Following Auxiliary Branches - the Earles

My children's father was Robert Frank Earle.  The following is a listing of his ancestors as I've been able to determine from census, family trees on ancestry.com, and other sources.

Ancestors of Robert Frank Earle

Generation 1
  1.  Robert Frank Earle, son of James Michael Earle and Frances E Nelson was born on 09 Nov 1938 in Brooklyn, Kings, NY. He died on 02 Feb 2007 in Nampa, Canyon, ID. He married me on 29 Apr 1974 in Orange, CA, daughter of Cecil Elbridge Logue and Rachel Helen Crawford. She was born on in Emmett, Gem, ID.

Generation 2
  2.  James Michael Earle, son of William R Earle and Catalina Castillo was born on 21 Aug 1910 in Arivaca, Pima, Arizona Terr. He died on 20 Apr 1994 in Murphysboro, Jackson, IL. He married Frances E Nelson.
  3.  Frances E Nelson, daughter of John Emil Nelson and Gertrude LNU was born on 02 Sep 1919 in New York. She died in Feb 1989 in Brooklyn, Kings, NY.

Frances E Nelson and James Michael Earle had the following children:

1.    i.   Robert Frank Earle was born on 09 Nov 1938 in Brooklyn, Kings, NY. He died on 02 Feb 2007 in Nampa, Canyon, ID.
ii.    Living Earle was born on 04 May 1939 in Brooklyn, Kings, New York.

Generation 3
4.    William R Earle, son of William Francis Earle and Eliza Earle was born on 24 May 1880 in Montana,. He married Catalina Castillo in 1909 (1910 US Federal Census - married less than 1 year).

 

Wm R Earle WWI record

5.    Catalina Castillo, daughter of Francisco Castillo and Ramona Castillo Guerrero was born on 30 Apr 1885 in Saric, Sonora, Mexico. She died on 16 Jul 1968 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA William Earle was her second husband and not the father of Harry, William, and Eva. 

                                                                           Catalina Castillo Spiva Earle Fredericks

Notes from my Family Tree Maker:
    Searching for relatives on Gillermo Spiva of Tucson, AZ. Married Catalina Castillo in late 1800's, killed in hunting accident early 1900's. Any in information would greatly appriciated.  SUSAN KING  Posted: 31 Aug 2000 7:08AM on Ancestry.com
    Talk about lame, I posted this message three years ago and just gave up on it and now I find that someone finally has something in the Spiva side of the family. Gillermo's wife Catalina, was Mexican and they had two sons, Enrique (Harry) and Gillermo (William) Jr. As the story goes, Gillermo was killed in a gun fight. Catalina (Kate) then married William Earle so I can answer YES! I am related to the Red Onion Earles. Bart is my father and Jan and Jeff are my half sister and brother. I hope I didn't take too long to answer your reply and you are still checking the web site. You had that little extra push that has got me looking again.Thank You
Susan King 

Reba McMillan added this on 24 Jan 2009 (from the Red Onion Restaurant web site)
Catalina Castillo, was born in Sonora, Mexico. Her husband, Guillermo Spiva, was born in Tombstone, Arizona. While Guillermo worked as a blacksmith in Las Gijas, a small mining town near Arivaca, Arizona, Catalina operated a small kitchen preparing meals for the miners, perfecting many of the recipes that would be used in my family’s restaurants in later years. It was here that Enrique, later called Harry, was born. Guillermo was killed in a hunting accident, leaving Catalina to raise Harry and his brother on her own. A year or so later, Catalina met and married an Arizona Ranger, William Earle [NOTE: I've checked all the records of Arizona Rangers online and have yet to find Wm Earle listed as one of their members.  Other stories that have been told is that he was featured on 'This is Your Life' as the last surviving Arizona Ranger, but I cannot find record of that either - you know how family lore is, this could just be a tale that has been passed down with no basis], who adopted the two boys and gave us all his surname.
    This is going to sound kind of lame, but I remember seeing in print a reference to a cemetery in Pima, Arizona, that had Spivas buried there. Can't remember the source. I wondered at the time how Spivas got there. No first names were given, only initials like D. It sounds like your Guillermo may have had a Mexican mother. There were Spivas in California in 1860's; they came from Missouri. Don't know if there is any connection. Have you looked for him in the 1880 census under Guillermo and/or William? (Are you connected to the Red Onion Earle family?)
S Davis   Posted: 23 Sep 2000 12:28PM GMT on Ancestry.com
*************************************
The Original Red Onion
Reba McMillan added this on 24 Jan 2009
     THE RED ONION MEXICAN FOOD RESTAURANTS have been operating in Southern California since 1949 yet many people remain curious about the history of these restaurants, how they got their name and why an apparent “gringo” like me is the third-generation operator of a family business begun with my Mexican great-grandmother’s recipes.
     My great-grandmother, Catalina Castillo, was born in Sonora, Mexico. My great-grandfather, Guillermo Spiva, was born in Tombstone, Arizona. While Guillermo worked as a blacksmith in Las Gijas, a small mining town near Arivaca, Arizona, Catalina operated a small kitchen preparing meals for the miners, perfecting many of the recipes that would be used in my family’s restaurants in later years. It was here that my grandfather, Enrique, later called Harry, was born. Guillermo was killed in a hunting accident, leaving Catalina to raise my grandfather and his older brother on her own. A year or so later, Catalina met and married an Arizona Ranger, William Earle, who adopted the two boys and gave us all his surname.

                                                                         Guillermo Spiva

     The Earle family got started in the Mexican food business long before there was a Red Onion. During the Depression, Grandfather Harry worked as a short-order cook and manager in a series of hard-luck businesses, including a Chinese takeout and catering facility in San Diego. Harry’s first business in Los Angeles was operating the grill at the Owl Drug Store in the Downtown District. In 1942 he converted an old Victorian house, located on Western Avenue near the famous El Cholo, into a restaurant and named it the El Rae - that’s Earle spelled backwards. Harry and his mom, Catalina, operated the business using the same recipes for chile rellenos, enchiladas and tacos that she used in Las Gijas fifty years before. The business thrived for a while but eventually fell victim to wartime food rationing.
    In 1949 Harry opened the first Red Onion in Inglewood. It seated only fifteen people but it was where my dad, Bart, and Uncle Don got their start in the business. Both eventually out grew that tiny restaurant to open Red Onion chains of their own, ultimately numbering a total of twenty-six locations. My dad would eventually sell his restaurants in 1973 to Host International Corporation, keeping only his favorite restaurant, the Palos Verdes Red Onion, which opened in 1963. My Uncle Don has since retired and the many Red Onion restaurants in which he had shared interests have now faded away, leaving the Palos Verdes Red Onion as the only restaurant still owned and operated by the original founding family.
(It's really the third Red Onion   Let's be clear. What is billed as "The Original Red Onion" on the sign hanging outside the charm-drenched restaurant that opened in 1963 is really the third Red Onion.
"The first was opened by my grandfather, Harry Earle, in Inglewood in 1949," said Jeff Earle, the gregarious owner/proprietor of the Rolling Hills Estates eatery. 
Preppy in his USC polo shirt, the former Trojan who served as a press advance man on two of President Ronald Reagan's campaigns (1976 and 1980), had been overseeing structural improvements in the kitchen before sitting down for an interview.
"The second restaurant was opened by my father, Bart, in Hawthorne in 1958," he said.
It was at the Hawthorne Red Onion that groups of engineers who lived in Rancho Palos Verdes and worked at Douglas Aircraft came to wolf down cheese enchiladas, tacos and tamales. Lacking a place to go out to dinner on the Peninsula, the engineers pleaded with Bart Earle to build a restaurant somewhere in Palos Verdes.
Thus, the third Red Onion appeared on the sparsely settled site where it now stands surrounded by homes, businesses and a mall across Silver Spur Road.)

Although the Red Onions were quite popular, they were not the only Earle family restaurants in the Los Angeles area.  My children's grandfather, James Earle, also owned and operated his own chain of restaurants - the Chili Peppers - in Orange County.  The one pictured was managed by him and others were managed by Bob and his brother.

Catalina Castillo and William R Earle had the following children:

i.    Harry Earle was born on 18 Mar 1903 in AZ. He died on 16 Feb 1988 in Redondo Beach, Los Angeles, CA,. He married Lucile Gladys Gortat, daughter of Carl Gortat and Wilhimina Krakofski. She was born on 13 Aug 1902 in Manti, Sanpete, UT. She died on 16 Feb 1949 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA. He married Elizabeth Jenkins on 18 Mar 1950 in Las Vegas, Clark, NV, daughter of William Jenkins and Helen Gaines. She was born on 26 Jul 1914 in Greenwood, Sebastian, AR,. She died on 10 Mar 1991 in , Los Angeles, CA.
ii.    William P Earle was born in 1905 in AZ. He died in 1953 in Josephine Co OR. He married Minnie May Carpena Brady in 1923, daughter of Henry Whittier Mendibles Brady and Emma D Brady. She was born in 1908 in Winkelman, Gila, Arizona Terr.
iii.    Eva Earle was born on 18 Jan 1906 in Tucson, Pima, Arizona Terr.
3.    iv.     James Michael Earle was born on 21 Aug 1910 in Arivaca, Pima, Arizona Terr.  He died on 20 Apr 1994 in Murphysboro, Jackson, IL. He married Frances E Nelson, daughter of John Emil Nelson and Gertrude LNU. She was born on 02 Sep 1919 in NY. She died in Feb 1989 in Brooklyn, Kings, NY.
v.    Charles Earle was born on 11 Jan 1912 in Arizona Terr. He died on 15 May 1989 in Brooklyn, Kings, NY. He married Bertha Nelsen (Frances' sister). She was born about 1915 in NY.
vi.    Frank Earle was born in 1913 in Arizona.

6.    John Emil Nelson was born about 1886 in Finland. He married Gertrude LNU.
7.    Gertrude LNU was born about 1887 in Sweden.

Gertrude LNU and John Emil Nelson had the following children:
i.    Gertrude Nelson was born about 1910 in New York.
ii.    John Nelson was born about 1912 in New York.
iii.    Edward Nelson was born about 1914 in New York.
iv.    Bertha Nelson was born about 1917 in New York.
3.    v.     Frances E Nelson was born on 02 Sep 1919 in New York. She died in Feb 1989 in Brooklyn, Kings, New York. She married James Michael Earle, son of William R Earle and Catalina Castillo. He was born on 21 Aug 1910 in Arivaca, Pima, Arizona Territory,. He died on 20 Apr 1994 in Murphysboro, Jackson, IL. She married Arthur Hodne, son of Ole Hodne and Karen LNU. He was born about 1915 in New York. He died about 1970 in New York.
vi.    John Nelson was born about 1912 in New York.

Generation 4 [Here is where I am stretching - I've searched census records and there are a lot of Earles in the New York area in the 1870-1900 time period]
8.    William Francis Earle, son of Charles Earle and Ann Jeanette Shumway was born on 28 Apr 1854 in New York,. He married Eliza Earle in 1880.
9.    Eliza Earle was born about 1852 in New York.

Eliza Earle and William Francis Earle had the following child:

4.    i. William R Earle was born on 24 May 1880 in Montana (?). He married Catalina Castillo in 1909 (1910 US Federal Census - married less than 1 year), daughter of Francisco Castillo and Ramona Castillo Guerrero. She was born on 30 Apr 1885 in Saric, Sonora, Mexico. She died on 16 Jul 1968 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., CA.

10.    Francisco Castillo was born on 01 Jan 1857 in Mexico. He died on 04 Nov 1946 in Los Angeles, CA. He married Ramona Castillo Guerrero.
11.    Ramona Castillo Guerrero was born in Sonora, Mexico.

Ramona Castillo Guerrero and Francisco Castillo had the following children:
5.    i.       Catalina Castillo was born on 30 Apr 1885 in Saric, Sonora, Mexico. She died on 16 Jul 1968 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., CA. She married first Guillermo Spiva. He was born in Tombstone, Pima Co.,Arizona Terr. He died about 1907 in Las Gajas, Arizona Terr.  She then married William R Earle in 1909 (1910 US Federal Census - married less than 1 year), son of William Francis Earle and Eliza Earle. He was born on 24 May 1880 in Montana,  She married Fred Fredricks.

ii.    Refugio Castillo was born in Jul 1886 in Mexico.
iii.    Rita Castillo was born in May 1888 in Mexico.

Generation 5
16.    Charles Earle was born on 23 Mar 1829 in New Jersey. He died before 1880 in New York. He married Ann Jeanette Shumway on 20 Jan 1853.
17.    Ann Jeanette Shumway, daughter of Dolerval Shumway and Jane Colyer was born on 15 Jan 1831 in Malta, N.Y.. She died after 1880 in New York.

Ann Jeanette Shumway and Charles Earle had the following children:
8.    i.     William Francis Earle was born on 28 Apr 1854 in New York,. He married Eliza Earle in 1880. She was born about 1852 in New York.
ii.    Jane Louisa Earle was born on 28 Jun 1857.
iii.    Sarah Ann Earle was born on 22 Apr 1860. She died on 20 Mar 1864.
iv.    Charles Murville Earle was born on 20 Dec 1862 in New York.
v.    George Edward Earle was born on 24 Aug 1865 in New York.
vi.    Hester Ann Earle was born on 05 Dec 1867 in New York.
vii.    Lewis Dolerval Earle was born on 04 Apr 1870 in New York.
viii.    Edmund Earle was born on 14 Aug 1873.

Generation 6
34.    Dolerval Shumway, son of Danforth Shumway and Esther Rockwell was born on 20 Oct 1803 in Malta, Saratoga, NY. He died on 15 Mar 1848 in Malta, Saratoga, NY. He married Jane Colyer on 20 Feb 1830 in Malta, Saratoga, NY.
35.    Jane Colyer was born on 06 Nov 1809 in New York. She died on 30 Jun 1874 in Malta, Saratoga, NY.

Jane Colyer and Dolerval Shumway had the following children:
7.    i. Ann Jeanette Shumway was born on 15 Jan 1831 in Malta, NY. She died after 1880 in New York. She married Charles Earle on 20 Jan 1853. He was born on 23 Mar 1829 in New Jersey. He died before 1880 in New York.
ii.    Charles E Shumway was born on 08 Dec 1833 in Malta, Saratoga, NY. He died on 30 Dec 1872 in Elizabeth, Union, NJ.

Generation 7
68.    Danforth Shumway, son of David Shumway and Alice Ainsworth was born on 18 Jul 1768 in Sturbridge, Worcester, MA. He died on 20 Mar 1828 in Malta, Saratoga, NY. He married Esther Rockwell on 11 Aug 1799 in Worchester, MA.
69.    Esther Rockwell was born on 29 Aug 1780 in Worchester, MA. She died on 04 Jan 1817 in Malta, Saratoga, NY.

Esther Rockwell and Danforth Shumway had the following children:
i.    Jeannette Shumway was born on 24 Feb 1800 in Malta, Saratoga, NY.
ii.    Murville Shumway was born on 09 Mar 1802 in Malta, Saratoga, NY. He died on 24 Jan 1869.
35.    iii. Dolerval Shumway was born on 20 Oct 1803 in Malta, Saratoga, NY. He died on 15 Mar 1848 in Malta, Saratoga, NY. He married Jane Colyer on 20 Feb 1830 in Malta, Saratoga, NY. She was born on 06 Nov 1809 in NY. She died on 30 Jun 1874 in Malta, Saratoga, NY.
iv.    Boville Shumway was born on 19 Mar 1805 in Malta, Saratoga, NY. He died on 03 Nov 1850 in Plattsburg,NY.
v.    Mary Ann Shumway was born on 11 Jun 1807 in Malta, Saratoga, NY. She died on 12 Sep 1807 in Malta, Saratoga, NY.
vi.    Ruth Shumway was born on 10 Mar 1809 in Malta, Saratoga, NY. She died on 12 Jun 1809 in Malta, Saratoga, NY.
vii.    Sarah Ann Shumway was born on 26 Jan 1813 in Malta, Saratoga, NY.

Generation 8
136.    David Shumway, son of Peter Shumway and Mariah Smith was born on 23 Dec 1705 in Boxford, Essex, MA. He died on 10 May 1796 in Sturbridge, Worcester, MA. He married Alice Ainsworth on 20 Sep 1751 in Sturbridge, Worcester, MA.
137.    Alice Ainsworth, daughter of Edward Ainsworth and Joanna Davis was born on 06 May 1727 in Woodstock, Windham, CT. She died on 12 Jan 1810 in Sturbridge, Worcester, MA.

Alice Ainsworth and David Shumway had the following children:
i.    Cyril Shumway was born on 14 May 1752 in Sturbridge, Worcester, MA. He died in Sep 1832 in Exeter, Washington, RI.
iii.    Elijah Shumway was born on 24 Jul 1753 in Sturbridge, Worcester, MA. He died in 1818 in Sturbridge, Worcester, MA
iv.    Alice Shumway was born on 14 Dec 1754 in Sturbridge, Worcester, MA. She died in 1848.
v.    Abigail Shumway was born on 08 Jul 1756 in Sturbridge, Worcester, MA. She died in 1850 in , Jefferson, NY.
vi.    Lavinia Shumway was born on 26 Aug 1759 in Sturbridge, Worcester, MA. She died on 09 Aug 1826 in Martinsburg, Lewis, NY.
vii.    Chloe Shumway was born on 04 Nov 1761 in Sturbridge, Worcester, MA. She died in 1855.
viii.    Jemima Shumway was born on 03 Aug 1763 in Sturbridge, Worcester, MA. She died on 02 Sep 1842 in Sturbridge, Worcester, MA.
68.    viii. Danforth Shumway was born on 18 Jul 1768 in Sturbridge, Worcester, MA. He died on 20 Mar 1828 in Malta, Saratoga, NY. He married Esther Rockwell on 11 Aug 1799 in Worchester, MA. She was born on 29 Aug 1780 in Worchester, MA. She died on 04 Jan 1817 in Malta, Saratoga, NY.




Well, this is as far as I've gone for now, but there is a lot of Shumway information out on the internet and if they really are ancestors of our Earles, I will continue to add to this branch.

I do want to add my children's grandfather's World War II story here:
Sinking of Lehigh
"On 19 October, 1941, the freighter Lehigh, bound from Bilboa, Spain, to African Gold Coast, was sunk without warning some seventy-five miles off Freetown, an area not staked out as a combat zone by any belligerent.  A British destroyer rescued all thirty-nine crew members.  The ship belonged to the United States Lines, flew the American Flag, and was carrying only ballast.  Within three days, Americans knew of the sinking."  pg 266  Storm on the Horizon
By Justus D. Doenecke
 James M Earle took pictures of the sinking of this ship, which were published in the  Dec 8th, 1941 edition of Life Magazine.

  [Photos taken by Sam Hakam. Published in LIFE Magazine Dec. 8, 1941]
[Photo taken by 2nd Engineer James E. Earle. In the area beneath the flag and "Lehigh USA" are two lifeboats which took Sam Hakam, Joseph Manerchia and Richard Rice back aboard to rig an emergency radio aerial. Rice is on top of the rear mast in the photo. Published in LIFE Magazine Dec. 8, 1941]

Facebook Posts - Remember When

You can criticize Facebook, but you must admit - some of the posts are 'cause to pause' with comparisons of today to the days when we 'boomers' grew up.  Here are a few good examples:

     'Checking out at the grocery store recently, the young cashier suggested I should bring my own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. I apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days." The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."

     She was right about one thing -- our generation didn't have the green thing in “Our” day. So what did we have back then…? After some reflection and soul-searching on "Our" day here's what I remembered we did have....
   Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles repeatedly. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.
   We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.
   Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right. We didn't have the green thing back in our day.
   Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right. We didn't have the green thing back then.
    We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then. Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint. We did as we were asked BECAUSE WE RESPECTED OUR PARENTS
   But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?'

"If you were raised on bologna, biscuits & gravy, fried potatoes & soup beans, played in the dirt, got your butt busted, school started with "The Pledge," had a bedtime, rode in back of pickup trucks, recorded the top 40 from the radio on cassette tapes, drank from a hose, played in the creek, rode your bike all day without a helmet, your curfew was the sky getting dark, your mom called your name, not your cell.  You played outside with your friends, not online. If you didn't eat what your mom cooked, then you didn't eat. Sanitizer didn't exist, but you COULD get your mouth washed out with soap. You rode your bike without a helmet, getting dirty was OK, and the neighbors looked out for you as your parents did. Re-post if your drank from a garden hose and survived and/or - If you were raised on meat & potatoes, your crib was covered with lead based paint, road a bike with no helmet on gravel roads, your parents had no child proof lids or seat belts in cars, you got a lickin' when you misbehaved, had 3 TV channels you got up to change, school always started w/the Pledge of Allegiance, & stores closed Sunday, if you drank water out of a water hose and still turned out OK"

"I was raised to say please and thank you, to have respect for my elders, lend a helping hand to those who were in need, hold the door for the person behind me, say excuse me when it was needed and to love people for who they are, not for what you can get from them! I was also taught to treat people the way I want to be treated!"

"When I was a kid I didn't have a computer, cell phone, Nintendo DS, XBox, or Wii . I had dirt, roller skates, and a bike. If I didn't eat what my mom made, I didn't eat. And I dealt with it. I didn't think of telling my parents "no" or dare to talk back and or got in BIG TROUBLE if I did. Life wasn't hard, it was life.. And I survived"

And included are some comments on how our life was so much different than today -

"The world did not end. It's just being rebooted. Please be sure your security software is up to date. Run a full scan of your life and remove any malicious files which may be damaging your joy, stealing your hope, or slowing down your essings. If you need more instructions, please refer to the User's Manual, which is readily available, or put your hands together, bow your head and contact Tech Support." ♥"

"LIFE BEFORE THE COMPUTER:
Memory was something you lost with age......An application was for employment....A program was a TV show....A cursor used profanity...A keyboard was a piano...A web was a spider's home...A virus was the flu...A hard drive was a long trip on the road...A mouse pad was where a mouse lived...And if you had a 3 inch floppy...well, you just hoped nobody found out!!

Life lessons that my Mom taught me:
Religion - "You better pray that comes out of the carpet"
Logic - "Because I said so, that's why"
Irony - "Keep crying and I'll give you something to cry about"
Wisdom - "When you get to be my age, you'll understand"
Justice - "When you get old and have kids, I hope they turn out just like you!!"

Five pearls of Scottish wisdom to remember
1. Money cannot buy happiness but, it’s more comfortable to cry in a Mercedes Benz than it is on a bicycle.
2. Forgive your enemy but remember the bastard’s name.
3. Help a man when he is in trouble and he will remember you when he is in trouble again.
4. Many people are alive only because it’s illegal to shoot them.
5. Alcohol does not solve any problem, but then neither does milk.

Other social comments:

In the sixties, 40-50 million boomers were passionate about the music we embraced as ours. The same group of musical artists carried us through the sixties, into the seventies, and right on to the present.

We were passionate about a war we did not understand, that we apparently could not win, and in which we were being ordered to die. We were passionately intolerant of an immoral government that lied to and misled us. Admittedly we have lost much of that zeal. Today, many of us are more passionate about getting the biggest SUV we can get our hands on, and looked the other way when our first boomer president lied to us. That is one of our severe shortcomings.

As I recall, it started in the mid-seventies with rocker Alice Cooper allegedly biting the head of a chicken off during his concerts. Or wait; is he the one who smashes his guitar on stage? No matter. These antics are part of the legacy absorbed by the X'ers. From there, it has "advanced" to what it is today - warning labels on the CDs of music aimed at our youth.

Gen-Xer Marcos writes, "Yes our generation is teen violence, Marilyn Manson, Columbine, but we are the ones left alone at home while our two BabyBoomer parents have forgotten their 60s idealism and only want more wealth, power and prestige." How would you reply to that, friends?

So criticize it if you will, my Facebook friends post a few 'gems' once in a while.  Try 'liking' your 'You know you are from ( your hometown or home state  ), if......" to find some real pertinent posts about what life used to be like.  

Happy New Years all!