Hobbies during lockdown times

[DrJenner]

Curious if anyone has picked up any hobbies during the last year?
Personally I had no hobbies as it was mostly work work work, and of course with COVID was working a lot more.

But on my downtime I took over my grandmother's ancestry research. She had her mother traced back to the Mayflower, all by going to Nova Scotia and looking through archives back in the day. I logged into ancestry . com and - lo and behold found a ton of Revolutionary War patriots (mostly my dad's side) - my mom's side all deserted to Nova Scotia. In addition to that, also found a few Mayflower ancestors by way of Howland/Tilley and Alden.

It's been really fun and distracting. I am still working on documentation for the Mayflower ancestors, and need to submit my application for processing. My daughter and I both joined DAR - but haven't been able to be as involved as I like - because - well work!
Anyone else learn a new skill or something fun about their family?

 

[Weedygarden]

I have gotten quieter and taken on less in the past year. I used to sew a lot, and craft many kinds of things. I have been doing genealogy and family history research for around 30 years, but have been interested since I was a child. My family does not go back to the Mayflower or early America. My first ancestors came to America in 1852, and then my g grandparent and families came over in 1873, 1874, 1884. We have no nobility or royalty in our family. We were all peasants, serfs. America gave my ancestors the opportunity to homestead and have land. Land meant wealth and power in Europe. One group of my ancestors had a piece of land, 1/4 of 45 acres(around 11 acres) to raise food for their family, pay 1/3 in taxes, and to trade for other needed goods. When they came to America, they got 160 acres in their homestead. These people worked hard and never had wealth. None of my ancestors had wealth. I do have family members who are wealthy now, but only as a result of hard work, living frugally, and investing and saving all they could.

 

[Bacpacker]

The wife is big into Ancestry. She's found some of her family back into the 1600's in France. Some of mine in Scotland in the 1700's.
I've got a bunch of hobbies, photography, fishing, ham radio, and others. If SHTF I expect my hobbies will go down to mostly reading some of the numerous books I've collected.

 

[Neb]

Curious if anyone has picked up any hobbies during the last year?
Personally I had no hobbies as it was mostly work work work, and of course with COVID was working a lot more.

But on my downtime I took over my grandmother's ancestry research. She had her mother traced back to the Mayflower, all by going to Nova Scotia and looking through archives back in the day. I logged into ancestry . com and - lo and behold found a ton of Revolutionary War patriots (mostly my dad's side) - my mom's side all deserted to Nova Scotia. In addition to that, also found a few Mayflower ancestors by way of Howland/Tilley and Alden.

It's been really fun and distracting. I am still working on documentation for the Mayflower ancestors, and need to submit my application for processing. My daughter and I both joined DAR - but haven't been able to be as involved as I like - because - well work!
Anyone else learn a new skill or something fun about their family?

Family lore says descended from Seccord (sp?)

Covid arrived as I retired so it really didn't change my life. I did pick up a hobby of digging a lot. Dug out a basement of a house we are rehabilitating. Aside from that general house maintaining work to avoid paying others for what I can do myself.

Does digging and house remodeling count as a hobby?

Ben

 

[DrJenner]

@Neb absolutely! Hubs doing that as well - remodeled our bed/bath in preparation for listing the house here.

@Weedygarden we are the same, no wealth - family homesteaded in Massachusetts, mostly east coast in the 16/1700's, some of my relatives came from Ireland to Canada as servants. I'm actually first generation for college grad - except I did have a relative way back go to Harvard or something, but the tradition certainly didn't carry on. My parents (dad from NY, mom from Toronto, Canada) met in Los Angeles CA and we are the first of our family out on the west coast.

@Bacpacker maybe we are related, i'm mostly irish and Scottish. Haha

 

[Bacpacker]

@Neb absolutely! Hubs doing that as well - remodeled our bed/bath in preparation for listing the house here.

@Weedygarden we are the same, no wealth - family homesteaded in Massachusetts, mostly east coast in the 16/1700's, some of my relatives came from Ireland to Canada as servants. I'm actually first generation for college grad - except I did have a relative way back go to Harvard or something, but the tradition certainly didn't carry on. My parents (dad from NY, mom from Toronto, Canada) met in Los Angeles CA and we are the first of our family out on the west coast.

@Bacpacker maybe we are related, i'm mostly irish and Scottish. Haha

Could be. same here. My Scottish roots so far were named Sandman

 

[Cascadian]

My hobby is the same as neb. I live across the street from a river and have been fishing once. It's criminal

 

[Weedygarden]

@Neb absolutely! Hubs doing that as well - remodeled our bed/bath in preparation for listing the house here.

@Weedygarden we are the same, no wealth - family homesteaded in Massachusetts, mostly east coast in the 16/1700's, some of my relatives came from Ireland to Canada as servants. I'm actually first generation for college grad - except I did have a relative way back go to Harvard or something, but the tradition certainly didn't carry on. My parents (dad from NY, mom from Toronto, Canada) met in Los Angeles CA and we are the first of our family out on the west coast.

@Bacpacker maybe we are related, i'm mostly irish and Scottish. Haha

I forgot to tell that my direct ancestors were Czech and German. Going back a couple generations, my gg grandmother who had to register as a German national during WW I was actually born in the Limburg province of The Netherlands. My grandmother who always said she was German, had ancestry that was not German. All of my grandparents were non-English speakers when they went to school, but we only heard a word or two that was not English from them. They mostly lost their first language.

 

[snappy1]

I was telling dh today that I am joining Ancestry next year (hopefully) I've gotten a lot more experimental with my canning this year. And looking forward to a bigger garden!

 

[DrJenner]

Could be. same here. My Scottish roots so far were named Sandman

Mine is Allan, Cassels, Caldwell and Gray that I have been able to track thusfar.

 

[Spikedriver]

I do some ancestry digging off and on. Records go back to the 1500s for my maternal grandparents and my paternal grandmother, but paternal grandfather is a mystery. There's no records of anything, just a birthdate on his headstone. No immigration record, no place of birth, no nothing.

My paternal grandmother's family goes back to Clan Mowat in north Scotland. They were from the area of the Orkney Islands, which is a short sea voyage to Norway. Some of them were dual citizens of a sort - they served as officers in the Norse navy, but were subjects of the Scottish crown. It appears this was a political ploy by the Scots to influence Norse policy. Anyway, they held land in Norway and some of this land is now the Barony Rosendal. My direct ancestor, Anders Axelsson Helvik, was a bastard child and didn't get all the wealth and prestige, but he has thousands of descendants in the United States now. I'm distantly related to about half of North Central Iowa through him...

 

[Peanut]

I have cfs, so don't have many hobbies. I used to play bluegrass with friends on friday nights. We played at a restaurant in town, loved it. It was a catfish place with a huge fireplace. Rocking chairs facing the fire instead of the diners. We were in our own little world, just pickin' away. We'd play a couple hours then get a late supper before the kitchen closed. Restaurant got sold... couple old friends passed away, one moved to Nashville who I visit once in a great while. No one left here who picks.

My other hobby is medicinal plants, over 1200 species grow wild where I live. I hunt them sometimes, friends (herbalists) call needing something not sold by one of the herb houses. Mostly spend time every week out in the forests and fields, always looking for new patches of this or that herb. Always seem to find them too... Sometimes finding them is like finding an easter egg as a kid, wonderful joy and excitement. The squirrels aren't impressed though.

 

[Amish Heart]

I had just retired and sold our school before the pandemic hit and was living in New Mexico in a lockdown state. Spent the time doing puzzles with the grandkids that were going bonkers. They were stuck doing computer school at home and that was a waste of time. Cooked lots of meals, gained some weight. Didn't start gardening projects, because we were moving to the farm in Kansas. Couldn't get rid of stuff at the thrift store because they were closed, and couldn't have a garage sale because we weren't allowed. So I think we did over a dozen 1000 piece puzzles and glued them. Read a book every other week. Then, moved July 2020 and our state doesn't do lockdowns so we can do whatever we want.
Husband did get into ancestry on his side of the family online. One of his relatives had inputted so much, alot was already on there. My amish side is already laid out and is in book form, so no research needed. And were we moved is where current family lives, and older relatives are buried. So it's fun to hear the stories, find out the nicknames and why, and see the gravestones. We have an amish cemetary close by and also a mennonite cemetary.

 

[Alaskajohn]

Fortunately Alaska ended the lockdown craze in May, 2020. My hobbies are taking care of the little hobby homestead that I bought. COVID didn’t change that except for making the materials I need to resurrect this place more expensive and less available!

 

[DrPrepper]

I have been working on genealogy with my mother since about 1970. After Mom died in 2018, I inherited all of the genealogical materials. I've got almost 30,000 names in my tree and go back to around the 1500s in some lines. My family is German/ Irish on my fathers side, maternal line is from Germany, England, and Wales. We have a huge group of descendants that settled in Australia, and I've actually found and correspond with cousins in England, Germany, and Australia. After I retired, I took up quilting. I wish I started quilting earlier, as it is so relaxing! Of course, during Covid until I retired, I wouldn't have had time for quilting (for that matter, I didn't have much time for anything then!) Amish Heart, I've found a number of Mennonite ancestors, mostly in the Lancaster, PA area. I remember we talked once before about the Yoders, as that is a big group in my family. DrJenner, I have family members who were revolutionary war soldiers. Was joining the DAR complicated? It is something I've thought about doing.

 

[Morgan101]

I didn't do it during the lockdown since I was still working from home, but one of the hobbies/activities I would like to do again is playing the piano. It is a bucket list item when I retire. I play some, but have gotten away from it. I would really like to take lessons, and learn more in depth.

 

[DrJenner]

I have been working on genealogy with my mother since about 1970. After Mom died in 2018, I inherited all of the genealogical materials. I've got almost 30,000 names in my tree and go back to around the 1500s in some lines. My family is German/ Irish on my fathers side, maternal line is from Germany, England, and Wales. We have a huge group of descendants that settled in Australia, and I've actually found and correspond with cousins in England, Germany, and Australia. After I retired, I took up quilting. I wish I started quilting earlier, as it is so relaxing! Of course, during Covid until I retired, I wouldn't have had time for quilting (for that matter, I didn't have much time for anything then!) Amish Heart, I've found a number of Mennonite ancestors, mostly in the Lancaster, PA area. I remember we talked once before about the Yoders, as that is a big group in my family. DrJenner, I have family members who were revolutionary war soldiers. Was joining the DAR complicated? It is something I've thought about doing.

Nope, it was just a lot of documentation and research but it's all available on family search and ancestry. You can go onto the DAR site and see which ancestors are already proven, sometimes. you don't need a lot of documentation, only a few generations back. Let me know if you need help! I love doing it!!

 

[goshengirl]

Genealogy is one of my hobbies, too. For about 30 years now. I'm a stickler for paper documentation, but I'm working more and more with the DNA side of things, too. I've worked through more than one illegitimacy in my own family, and have helped others, as well. It doesn't matter to me if it's "my people" or someone else's - I love solving the mystery. The idea of getting my certification has been on the back burner for decades, for when I have more time (haha).

Similar to genealogy, I also have been working on property history out at our farm - and that expanded to the neighbors' property history, then the history of the entire hollow.... One thing tends to lead to another. I will go out and wander the hills looking for potential landmarks identified in old legal descriptions.

I'd like to learn watercolor painting. It would be nice to paint some of the unique plant specimens we find. Another project on the back burner has been to make a field guide specific to our property, and I'd like to include some painted illustrations in with that.

I can't say that any of my hobbies are the result of downtime from covid. But if I did suddenly find myself with tons of downtime, I'd probably start organizing things. For me, organizing is like a hobby.

 

[snappy1]

Cleaning out closets and organizing is what I am up to now. I like to make a few Christmas ornaments and bake a good bit for holiday season. I don't know if any of these are hobbies or just skills that I don't always get to practice. 'Someday', I would like to learn to crochet, but I would have to be confined to a chair. As long as I can get around, that won't happen.

 

[DrJenner]

Yes I would love to learn to crochet, knit and quilt. When I was a kid, my granny tried to teach me, but I was just too busy to sit down and learn. Now I wish I would have.

 

[Tirediron]

I was able to practice being a cantankerous hillbilly even more.

 

[DrPrepper]

Nope, it was just a lot of documentation and research but it's all available on family search and ancestry. You can go onto the DAR site and see which ancestors are already proven, sometimes. you don't need a lot of documentation, only a few generations back. Let me know if you need help! I love doing it!!

Thanks, I'll check it out!

 

[joel]

We never locked down, the city still wants mask to be used, but we just shop outside of the city.
Besides gardening, I may take up carving again.
I have a cousin who has done genealogy & I have an ancestor who had my first & last name four hundred years ago, he was the brother of my direct line.

 

[Aerindel]

I had so many hobbies before this, I don't think I could even list them.

Maybe hobby is not the right word...but I can't think of anything new from covid....just the continuation of the hundred or so things I do.

Genealogy is cool though, my aunt is really into it. I'm 23 generations descended from Robert the Bruce. Which I'm actually kind of proud of.

 

[Amish Heart]

I'm related to Der Weiss (the white) Jonas Stutzman. He built a big Jesus chair and always wore white.

Anybody else related to someone "odd"?

 

[joel]

I'm related to Der Weiss (the white) Jonas Stutzman. He built a big Jesus chair and always wore white.

Anybody else related to someone "odd"?

"ODD!"?? That is my whole family.

 

[Amish Heart]

OK, "Kinda Special"

 

[UrbanHunter]

Let's see, Built a new kitchen... increased garden yield, canned more, started experimenting with solar power and battery backups. Nope, can't think of any new hobbies right off.....

The wife expanded her genealogy research, sewed till she broke her machine (twice)-grabbed another one and kept the presser-foot down, and she has been very "experimental" in her canning activities....

No I don't think we have picked up any "new Hobbies" yet.....

We did spend 3 months cooking without a kitchen, using a bathroom sink counter, cooking in electric skillets, toaster oven, and crock pots: think of it as prepping for a bomb going off in your kitchen....... FYI the fridge was in the living room this whole time... not good for entertaining guests

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

My hobbies always seem to involve work of some kind. I like doing practical stuff. I might do a puzzle sometime this winter when the days are short.

 

[herbalnewbie]

I'm related to Der Weiss (the white) Jonas Stutzman. He built a big Jesus chair and always wore white.

Anybody else related to someone "odd"?

I found an article of your ancestor and a picture of the chair online. I have always had a huge admiration for the Amish people. I find their devotion to the Lord fascinating.
https://www.google.com/search?q=der...biw=412&bih=678&dpr=2.63#imgrc=mLW7q0-1RIopIM