CAPTAIN'S LOG

---

Captain's Log 11 November 2009

Just a quick update to let everyone know that the Guild takes a break each year over the holiday season. We will break on Monday, November 23rd and be back January 4, 2010. We wish you all a happy and blessed holiday season.

Captain's Log 11 September 2009

Dear Readers,

This summer has been a summer of trials and tribulations for me but the joys far exceed them all. I'm still dealing with oral surgery issues, more surgery ahead in October and it's certainly cramped my style. However, I enjoyed the summer with my 6 year old Granddaughter, taught her to swim despite her initial horrible fear of the water and now she's a little mermaid, diving for jewels at the bottom of the pool.

We took a trip to Mount Rushmore and loved the Black Forrest and the presentation at the memorial. All United States service people, past and present, all branches were called to the stage and honored following the presentation. It was very moving as one little girl walked on stage holding a picture of her father.

In August, we welcomed a new member into the Clan. Liam James MacFarlane arrived two weeks early but is well and healthy. We are all thankful he is here with us and safe.

For me, September is a month of remembered birthdays of long ago, my Grandmother on the 10th, my mother on the 15th and my daughter on the 16th along with the anniversary of the Guild -- 11 years old this year. It's also a time of remembering this day and the horrors of 9-11, when the USA took a blow like none other and recovered standing proud and determined. Still, the loss of so many lives will never be forgotten. My heartfelt emotions, which words cannot describe, continue to go out to all the families and loved ones of the victims.

Fall is in the air; the trees are beginning to turn beautiful colors and will soon shed their leaves to stand as naked sentries during the long winter ahead. We look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas, to a better ecomony in the year ahead and the continued success of the Guild -- thanks to all our wonderful volunteers.

Peace to you and those you love,

Patty

Captain's Log 24 June 2009

Dear Readers,

My apologies for not updating this blog sooner but I had extensive oral surgery at the beginning of June and am still recovering. It was quite unexpected as I'd had several root canals and crowns a number of years ago, so when an infection began in my jawbone I never felt any pain and didn't know it was there. I've had the infection removed from the bone through surgery but I am still not "as good as new." Thank you so much for all your prayers and good wishes; please continue the prayers as I continue to heal and face some additional surgery for implants in the future.

I am so very grateful for the wonderful volunteers who have taken the helm in my absence and all those who keep this site going for those of you who are still seeking your ancestors and your heritage. New passenger lists are being added to Volume 11 several times each week and Ines is working on a large collection that we hope will benefit those with German ancestry.

As some of you may know, the Guild usually takes the month of July off, and this year will be no different. Everyone works so hard throughout the year that we all need to take a break now and then and spend time with our families. We keep a flexible schedule that is easy going so no one gets neglected. Family always comes first.

During July, those who wish to keep working are free to do so but passenger lists will not be formatted and added to the website nearly as often. We might see August a little slower than usual too as Mary Beth's daughter will be getting married and I know that will require her time. Libby will be spending the summer with her grandchildren so if uploads are slower, please be patient.

Please forgive my delay in answering email. There are days when my face still throbs and I can't even stand to type. I tend not to get on the computer until late at night because, for some strange reason, that's when I feel the best. And, thanks to everyone who has been helping with the mail...Richard let me know if I am over-burdening you with the correspondence.

Their is good news. Our 15th grandchild is due to arrive in August. Very exciting to have another grandson coming into our wonderful family but the ultra sounds indicate there may be some problems with development. Again, I will be grateful for all your prayers.

Peace to you all and those you love
Patty

---

Captain's Log 18 May 2009

We are extremely proud to open Volume 11 today, thanks to the dedication and commitmentof many Guild volunteers.

While we don't keep a schedule because we allow everyone to work at a pace which iscomfortable for them, we are ahead of the jump to a new volume which usually takesplace in September of each year.

I applaud all the members of the Guild for their hard work. Transcribing, formattingand uploading these passenger manifests and all the surname lists which accompany themis no small task.

Many of our members have been with the Guild since its beginning in 1998; some haveretired and others have come aboard. I am grateful to all of them!

There is no telling how quickly Volume 11 will grow to 1,000 additional manifests. Wetake our time because accuracy is important. We also take plenty of time off so we don'tget burned out from this tedious work.

I know many of our visitors often wonder why we do not have complete years available on ourwebsite. It's because we transcribe at random to keep a wide variety of arrival dates andports available. There are hundreds of thousands of manifest still to be transcribed and itwill be an on-going work for a very long time.

If you have a manifest that you would be willing to share with us, we will gladly add itto our website and add information about your ancestors as well.

Memorial Day is approaching; I wish all of you a wonderful holiday. Stay safe!

Peace,
Patty

---

Captain's Log 27 April 2009

We have some wonderful pictures of some of our ISTG volunteers submitted by Beverly Zanon, who, with her husband Joe, embarked on a coast to coast land voyage over the last few months.

In February, Beverly, Joe and Gloria (Joe's cousin) join Judy Caine in Carlsbad, California for coffee. It looks like California was a welcome change from the snow and cold in the midwest.

Beverly and Joe are on their way to meet Harry Green, but not before they take some time to play at the Kennedy Space Center.

Beverly and Joe meet up with Harry Green in Punta Gorda, Florida. Beverly remarks, "We had a great time and Harry is the perfect host."

Lora Lee Ament and Pat Kennedy have transcribed together for several years. Beverly and Joe join them for lunch after leaving Florida and heading north.

Lora Lee and Vaughan Ament share a parting breakfast with Beverly and Joe at the Park Diner in Monroeville, Pennsylvania.

It looks as though everyone had a great time and it's always nice to get together with other Guild members.

Thanks Beverly, these are great photos!

---

Captain's Log 10 March 2009

I am excited about the addition of The Adoption Story Board to ourwebsite. While the story board has been in existence for only one week, we already have a "find" andI pray this path will lead to a reunion between the adoptee and her birth mother. I'll keep you postedon the progress!

It's been beautiful here in Colorado with warm days blessing us on a regular basis. It makes me want toget outside and plant flowers but I know from experience this would be a big mistake. We've had snow aslate as June here, so I'll start things growing inside and wait until it's safe, the threat of snow at aminimum.

We have a new baby on the way, a boy who will be called Liam James is due to join our clan in August. Thatkeeps the grandsons (nine, eight living) well in the lead over granddaughters who number four as of today.All of them are a joy to behold!

January, 2009

Each time we see in a New Year, I am amazed at how quickly the time haspassed. Summers used to last forever and we couldn't wait to get backto school in the fall. And the, the school year laster forever, especiallyJune as we waited for summer vacation again.

Time has a way of passing all too soon and it seems that before we know itwe begin to forget things, things that should be written down, recorded insome fashion to be preserved for our generations to come.

When Thanksgiving, 2007, rolled around, I thought that I should write downsome things about my life to pass on to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I had in my mind a small pamphlet sort of thing which would describe to these kids, who are now texting messages on credit card sized gadgets, what it was like to pick up the phone and hear a woman's voice when she said "Central." In some parts of the country she probably said "Operator."

We played outside with our friends at night long after the street lights came on and our neighborhood was safe. We didn't have Amber Alerts back then; we didn't need them. I remember women parking their baby carriages outside the five and dime while they went inside to shop. The baby slept, safe and sound and no one would have thought about running off with that infant.

I often joked with my mother in later years that if anyone would have had a mind to take me or my brother, they would have brought us back within the hour.

I started to write on my laptop during the evenings and as I wrote, the more I remembered. To make a long story short, my pamphlet idea turned into a book of 122 pages, filled with old cepia photographs, a scan of a passenger listand a picture of the ship which carried some of my ancestors to the United States. It went on to describe the first 20 years of my life and what it was like to grow up in the 1940's and 50's.

I finished it this year, just days before Christmas, and had 30 copies printed. Among the gifts I gave to my children and grandchildren, this bookwas their favorite.

If you haven't done something similar, I encourage you to do so. I didn't work on it daily but just when I had time and before I knew it, it was done.As they read it they can now see me running down the street to catch the man who was calling out "Strawberries, Fresh Strawberries, three quarts for a dollar."

They can picture me getting off the school bus when we lived in the country. walking up the dirt road toward the house on the hill and encountering a huge snake stretched out in the sun. They can see my father chopping off it's head.

They can see the breath of an angry bull, snorting in the cool fall air, as my brother, grandmother and I ran for our lives; the mushrooms we'd gathered falling from my grandmother's apron to the ground as we ducked under the barbed wire fence just in the nick of time.

Don't keep your memories to yourself. Pass them on for all who follow you to enjoy.

Peace,
Patty

---

Captain's Log 16 September 2008

It's September already, the kids are going back to school, the leaves are beginning to turn; and the fall rain and early winter snow are right around the corner. I don't know where the time goes.

ISTG's 10th anniversary is September 16th. It's bittersweet for me as it means we have been successful against all odds and also that my mother has been gone for ten years.

Her treasures of family history have been passed on to me and for that I am grateful but I miss the day-long shopping spree at the State Street Outlet for new school clothes when I was a young girl; I miss seeing her scurrying across the room, slipper in hand that landed precisely, but softly on the bottom when she caught up with a defiant grandchild; and I miss sitting at the kitchen table and having a cup of tea with her.

I dedicate this bLog to my Mother.

My Mother and her younger sister

My Mother as a young woman.

My Mother and Father on their wedding day.

A Grandmother's Kiss
Mom kissing her namesake Good-Night.

Mom with one of her many great-grandchildren.

Mom visiting me and my family in Colorado.

We miss you, Mom. You gave us life, you guided us through life, and you still do.

---

It's been a summer like no other for me. The first half was spent dealing with my father's illnesses but I'm happy to report that we have him in wonderful medical hands and he is getting back on track. He's been feeling so good, he threw himself an 85th birthday party. Of course, he decided to do this only one week before his birthday but somehow he managed to get tents, grills and all the food and drinks with the help of my sisters. For little notice, he had a great turnout of about 60 people. I'll be getting pictures soon and will post some of them here.

The highlight of this season was my son's wedding on August 7th.

The "MacFarlane Modern" tartan was ordered from Scotland and from it, I made my son's great kilt, the hand binding tie, the piece for the bride and eleven shawls, one for each of the MacFarlane women.

It was a Traditional Scottish Wedding right down to the binding of the hands.

Years ago, in Scotland, the hands of the bride and groom were bound with the tartan and they agreed to be faithful to one another for a year and a day. After that time had passed, each could go their separate way if the marriage wasn't working out. I'm not a bit worried about the year and a day ritual as they have been together five years.

The wedding was held in Allenspark, Colorado, in a meadow that easily could have been in Scotland. Surrounded by mountains and the mist that covered them, the scenery couldn't have been more beautiful. Michael Lancaster, a bagpiper who has played for several family occasions, was on hand to pipe in the bride and her father.

The ceremony began with Michael playing Amazing Grace in honor of those gone before us who could only be present in spirit -- and that would include many Scots, not only of the MacFarlane Clan but the Gordon Clan as well.

Vows from the 12th century were spoken, rings were exchanged, and the bride was welcomed into the MacFarlane Clan as I pinned a piece of our tartan on her gown and said a blessing in Gaelic, the last line of which was our Clan motto "This I'll Defend!" Clan members then promised to defend this marriage by repeating the motto in Gaelic, with a fist raised.

Here is a picture of The MacFarlane bride and groom.

I'm including this picture of Bob and I so you can see the mountains behind us.

A traditional Scottish wedding cake was served, a champagne toast followed and a delicious meal that to my liking, did not include Haggis.

Peace to you and those you love,
Patty MacFarlane McCormack, Founder/Coordinator

---

If you find an ancestor on a ship on ISTG and would like to
link to your email address or home page, please submit a short
paragraph about the passenger, where settled, children, etc.,
with the name of the ship and date of arrival, and send to
the transcriber at the bottom of the manifest or to the
ISTG Production Coordinator. Be sure to include the name of the ship.
Website search technology courtesy of FreeFind.com

The new Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild logo was designed by Patricia McCormack, June 2007. The old logo, which continues to be used in part on this website, was designed and contributed by Pat Walker and Sheila Tate. The logo and other genealogical graphics are available on tee shirts, mousepads and tote bags from: AncesTees. ISTG does not profit in any way from the sale of these items.

Copyrights, Trade Marks, & Registered Trade Marks within this web site are protected under international copyright law. All rights reserved by the respective holders of any ™ © ® included within this site. 1998-2008

ISTG™ NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in whole or part in any format for presentation, distribution or profit by anyone without the express written consent of the Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild. Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild is independently owned.

Created & Maintained by the ISTG™Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild

Web Counters