Huesca – Many Branches, One Tree

Echoes of our Ancestors

Gilbert Cayetano Huesca (1915 – 2009) Joan Joyce (Schiavon) Huesca (1928 – 1987) If you’ve ever thought about writing down your family stories, don’t overthink it or wait until the “time is right.” Just do yourself and your descendants a favor. Get busy and start writing. Though I have been writing this blog for a dozen years, … Continue reading

Amanuensis Monday: “Nuptial Blessings of Our Very Illustrious Lord”

Marriage Record of José Cayetano de la Trinidad Huesca (1815 – after 1860) María Josefa Rodríguez (1821 – 1897) [Note: Amanuensis is an ancient word meaning one who performs the function of writing down or transcribing the words of another. Derived from the Latin root manu- , meaning manual or hand, the word also has been used as a … Continue reading

Happy Birthday, Mamma!

Joan Joyce (Schiavon) Huesca 1928 – 1987 Today, on this Fourth of July, as the United States turns 242 years old, my mother, Joan (Schiavon) Huesca, would have turned 90. We lost her 31 years ago this Fall. Sometimes it seems as though I saw her only yesterday. Other times it feels like it … Continue reading

It’s an Honor to Meet You…

(Originally published April 23, 2013, and updated June 1, 2018) I am a proud member of Geneabloggers Tribe, and before that a member of its predecessor, Geneabloggers, Thomas MacEntee’s web-based group of family history writers and genealogists. It includes over 3,000 members – that’s 3,000 blogs – from all over the world. I joined in 2012 … Continue reading

Friday’s Faces from the Past: Pictures of a Golden Day

Benita (McGinnis) McCormick (1889 – 1984) Phillip Columbus McCormick (1892 – 1981) One balmy Sunday afternoon in October of 1971 on the San Francisco Peninsula, some 2,149 miles and 18,262 sunrises from where they first pledged their love for each other as husband and wife, Phil and Benita McCormick strode confidently into church, arms linked … Continue reading

Friday’s Faces from the Past

Do you know this soldier? This photograph of an unidentified young soldier was in a frame with a family tree group, hanging on a wall in my Aunt’s living room. Is he English? When my family and I traveled to Mexico City to visit our Huesca family in June 2003, I spotted a large … Continue reading

Sentimental Sunday: To the Mothers in Our Lives

Happy Mother’s Day Feliz Día de las Madres Bonne Fête des Mères Buona Festa della Mamma Hyvää äitienpäivää Lá na Máthar Shona ar No matter what your language, “Mother” is the sweetest word of all. Margaret McCoy Born Ireland (abt. 1823 – abt. 1857) Catherine O’Grady Born Waterford, Ireland (abt. 1835 … Continue reading

Thankful Thursday: Life’s Lessons, Part 3 – The Forces that Shape Us

Gilbert Cayetano Huesca (1915 – 2009) (This is the last of a three part series. To read Part 1, click here. To read Part 2, click here.) My father and me on my wedding day, just before leaving for the church. Santa Clara, California, 1984. A few months before my father died, we had an interesting conversation about trust. I … Continue reading

Wisdom Wednesday: Life’s Lessons, Part 2 – The Defining Moments

Gilbert Cayetano Huesca (1915 – 2009) (This is the second of a three part series. To read Part 1, please click here. To read part 3, please click here) My father, Gilbert Huesca, and me. Chicago, Illinois, Easter Sunday, 1956 I used to wonder why my father was so reserved and circumspect. He was not spontaneous … Continue reading

Church Record Sunday: Life’s Lessons, Part 1 – Unbreakable Faith

Gilbert Cayetano Huesca (1915 – 2009) (Part One of a three part series. To read Part 2, please click here. To read part 3, please click here) No matter how close you are to someone, the bits and pieces you know about them only scratch the surface of who they are. It’s the voids – the spaces between … Continue reading