I have the great pleasure of introducing you to Smallest Leaf, the creator of the 100 Years in America, Small-leaved Shamrock, and A Light That Shines Again blogs.
Smallest Leaf (a nom de plume) is a proud descendant of early 20th-century Hungarian/Croatian and 19th-century Irish Immigrants to America. She has been researching her family history since she was 11 years old, and Smallest Leaf shares her beginnings in genealogy at her post Why do I trace my family tree?
A brief perspective into Smallest Leaf’s childhood and who she is can be found in her post: The view from my corner of the world. Smallest Leaf has written an explanation entitled Who is Lisa and why the leaf?, which gives a little insight into why she is sometimes referred to as, “Smallest Leaf” her online nom de plume.
Her blog 100 Years in America focuses on her Hungarian/Croatian branch that settled in New York City (Manhattan and Staten Island) as well as Massachusetts and New Jersey. Smallest Leaf has enjoyed blogging the immigrant stories of her great-grandparents and grandfather. She writes about the homelands they left and the culture and traditions that were a part of their lives and then passed down in the family.
The blog, Small-leaved Shamrock and the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture are a celebration of the lives of the Cowhey/Cowey/Cowhy, Donnelly, Foley, McGinley, McGonigle/McGonigal, McWilliams and other related families of Mount Carbon, St. Clair, Frackville and Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania-families with Irish Catholic heritage. They were railroaders, coal miners, and the women and children who loved and supported them.
Smallest Leaf is also the hostess for the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture, which began at her Small-leaved Shamrock blog. This carnival having it’s own blog, is about all aspects of Irish heritage and culture. Topics for the editions so far have included, Irish stories, Irish genealogical treasures, Irish places, and also includes the Irish language, favorite aspects of Irish culture, and more. Contributors are welcome to submit articles whether or not they are of Irish heritage.
In Smallest Leaf’s own words, her, A Light That Shines Again blog is, in some ways, the “younger sibling” of all three family history blogs.
Smallest Leaf’s A Light That Shines Again blog, focuses on her Boston and Quincy, Massachusetts Irish (famine immigrant) branch of the family. She writes a bit less on this blog in comparison to the others but likes this blog as much as the others and plans to continue writing about this branch of her family there.
Smallest Leaf’s Family and Her Blog
Although Smallest Leaf has a very busy life, she enjoys blogging when she can find the time. Smallest Leaf has written about her role as a family historian, raising the next generation, including, my newest little one within an article titled, Growing the family tree: In both directions. She is very thankful for all readers whether they are related or not and, especially those that let her know!
Smallest Leaf is aware of a few close family members that follow her various blogs. She also has a few cousins out there she hopes are still reading her blogs; she would love to receive more comments and emails from family members that do read her blogs. Smallest Leaf feels it’s so “rewarding” to hear from anyone when she has provided new family information or “sparked” some old memories on her blog that is helpful to them. Smallest Leaf’s hope is to pass down her family’s wonderful stories before they are lost to history.
Smallest Leaf has had wonderful experiences connecting with distant cousins that she would have not known about had she not started her blogs and shared her family history. For example: she connected with a Croatian cousin by way of her 100 Years in America blog. Smallest Leaf has found her linguistic skills challenged due to the fact that her cousin speaks mainly in Croatian. With the help from a few friends, thankfully, Smallest Leaf has been able to attempt replies in Croatian without the worry that she may say something other than what she meant. You can read about Smallest Leaf’s contact with her cousin in the article The Gift of the Photograph: Uniting Families With Their History which was published on at the Shades of the Departed blog.
How Smallest Leaf Follows the Rest of Us
Smallest Leaf uses Google Reader and her Flock browser to follow as many blogs as time permits. Her typical day is filled with activities and interruptions from the little people! Smallest Leaf enjoys following as many genealogy blogs as she can in small pockets of free time that she is able to find.
Smallest Leaf has a few blog subscriptions that she receives via her email but she will try and quickly jump over to a few favorite blogs directly. She sees so many talented writers out there sharing great articles and has so little time to enjoy them.
Smallest Leaf’s Thoughts on Blogging
When the idea for blogging struck Smallest Leaf, she jumped right into it. She recalls when she brainstormed the idea of blogging, “Wow, I can start blogging to share the research I’ve done into my family history!” At first, Smallest Leaf envisioned only family reading her blog, she then realized that there were many other genealogy bloggers out there telling their own stories, and that they would be interested in hearing about her family stories too.
Smallest Leaf feels it has been a great gift to be in contact with so many fellow researchers and writers who are sharing their genealogy projects and family histories. Smallest Leaf anxiously waits to see what the new decade holds for all of us in the genealogy blogosphere.
Since she started blogging two and a half years ago, Smallest Leaf feels it’s certainly been a learning process. Smallest Leaf had been blogging long before she started to read other genealogy blogs, although she had been reading other blogs on unrelated topics.
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Please head over to Smallest Leaf’s blogs, leaving her comments to let her you know you stopped by. Welcome Smallest Leaf, we look forward to reading all about your family history.
© 2010, copyright Gini Webb
Gini Webb lives in San Diego, California and manages her own blog, Ginisology, while also researching her own German heritage, recently retired, enjoying life with wonderful husband Steve and visiting with her now seven grandchildren!
Are you a genealogy blogger who would like to be interviewed for the “May I Introduce To You . . .” series? If so, contact Gini Webb via e-mail.
