The year after Dad died

My mother, Elizabeth Joan Bionaz Baker, was half Italian and at times would show the hot Italian temper. My father, James Edward Baker Jr, was the more calming influence in the home. When I was 16 and a Jr in High School my father died. He went to sleep and never woke up, my mother found his cold body when she went to bed later. I was left in the house with 2 hot tempered Italians, my mom and my younger brother. Unfortunately the other brother near by also could be hot tempered at times. I knew shortly after my father died that my younger brother blamed himself for dad's death. now of course my brother did not kill my father, but as a somewhat rebellious teenager he wasn't all that cooperative around the house. My brother felt that had he been more helpful and less rebellious our dad would not have died. then years later I found out that my mom had also blamed herself for my dad's death because she had given him a mild muscle relaxer before he went to bed. he had been complaining of pain in his shoulder and she thought he had just pulled a muscle or something. In 1975 they did not know all that much about heart disease, which was what killed him. During the next year life was not very good as my mom and brother would get into a fight of some sort.There were times my mom would be so scared of my younger brother that she would come and get me and we would leave the house. There were also times I would get so scared that I feared for my own safety. Sometimes she would called and have my older brother come over,, but that didn't always help because now there were 3 hot tempered people in the house. Eventually things quieted down and my mom and younger brother got along again. They say time heals, but sometimes during that time life can be a nightmare or even a living hell.

Research Goal

This week My research goal is to clean up my sources/citations in my data base. Awhile ago I switched from using PAF to using RootsMagic, RootsMagic has better resources/ templates to make better citations. This week I'm going to clean up my Baker line and the other Loyalists that moved to Canada after the Revolutionary War.
RootsMagic offers free webinars and the other day I watched one on Sources and Citations and it explained how to make better citations. It also explained that when you move a GEDCOM from PAF to RootsMagic the citations do not always transfer very well. Some of the Source information can end up being hidden, because the Source templates are different.
This will also give me a chance to reevaluate what I've done and what still needs to be done.

Tony's finger

I have an older brother named Tony who was known as being "accident prone" when he was younger. The first story of his "accidents" was a story told to me about when Tony was about 3 years old. Since I am younger then him I will have to tell you from what I remember hearing.

Tony was outside playing and some how a big got turned over with the wheels up in the air. The wheel was spinning and Tony decided to stop it. Well being a 3 year old and not knowing much about things, he stuck his index finger into the spokes and tried to stop the wheel from turning. Well as the story goes his finger ended up in bad shape, or as it was explained to me, it was hanging by 3 strands. Now you need to realize this was back in the mi 1950's long before doctors learned how to reattach body parts! But the doctor managed to put his finger back together and it even grew as he grew.

Now saying it grew normally would not be right. The finger as it grew so did the scars and so he had a constant reminder of the accident. It also turned out that he did not have full use of the finger either. When Tony got older he learned to play the trumpet and then the sousaphone. One day he complained about how one of the valves on his instrument was bent. All mom said was "Just be glad you have a finger." It turned out that when that finger pressed down on the valve it caused the valve to bend.

Indexing

Today I was doing some indexing for FamilySearch. I've been doing Ontario Death Records. My great grandfather, Henry Austin Baker, is from Cornwall, Ontario. The Bakers were Loyalists and went to Upper Canada after the Revolutionary War and Henry Austin Baker returned to the United States by way of North Dakota.

Well back to my indexing and my thoughts for today. I indexed a record (or transcribed part of the record so people can locate it on the web) for a man that was his own informant. That's right! I doubled checked the information and it had the decease's name listed as the informant and then where it asked for the relationship it said himself, not a son or father or wife, but himself! That goes to show how you need to be careful of the information even on official documents. I always assumed the informant information would be correct, but now I'm not sure.

4th of July

As I watch the "Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular" I remember my father's feelings about this country. He always thought it was a disgrace to wear the flag on your clothing, unless it was part of an official uniform. I carry some of those same thoughts today. I bothers me some times as I see people wear the flag as shorts or shirts or bathing suits. To me it is disrespectful the way some people decorate their bodies with the flag, it makes the flag to common. As I've done my genealogy I've learned some of the sacrifices of my forefathers. I've come to appreciate their services and commitment to this great country. My maternal grandfather and his cousins served proudly during WW II and even 1 cousin died in that great war. That may not sound to amazing, but my grandfather was first generation American and and since both his parents were from Italy there were some problems. His aunt and uncle almost went to a relocation camp because of their heritage, but they lived across the road from the cut off point and were allowed to stay in their home.

Many people of Japanese, Italian and German heritage were sent to relocation camps because of their heritage and yet these same families proudly sent their sons and brothers off to war. While they and the rest of their families were sent to camps in some ways worse than the conditions they grandparents or them left the old country. Yet these same people taught their children to be proud to be an America and to be proud to live where freedoms ring.

There is something to studying history and learning about our forefathers. It is learning what it is we truly have. It is seeing how blessed we are.

Today is Father's Day, So I will spotlight my Dad.

James Edward Baker Jr.

Nickname Eddie

Born 5 September 1925 in Esmond, Benson, North Dakota

Died 28 February 1975 at home, San Jose, Santa Clara, California

I'm not sure if this is an actual picture of my father or just a generic picture.









Here is a picture of my father at 7 months.













My father's navy picture, mid 1940's.

My father and mother in the 1950's.

Suranme Saturday

The Surname I'm going to mention today is one of my Italian names, Bionaz
My mom Elizabeth Joan Bionaz Baker - born in San Francisco California - 1931
My grandfather John Camil Bionaz - born in Southfork, Cambria County, Pennsylvania - 1904
My great-grandfather John Elere Bionaz - born in Gignod, Aosta, Italy - 1867
My 2great-grandfather (possibly) Peter Bionaz - somewhere in Aosta, Italy - about 1840
I'm not sure about the information on Peter.

Now there is a second Bionaz line that ties into my line, but as far as we know they are not connected.

John Elere Bionaz married Orpheline Boche and Orpheline's sister, Amelia, married a John F. Bionaz. However the two Johns have different mother's names and were not aware of being related.