My great grandfather, Thomas Thomson, was a carver.
 | ||||||
|
My grandmother told me stories of the travel they did when she was a child for her dad to make carvings. She told her tale many times over the years. I never tired of hearing of the Gargoyles he carved.
Grandma told me he carved Gargoyles in Cleveland, Ohio & Des Moines, Idaho.
Many times over the years I have searched for Great Grandpa's Gargoyles without luck. I have spent the past month searching virtually on my own in anticipation of writing this blog, but I was not successful in finding the correct gargoyles.
I thought I remembered he had carved in Omaha, Nebraska where I found gargoyles had been on the old city hall around the top of the building. The historical information I found didn't look promising for when they were carved being the ones I was seeking. The building had been built earlier than the 1920s that my ancestor was carving gargoyles.
Grandma told me he carved Gargoyles in Cleveland, Ohio & Des Moines, Idaho.
Many times over the years I have searched for Great Grandpa's Gargoyles without luck. I have spent the past month searching virtually on my own in anticipation of writing this blog, but I was not successful in finding the correct gargoyles.
I thought I remembered he had carved in Omaha, Nebraska where I found gargoyles had been on the old city hall around the top of the building. The historical information I found didn't look promising for when they were carved being the ones I was seeking. The building had been built earlier than the 1920s that my ancestor was carving gargoyles.
After searching and searching I realized I had missed an obvious thought.
Why not reach out to the local libraries. I work in library. How was it I never thought of sending my research questions through ASK A LIBRARIAN services. This is a service I am fully aware of, and yet I had missed it in all the years I have searched.
When I received my reply from Omaha Public Library my hopes were dashed. The carver of those gargoyles was Joseph Irving.
I had also emailed the Des Moines Public Library asking about gargoyles in their city, and was disappointed to discover not all library services are free for the user like they are in British Columbia, Canada. My reply from the Librarian at Des Moines Public Library asked for a $20/hour fee paid in advance for their research assistance.
Still searching!
This is why I search -
Cause ...
You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!
***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***
Image Source:
Dragon, Gnome, Pixabay License, Free for commercial use, No attribution required, Retrieved November 2nd 2020 from https://pixabay.com/photos/dragon-gnome-gargoyle-4031094/
When I received my reply from Omaha Public Library my hopes were dashed. The carver of those gargoyles was Joseph Irving.
I had also emailed the Des Moines Public Library asking about gargoyles in their city, and was disappointed to discover not all library services are free for the user like they are in British Columbia, Canada. My reply from the Librarian at Des Moines Public Library asked for a $20/hour fee paid in advance for their research assistance.
Seems Omaha Public Library research is also not free. After the one email from Omaha I was told any further info would be chargeable under their premium service rates.
Without a guarantee that I would have the information I was seeking without first paying using their pay for services wasn't for me.
Without a guarantee that I would have the information I was seeking without first paying using their pay for services wasn't for me.
BUT all hope was not dashed.
A nugget of information was buried in the $$s for research reply - they were going to use their newspaper clipping services. Why had I never thought to search Thomas' name with the keyword gargoyles in the news databases before. After spending several hours searching I did not find any reference to Thomas Thomson who was a carver of gargoyles.
Anytime I search for my Thomas Thomson with anything close to artistic copious entries for the the Canadian Artist, Thomas Thomson appear in searching. This makes the search frustrating. I have used Boolean Operators to refine my searching, but as of today I have not successful found the GARGOYLES I SEEK.
 |
| Source: Pixabay.com |
I shall not give up.
Sometimes the facts are difficult to find as you tug the threads of the story to create a picture. Genealogy research has no timelines. I know someday I will find the right gargoyles as I continue to refine my search strategies.
Still searching!
This is why I search -
Cause ...
You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!
***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***
Image Source:
Dragon, Gnome, Pixabay License, Free for commercial use, No attribution required, Retrieved November 2nd 2020 from https://pixabay.com/photos/dragon-gnome-gargoyle-4031094/
Links:
Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/
___________________________________________________________
Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/
If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please
include a link to the specific blog and
credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/
My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.
All rights reserved.
Please & Thank you!
___________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment