Just a quick note to say that I have taken down my genealogy (surname) database due to security concerns. This has broken many links on my website which will take a long time to repair. In the meantime, you can find a copy of my genealogy database at http://sites.rootsmagic.com/ctgc/index.php

Feral the Cat, 2011

Feral is our newest furry family member adopted from the wild. Yes, we really did name him that. He is a sweetheart, but he lives up to his name by leaving us dead rodents to find.

Our dog, Inky, and my grandmother’s cat Buffy

This photo was taken in the early 1970’s. I don’t remember our dog Inky and this is the only good picture I have of him. I have another one that is so dark all you can see are his glowing eyes. He died when I was five or six, I think, so this photo is before 1974. My grandmother’s cat Buffy was less than 5 years old here and lived to be about 18 years old. He was always a grumpy old cat, at least to us kids. I’m sure we deserved every hiss.

I thought I would try something fun and post pictures of family pets on Fridays. Pets have always been important members of our family and as I’ve been going through old photos I have found they show up more often than some of my ancestors.

Naomi Carman & cat, circa 1910’s

This is the oldest pet photo I have come across so far. Probably taken in Philadelphia where my grandmother lived.

One of my weekend shows that I sometimes watch is “Life After People” on the History Channel. The premise is basically if humans disappeared today, how long would it take for human-made things to break down.

Today I saw an episode that used my great grandmother’s hometown as an example. In the 1960’s a fire started underground and made its way into the abandoned coal mines in Centralia. In the 1980’s most of the residents left in the town were relocated, and the fire still burns. According to Wikipedia, there were still 9 people living in Centralia in 2007. Here’s a Google search if you’d like to read more.

Life After People used Centralia as an example of how a town would look twenty-five years after people. I don’t think it was the best example, since most of the building were torn down after the people relocated. But, it was interesting none the less.

My great grandmother Sophia Levens left Centralia for Philadelphia before the turn of the century, long before the fire broke out. (That would be the turn from the 19th to the 20th) Some of her siblings remained in the area of Centralia, where her father had been a coal miner.

Here is a link to the Centralia section of the episode: Centralia on Life After People (no longer available)