Looking at this great family photograph of my grandparents and their five sons, I wondered when it was taken. Perhaps the automobile in the background might provide some clues. Read more »about Dating An Old Family Photograph
A Radio at the Ranch
In researching family history, I often look through old newspapers for articles involving family members. Many old papers published even the smallest events that happened in a community. Searching through one of these newspapers from 1923, I came across a brief mention of a radio at my grandparent’s farm in Valley Center, California. Read more »about A Radio at the Ranch
Walnut Slope Ranch History
In 1921, Gilbert and Beatrice Bates purchased Walnut Slope Ranch in Valley Center, California and moved their family from nearby Ramona. This year (2021) marks the 100-year anniversary of that purchase. This article takes a look at how the property came to be the home of at least four generations of the Bates family. Read more »about Walnut Slope Ranch History
Obituary For Amy Marie Hollingsworth
For several years, I had been trying to find information on my maternal grandmother, Amy Marie (Arthur) Hollingsworth. She passed away in late 1940, several years before I was born, so I knew little about her. I recently found her obituary in a Santa Ana newspaper. Read more »about Obituary For Amy Marie Hollingsworth
The Bates Family Celebrates Christmas 1912
In December 1912, the Santa Ana Register ran an article describing a Christmas celebration at the home of my grandparents, Gilbert and Beatrice [Lockwood] Bates. Of the twenty-two attendees, at least twenty-one were close family members who had moved from Michigan to California. Read more »about The Bates Family Celebrates Christmas 1912