This blog is my way of sharing my passion for life, genealogy, travel, and mountain biking with my family, friends, and others with similar interests.
I was born and raised in a high mountain valley in rural Utah where my love of the great outdoors was fostered by my father who loved hunting, fishing, camping, winter sports, boating, travel, and high adventure. My love for genealogy and family history was instilled in me as a child when my maternal grandmother, Sarah Rebecca Wadman Shupe Southwick, sat me up to a typewriter and assisted me in the creation of my first “professional looking” family group sheet and pedigree chart. Grandma took me with her to interview her aged aunties and uncles. She took me to interview my grandpa Royal Jack Shupe’s family too. Grandfather Shupe died when my mother was only nine years old. Visiting his siblings and other older family members was high adventure to me! With my arm around grandma’s neck off we would go in her little old car down the highway seeking to find the unknown and bring it home to type for our posterity.
My paternal grandmother, Lola Emelie Wilhelmina Schwartz World Thomson, and great grandmother, Jenni Maria Dye Schwartz Suprise, were living legends! They had come to Utah all the way from Georgia in the early 1900s. Just visiting their house was an adventure. Grandma Suprise had her own pet monkey, Grandma Thomson had Polly the talking parrot, mina birds, canaries, amazing fish aquariums, and exquisite rose gardens. When Daddy took us all the way down to Bountiful to visit our grannies, it was like walking into fairyland. Grandpa Thomson lived in the basement apartment of Grandma’s house and he always had a big smile, a hug, a tickle, and was planning the next fishing trip with daddy. We loved the rare opportunity to visit in the City.
My love for life, family, and adventure was stimulated by the interaction I had with my grandparents. My life today is continually impacted by these same people and each newly discovered generation before them.
By age 15 all of my grandparents had passed away leaving a gaping hole in my life. The pursuit of my family history has led me to travel extensively throughout the United States and plans to visit Europe too. My passion for family history has grown into a full blown genealogy business, Family History Expos, Inc. which brings great joy to my life and to the lives of many others.
The Genealogy Biker Blog is another spoke in my wheel of life, come join the ride! Together, we have many adventures to share.
by HollyGood Old Fashioned Hand Written Code by Eric J. Schwarz