It was eight years ago this week (way back in 2007) that I first dipped my foot into the stream of the blogosphere. (It was only a stream back then!) I found the water fine and enjoyed all the folks I connected with online. I wrote frequently at first, telling the stories of my family tree at three different blogs:
100 Years in America – about my Hungarian and Croatian immigrant roots in New York City.
Small-leaved Shamrock – focusing on my railroading, coal-mining, Civil War era Irish Pennsylvania roots.
A Light that Shines Again – about the famine-Irish Massachusetts branch of my family tree.
A couple of years after beginning my blogs, my writing (and the blogosphere in general) went through a big transition. I had a new baby at the same time that my oldest child (home educated) was entering the high school years. At the same time, social media became a method of choice for many to communicate. My own blogging, and that of many of my original blogging neighbors, slowed down a bit. But I’ve kept at it slowly over the years, finding it more and more of challenge to fit in writing as my family has grown in size and age.
In the years since then, I’ve watched the original genealogy blogging stream grow into a river as more and more tributaries have sprung up: new writers adding their small contributions. Once such addition is the blog birthed by a group of Catholic genealogists (including myself) whose aim is to help others trace their Catholic roots.
The Catholic Gene came on the scene in 2011.
Now here I am, eight years since the day my blogs first sprouted as young seedlings. I am committed to continuing this project that I love (sharing the stories I discover as I continue my genealogical search) and have decided to create this new website pairing my love for family history with another beloved hobby of mine: poetry.
I have just announced the upcoming publication of my first collection of poetry: winner of the Eakin Book Award given by the Poetry Society of Texas. You’ll find the title familiar. I feel a bit like the Irish mother who gives her firstborn a name that has been in the family for generations. My poetry collection is entitled (surprise!): Smallest Leaf. You can read more about my new book on the Poetry page here at my website.
So welcome to my brand new website and blog! Whether you’re a long time friend and reader, or a new visitor, I am happy you’ve found my new home on the web. I hope you’ll take some time to poke around and learn more about two of my very favorite subjects – poetry and genealogy – and all the rabbit trails that my interest in these two subjects takes me. Thanks again for stopping by and I hope you stay awhile!
