"No one's ever really gone," Luke Skywalker to his sister Leia in The Last Jedi.

Through Findagrave I am honoring all those that have traveled before us. Their stories should not be forgotten.

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I'm a single, older lady who caught the genealogy bug when in high school. My mother's family had come out on the Oregon Trail in 1852 after my great, great grandfather Ira Hawley struck gold in the California gold fields. He and his wife Elvira Riley-Hawley settled in the Willamette Valley of Oregon on a homestead 2 miles South of Cottage Grove in the area called Divide.

While a senior in high school I found I could apply for a college scholarship through the Colonial Dames of America if I could prove my lineage to the Revolutionary War in addition to showing my worthiness for a scholarship. I persevered, spending hours in the library. Fortunately I was awarded the scholarship which ended up igniting my interest in genealogy.

Now genealogy provides me an outlet for quiet, evenings. My biggest thrill so far was finding I am a descendant of Elizabeth "Goody" Holley-Kendall, the first person to be executed for as a witch in colonial America. Poor Goody.

I also enjoy finding relatives lost in time who met an early demise or were forgotten. I am reminded that I came from many generations of love.

"No one's ever really gone," Luke Skywalker to his sister Leia in The Last Jedi.

Through Findagrave I am honoring all those that have traveled before us. Their stories should not be forgotten.

___________________________________________________

I'm a single, older lady who caught the genealogy bug when in high school. My mother's family had come out on the Oregon Trail in 1852 after my great, great grandfather Ira Hawley struck gold in the California gold fields. He and his wife Elvira Riley-Hawley settled in the Willamette Valley of Oregon on a homestead 2 miles South of Cottage Grove in the area called Divide.

While a senior in high school I found I could apply for a college scholarship through the Colonial Dames of America if I could prove my lineage to the Revolutionary War in addition to showing my worthiness for a scholarship. I persevered, spending hours in the library. Fortunately I was awarded the scholarship which ended up igniting my interest in genealogy.

Now genealogy provides me an outlet for quiet, evenings. My biggest thrill so far was finding I am a descendant of Elizabeth "Goody" Holley-Kendall, the first person to be executed for as a witch in colonial America. Poor Goody.

I also enjoy finding relatives lost in time who met an early demise or were forgotten. I am reminded that I came from many generations of love.