to Xanadu which they would roller-skate to in the unfinished basement. The Wonderful Westra Sisters! Both girls would be part of a baton brigade, marching in parades (Twirly Girls). Jen would be in a little song and dance group called Carousel Kids, and both Wendy and Jen would be in song/dance groups in college (Jen - LD Singers). There were roadshows and other performances too - but no "just dance" (although Jen would learn to tap for her senior year production of 42nd Street ... even though she was the ONE character in the show that didn't dance.)

... a second set of sisters!

There are some dancers among the grandgirls ...

Aniston in 2013 and 2016. Rella in 2016 and 2020. 

Jenna in 2016 and 2018. Jaiden in 2016 and 2018.

... and Janika in 2003.

I'd already created the grandgirl collage above when I did a "dance" search in Dropbox and found these additional photos of little Janny.  

Little girls in dance costumes ...

The years may change, but the costumes are always cute.

... and today (2021).

 

A Plethora of Poetry

There have been quite a few poems featured here on the blog (check out the Poetry label for more) but no one has been as prolific with poems as Chris! He's written 100+ poems for his ProsperityPoems website. Check it out! Here's just a peek ...

Poem Images created using "Stencil"  

and you can also check out Unsplash for more royalty free pictures. 

Indian Ancestry?

The Family History challenge for March 14, 2021 was this ...

Every family needs an Indian Princess, right? Well, we have one! Her English name is Sarah Hughes, born 1740, married to Henry McGee. One of Grandma's Grandmother's is Louella McGee, so you can go back from that line in your Scavenger Hunt. OK, maybe she wasn't a princess, but it's still fun to find out more. Find Sarah on Family Search, and see if you can answer all these questions and send them to me:

1. What was Sarah's Indian name?
2. What tribe was she from?
3. What was her clan name?
4. How many generations is she from you?
5. It looks like Sarah was half Native American by blood. Her children would be 1/4. What percentage are you?
6. What is her death date?

There are many more details in her life sketch that are fun to learn about. This Native American tribe, and others, encouraged some of their women to marry European traders that had come to America. This helped the trading go better since there was a connection.

~Chris

P.S. This probably isn't an actual photo of Sarah, but this is what you are looking for on Family Search. There is an extra reward for the fastest reply

Tracing back to Sarah ... we follow Mom/Margie's, and Grandpa Rex's line. You can follow the links back on your family tree, or here's a direct link to the page about Sarah Hughes on Family Search.  

Chris commented that all the grandkids who participated found the correct information.

Here are Cooper's answers ...

1. Tsi-ya ga-to-ga
2. Cherokee
3. Wild Potato Clan or Blind Savannah
4. 8 generations
5. 1/512 Native American, if I’m only considering Sarah, and no one else.
6. September 28, 1828

The Jensen kids would need to consider other Indian influence. 

They have a Chief in Rick's family line!