THANK YOU, KALAMAZOO
Images of the Pfizer vaccine marching out of Kalamazoo (the Portage plant) on its way to various destinations fill the news. Portage is the largest suburb of Kalamazoo. When I was eight, we moved from Kalamazoo to Portage, but Kalamazoo is my hometown. Portage is its own city, but is truly part of Kalamazoo.
Until 1995, the Kalamazoo company that employed so many locals, brought in so many scientists, and influenced life in the city was The Upjohn Company. Many of my family members worked there over the years in a variety of jobs and professions. The Upjohn Company was a benevolent god in some ways to our town. I will admit that on bad days, if you lived in Portage, a disgusting smell (and pollution, I’m sure) was emitted back in the days when that was considered acceptable. Our medicines and vitamins often came in the light gray and white Upjohn label. The parents of our friends and our neighbors often worked at the company, too.
In 1995, Pharmacia merged with Upjohn. My husband and I had already moved away from Kalamazoo in 1990, but a few of our friends were affected by the merger. They had to move away from Kalamazoo at that time. Then Pfizer bought out the company in 2002-03.
Now the seeds of The Upjohn Company produce fruit yet again with the Pfizer vaccine. It’s exciting that Kalamazoo and Portage (where I grew up and went to school) can be part of this hope for the future. Way to go, Kalamazoo!
END OF THE YEAR PLANNING
On this blog for 2020 I focused on researching my direct ancestors. I wanted to Fill in the Gaps by locating documents that I was missing. For so many of my ancestors, there were easy-to-fill gaps, as well as more difficult or impossible ones. The reason I took on this project was because I typically have gone off on research tangents based on what photographs I own or information someone else has shared with me. Very often, these research subjects were not my grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, etc., but siblings or cousins of these people. I wanted to make sure I had properly researched my forebears.
I did go back through all my 4x great-grandparents on my mother’s side in 2020. I will continue to work back farther, but the information becomes more limited which makes me bored with my own blog posts. Therefore, I want to focus on something else for 2021. Whatever I choose, I plan to go about slowly because I still have exhaustion caused by the Valley Fever and because I have some non-genealogy projects I am working on.
So where should the focus fall for 2021? Here are some considerations:
- Siblings of my direct ancestors starting with my maternal grandparents (probably the easiest choice)
- My dad’s family (which would mean that the blog would be “away” from Kalamazoo/Michigan for a year as they immigrated to Illinois, and I don’t really want to do that)
- My husband’s family on enteringthepale.com (the movement from his father’s family to his mother’s continues to feel overwhelming to me as her family was very large and complicated. It would mean leaving thefamilykalamazoo.com for a full year)
Does it seem like I should do the first one–the siblings? Or am I overlooking something else? Or should I switch it up and go back to being more spontaneous?
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE! I’M PRAYING FOR A HEALTHIER, HAPPIER YEAR AHEAD. GOOD RIDDENS TO 2020.
Leaving you with another cute ornament idea. I saw this Instagram post, and the poster recommends an ebook that describes how to make them.
To purchase the book, follow the LINK to The House that Lars Built.
The Family Kalamazoo 
No advice on next year’s planning – but those ornaments are the bomb! Thanks for the idea.
You’re welcome. I thought so, too. Really cool and different ornaments.
Whatever you decide, good luck and have a happy, healthy 2021!
Thanks, Bill. You too! Please stay safe!
I loved your love and pride for Kalamazoo. Mom Janet
Thanks, Mom! xoxo
I understand the dilemma for sure, and I agree that 2020 needs to go – and quickly!
If I had a vote, I think I would go for the siblings. As an only child, I’ve always been fascinated by the dynamics of siblings.
But you do what you feel is best. We will all follow on your journey.
Feel better in 2021 is the best.
I am obviously leaning toward the siblings. The other reason–that I forgot to mention–is that very often there is at least sibling who didn’t have children. So who will research their story if we all just do direct ancestors?
Hope you and T stay well and happy as can be as we move into the new year!
Wonderful wrap up Luanne for this crazy year. I loved your Filling In The Gaps Project and I look forward to what you choose to work on in 2021. Good riddens 2020, good riddens Valley Fever. I have loved sharing this journey with you and excited for next year and what new discoveries it brings in your family research. Hugs Sharon
Sharon, I’m so happy that you are on the journey with me! I hope you get back on the horse pretty soon ;), but in the meantime stay safe and healthy. I hope you have a pleasant holiday season!! xoxo
Hi, my gut says to focus on siblings. in my tree, I kept all relatives for four generations from myself; then, just direct ancestors-parents to child only. Perhaps, focus on those with a Kalamazoo connection, hope it helps! Merry Christmas!
It does help to get more info on our directs if we work on their siblings, too. Kalamazoo connections is good, too, or at least southwest Michigan. I just mentioned above that another reason to do siblings is that some don’t have children, so it’s kind of up to me to research their stories! I hope your holidays are wonderful, and that you stay safe! I know you have health issues, so it’s even more important!
I feel so Kalamazoo right now! I was involved with a vast pediatric clinical trial (human growth hormone) and in changing the headquarter responsibility for it, from Pharmacia, in your town, to Pfizer, in New York. It was a very difficult time for personnel there, around 2005, and I represented inevitable adverse effect on their jobs. They could not have been more professional or cordial. Yours is a wonderful town with awesome people. I am so glad you are associated with the rollout of the incredible vaccine and am reading with a terrific visual in mind.
I love this story! How very very cool! I might be partial, but I do think Kalamazooans tend to be really nice people! Thank you so much for sharing this with me!
Yay for Kalamazoo! I never thought I’d cheer for Big Pharma, but this year they deserve it all.
As for next year—you will decide what you most want to do. I am in the same position. I am almost done with the Goldschmidts after THREE years. I am ready to move on, but where to? Your fill-in-the gaps project is one possibility as I researched some of my direct ancestors so long ago that I want to see what else there may be now that it’s been years and I’m more experienced. But I know I can’t get much more than I have. So I am also trying to decide among a few options, none of which excite me greatly at the moment.
My own bias for your blog is to do more of the Gardener’s genealogy. I know I will learn more about Jewish genealogy from your work. But let your gut lead your way as I will mine.
LOL, I know what you mean!
I would love to read a fill in the gaps project.
Sigh, re the gardener’s genealogy. By the way, remember how we couldn’t find his father on the lists of machal volunteers, Haganah, not really a list for Irgun, etc. But we have the documents from when he had to replace his passport to get home, as well as the AP article with his photo and name. But nobody had been able to find any Israeli documentation that he was ever there. We might have had a teeny tiny break in that brick wall. A cousin on the other side has connections and has been working on it, so I am hoping . . . . And Inna is supposed to be working on looking in the northern Ukraine area for the gardener’s mother’s family, but nothing yet. So what I am left with at this point is the huge Canadian (and somewhat American) family. Been hard to research, and the gaps worry me. I don’t want to write blog posts before I have enough info. Not sure what to do.
I know what you mean. But sometimes writing a post (1) shows what you know and what you don’t know and (2) gets you suggestions or connections that help.
Happy last night/day of Hanukkah!
There is a miracle over here. Hanukkah is being extended by two more nights! What a way to end 2020. We are going to mingle with the kids on our patio!!! The gardener just spent until 11PM last night with some guy fixing our outdoor heaters! Happy Hanukkah, Amy!
Re what you said about getting help, etc. That is really food for thought, so thank you.
You are the second person today who mentioned a tenth night of Hanukkah!
Can’t wait although nervous to have to be on guard and not make a safety error!
That’s how I felt the whole week before and then during Thanksgiving.
I’m glad you didn’t get sick! It’s a week out now from being with the kids, so I am hoping we were able to avoid getting sick because of all our precautions.
We also took many precautions. Masked except when eating, and tables were spaced so we were at least six feet apart, and all the windows were open.
Now that we all have the routine down to keep safe, the mutation will be entering the country! I’m scrambling today to figure out what that means in terms of staying safe.
It means we need to get people vaccinated as soon as possible.
PS Do you pay Inna for her work?
Yes, when she produces something she gives me a bill. She is quite reasonable.
I will email you for more information. I forget what geographic areas she can research.
Ukraine for sure but I believe most Jewish genealogy.
My husband’s family is from Ukraine, if he ever lets me do his genealogy. But my mother’s side is from Romania and Galicia, and I’ve hit dead ends there.
I know that Inna worked for a Jewish genealogy company before going out on her own. I’m not sure if her new company specializes in certain areas or not, so I would just email and ask her.
I can’t really offer advice. You will find the project that feels right to you. I always enjoy sibling research.
Those really are cool ornaments!
I love those ornaments! Not sure I could use transfer paper though. Maybe?
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Eilene!
Thank you for the year-end wrap-up, Luanne! You’ve done so well with your fill-in-the-blanks project. For next year, I would vote for spontaneous. 🙂
Now that is an interesting vote. If I go that route I could let up a framework for the siblings, but just pop in with whatever comes up whenever I want. Thanks, Liz!
You’re welcome, Luanne! I think you’ve hit on a good way to go about and still make progress on filling in your gaps.
Yes!!!! I’m very grateful for the thought.
😀
Good riddance 2020! I’ve not been very good at “liking”, but it has been interesting to see how your research has evolved. I can’t think of anything that my home town is famous for – there is, as far as I know, no Brownhills System! That said, almost every town has something to be thankful for, even if it is someone who fought in a war, or played football (any code) to a decent standard, or who created the local park, or the perhaps dubious honour of being the mayor, or a councilor or senator. The most famous person from the area I am in now is Mary Ann Evans, aka George Eliot, you know, the author of Middlemarch and The Mill on the Floss, which I struggled with at school. Best wishes, Andy.
Andy, that is quite a distinction for your town! I didn’t read those books until grad school and liked them. I also read Daniel Deronda and Silas Marner. But I think maybe these are books for adults and not teens. My dad’s worst foe in school was Silas Marner. I think he was supposed to read it in around 9th grade and just couldn’t. He always talked about it! I agree about every town. Kalamazoo is also known for lots of other things. First outdoor mall in the country, for instance. The Paper City when there was a paper mill “on every corner.” Thanks for stopping by and stay safe!!!!!!