Genealogy Jottings

Our patriarch “Grandpa” Al Hjelmstad (from North Dakota) met his wife Thecla Walz (from Minnesota) in the oil town of Casper, Wyoming. They had both just arrived there looking for temporary work after World War II. He planned to earn money to move on and start a business in the Pacific Northwest. She wanted to spend the summer after high school with her sister. They ended up marrying and staying in Casper to raise their family.

Today most of their descendants live along the Rocky Mountain corridor. Last weekend nearly all of us gathered at the home of a grandson in Pueblo, Colorado for an impromptu reunion. People came south from Casper and north from Las Alamos, New Mexico. One outlier even arrived from Ithaca, New York. We had 4 generations represented ranging in age from 2 months to 83 years. Of course meeting the 2-month-old little girl was the excuse for the get-together.

My daughter-in-law is learning photography so she took many pictures of this event, including some group photos. Now she wants a place to post them for all the clan to see.

Many (most!) of us are not Facebook users, so this could pose a problem. But my husband/tech advisor can solve this! He will use Photo Gallery software to create a family album online where we all can post and share photos. This will work well for the Hjelmstads who shy away from social networks.

As a genealogist, I love that we have another multi-generational photo to add to the collection. I just wish Grandpa were still with us to see how the family grows.