Tom's Projects

Tom was gifted at Christmas with PhotoShop Elements, and since them he has been viewing tutorials and trying out aspects of this photo program. As a practice project, he has been extracting pics of Irene wearing clothes that I made for her. He has combined them into this composite photo.

He has been having fun, learning along the way, and admitting that at times the work is tedious. He plans to use this program especially to clean up old family photos that he has scanned as part of his genealogical work.

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Tom began doing family history in 1983, back when he had to go to archives and study microfiche one frame at a time. He spent many hours at the local stake center of the Mormon Church, ordering film to study in their Family History Center.

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Over the years, technology has made research much easier, and he has documented many generations of Vandervorts, Olssons, Olsons, Andersens, Norquists, Hofstetters, Manns, Slawsons, on and on. But while he started with the Reeders, he soon hit a dead end with his great great grandparents, Charles and Rachel Reeder.

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Then recently he heard a reference to pension records. He looked into it and placed an order. Yesterday a packet arrived from the National Archives containing pension application records for Rachel, and contained within, new information.

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Rachel is the mother of Seneca Reeder from Ohio, who fought in the civil war and eventually came to Washington State. He is Tom's great grandfather. He had a brother, John, who no one could find anything about. Now we know why. He died of typhoid ( or the measles) in 1861, at the age of 17, while a soldier serving in the Ohio Volunteers of the Union Army. Rachel's husband, Charles Reeder, was older than her by about 30 years and died in 1867. Rachel applied for a pension from her husband, and then in 1890, at the age of 69, she applied for a pension from her deceased son. At that time she was living in a Poor House in Ohio. That's the last we know of her so far, but Tom is hoping this new information will supply a loose end to continue to pursue.

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Tom loves the searching and hunting for bits and pieces of information. While it's not my cup of tea, I enjoy knowing the personal details we learn along the way. I can only imagine the hardship many of our ancestors suffered and they struggled to survive.

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While we have yet to discover anyone rich or famous, their stories make us realize how fortunate we are to be living now and in the style to which we have become accustomed.