Updates

I apologize for slacking on this site, but I simply haven't had the time to post anything for quite some time.

I went back to school about 3 weeks ago to get all the requisite Microsoft Certifications to become a Systems Administrator, so that is taking up much of my time these days between classes and homework. I am hoping that I can balance time between my family and school as well as here, so I can keep things moving forward.

In addition, I am trying to learn a new genealogy program from Family Tree Maker which is the 2008 version. A while back, I bought this version of the software because it came with more bells and whistles, and it looked like it might make things easier. I was so far off on that, it wasn't even funny. While they did add newer features that the previous version didn't have, they took away ones that I did like. They are, however, slowly adding features back that are missing. I must say that this program is much more complex than the previous one. But, once I get a handle on how it works, it will be worth it because of the newer features, such as media integration.

To give you an idea of the program I was using versus the one I am now learning, take a look at these screen shots of the main page for each program. This first picture is the old 2006 version. It seems simple enough to use right? Well, it was. There wasn't much brain power required to master it easily, so I was flying in no time.




The 2nd picture is what the new version looks like. As you can see, the main screen is now broken up into 3 little windows. The far left part of it is the entire list of everyone in the tree. The middle is the current person's family, as well as their ancestor's tree. The right hand side is the main person that you are entering information for.

Children of Rose DeMartini

My grandmother's father (John DeMartini) was one of 8 children born to Augustino DeMartini and his wife, Celestina Cereghino in Martinez, California in the late 1800's.

John's sister Rose's family is the subject of this writing. A few years back, I had the priviledge of running across the Great Grand-daughter of Rose Ann DeMartini, when our paths crossed while researching the same family. Annie is her name, and she helped me piece in the missing parts of my genealogy, and I, in return, did the same for her. I remember Annie saying that her mom remembered my grandparents (Tom and Mildred) from years before, and that she was even close with the family of Ray DeMartini (who I often visited when I was little) who lived over on Patio Drive in Campbell years back. However, neither of us believe that our paths in life have ever crossed before our mutual genealogical research.

Rose Ann DeMartini married a man by the name of Antone Paul Cantell on February 28, 1904 in San Jose, California. Together they had 6 children, one of which was Gertrude Agnes Cantell.

The following picture is of Gertude (Rose DeMartini's daughter) from Cousin Annie's collection. The date would be the early to mid 1920's.

Cal McLish

I ran into an intersting person in my continuing research of my wife's side of the family.




This man's name is Cal McLish. Cal's full birth name was Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish. Yes, you read that right. That is a mouthful, isn't it. Cal once said the following concerning how he came into that name. He stated "There were eight kids in my family, and I was the only one my father was permitted to name, so I guess he figured he'd make up for the situation."

Cal was born December 1, 1925 in Oklahoma and is Chickasaw. As far as I know, he is still alive and well.

Cal was a professional baseball pitcher, as if the picture above didn't tell you that allready. In the 20 years (between 1944 and 1964) he played professional ball, he played for The Brooklyn Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, Cincinatti Reds, Chicago White Sox and the Philladelphia Phillies. In 1959, he was on the All Star Team. He had a win / loss record of 92 and 92, with an E.R.A. of 4.00 and 713 strike outs.

Another notable highlight of his career, was when he set a major league record with 16 consecutive road wins. That feat was later matched by several players including Greg Maddux.

After retiring from playing, Cal went on to become a pitching coach for the Phillies (1965-1966), Expos (1969-1975), and the Milwaukee Brewers (1976-1982).