McCormick – Many Branches, One Tree

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

Travel Tuesday: Rebirth in the Land of Mañana

Benita (McGinnis) McCormick (1889 – 1984) Phillip Columbus McCormick (1892 – 1981) When a letter begins with the words, “Sit down,” a big announcement is sure to follow. That was how my great-uncle-and-aunt, Phillip and Benita (McGinnis) McCormick, learned that their daughter, Jane, had married her true love, Eldon “Ole” Olson, in a private church ceremony in … Continue reading

Sibling Saturday: The Gaffney Sisters of Conneaut, Ohio

Mary Jane (Gaffney) McGinnis (1858 – 1940) Margaret “Maggie” Gaffney (1860 – 1949) Elizabeth “Lyle” Gaffney (1862 – 1934) Delia “Di” Gaffney (1864 – 1952) Frances “Frank” (Gaffney) Cherry (1870 – 1953) Agnes Gaffney (1872 – 1952) Clara Gaffney (1877 – … Continue reading

Thankful Thursday: A Daughter Remembers

Thomas Eugene McGinnis (1855 – 1927) Mary Jane (Gaffney) McGinnis (1858 – 1940) Benita Elizabeth (McGinnis) McCormick (1889 – 1984) Benita (McGinnis) McCormick, or “Aunt Detty,” as she was known to our family, kept a scrapbook of her life and memories. She began it in the early 1970s … Continue reading

Sentimental Sunday: A Token of Their Love

Thomas Eugene McGinnis (1855 – 1927) Mary Jane (Gaffney) McGinnis (1858 – 1940) Face of Mary Jane McGinnis’ love token. What did the “M” stand for? Reverse side of love token shows it is a Seated Liberty quarter dated 1854. Good things come in small packages. Some years ago, my second cousin, Benita Jane … Continue reading

Those Places Thursday: Gaffney House, Conneaut, Ohio

John Patrick “Jeff” Gaffney (1826 – 1892) Bridget “Bridey” (Quinn) Gaffney (1843 – 1914) Thomas Eugene McGinnis (1855 – 1927) Mary Jane (Gaffney) McGinnis (1858 – 1940) Benita Elizabeth (McGinnis) McCormick (1889 – 1984) Page from Benita (McGinnis) McCormick’s scrapbook When my great-aunt, Benita … Continue reading

Wisdom Wednesday: Crossroads

Gilbert Cayetano Huesca (1915 – 2009) Joan Joyce (Schiavon) Huesca (1928 – 1987) My parents, having decided that our family should leave the high altitude of Mexico City for the sake of my little sister’s health, now had a decision to make: Where should we go? Flickr Creative Commons, Photo by Laenulfean We had been living … Continue reading

Talented Tuesday: Domestic Goddess

Mary Jane (Gaffney) McGinnis (1858 – 1940) My great- grandmother, Mary Jane (Gaffney) McGinnis, wearing a dress she made for her engagement. Conneaut, Ohio, circa 1884. Known for her generous heart and her delicious pies, Mary Jane McGinnis held a special place in the memories of her descendants who knew her. My mother, Joan Joyce … Continue reading