Author: marionvermazen

I am a traveler, hiker, avid reader, Sun alumnus, computer geek, Spanish and French language student, knitter and genealogist. I am retired after working for almost 30 years in the Computer Industry. I live in Reno, Nevada with my husband Duke.

Asunción Day 2

Yesterday when we visited the old train station we talked to some very friendly people who were part of an architecture conference going on right now in Asunción. They told us there would be a tour today of La Chacarita a poor neighborhood nearby that the architects have plans to improve.

At the train station we toured the small railroad museum. I liked the slogan above the keys on this typewriter.

When we talked to the conference people this morning we learned that the tour would start at 2:30. They recommended a good place with traditional food for lunch called Bolsi.

On the walk to lunch we stopped and bought some traditional Paraguay lacework coasters. Duke loves to negotiate the price so he had a good time.

Bolsi was very busy but after a short wait we got seats at the counter. We enjoyed a great meal.

The tour of La Chacarita was fascinating. It is a very poor area originally populated by people from the interior. We were shown places where the architects have made plans to improve the area, clean up garbage and make the neighborhood more livable.

We also saw some beautiful murals and mosaics.

Almost all the people on the tour were students about a third our age. The weather today was hot and humid. Marie, who speaks English and who we met yesterday stayed with us the whole tour. She helped us understand the Spanish and to understand what we were seeing. She made the whole experience so much more interesting.

All the people we have met in Paraguay have been extremely friendly and helpful. It’s a wonderful country.

By the end of the tour We were very hot, sweaty and tired so it was heaven to go back to the hotel, shower, and put our feet up.

For dinner we went to a wonderful restaurant not far from our hotel, Mburicao. We each had great steak and an amazing desert.

San Francisco to Asunción, Paraguay

Duke and I are off on another adventure. This time we are planning to visit Paraguay, Argentina , Uruguay and Chili. After three flights and more than twenty four hours of traveling we arrived at our hotel in Asunción, Paraguay at about one am this morning. I slept like a log once my head hit the pillow.

Paraguay is a land locked country of about seven million people located on the Tropic of Capricorn. It borders Bolivia, Brazil, and Argentina. Today we went walking to check out Asunción.

We checked out an exhibition in the old train station.

We bought lunch from the vendors nearby,

and walked around the government buildings.

This is the Palacio de López.

Spain got us in the habit of having a drink around five. Today we sampled the local beer,

We ate dinner in our hotel. They have a dinner time like the Europeans here. The restaurant opened at eight pm.

Mulligan on the AT raising money for Evergreen ALS

My brother is hiking the Appalachian trail. He has already completed over 1,600 miles and has a bit more than 500 to go. His trail name is Mulligan.  He has a wonderful YouTube channel where he has documented his hike. I have been thoroughly enjoying hiking vicariously with him.

The easiest way to find his videos is to search for Mulligan on the AT or if you follow this link you will go to his day 109 video. From there you can find his other videos too.

In 2016 our sister Barbara was diagnosed with ALS. My brother is raising money to support the ALS Evergreen Chapter ( Barb’s Brother ). Use the link on the top right of his home page ( ALS Evergreen Chapter Donation ) or the link in bottom right hand corner of the channel cover picture to donate.

 

Finding where My Great Great Great Grandfather Lived in County Cavan, Ireland

My Great Great Grandmother,  Margaret Robinson Gibson emigrated from Ireland to Canada with her two sons Alexander and Humphrey about 1867. (Coincidentally my Mother Margaret Gibson Robinson had a very similar name. I have three distinct Robinson lines in my family tree. Two on my Dad’s side and this line on my Mom’s side of the tree.)

My Great Great Grandmother’s husband, my Great Great Grandfather, Robert Gibson died  in Ireland before Margaret and her sons emigrated. The marriage record of Margaret and Robert documents that they were married in 1857.

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The certificate also shows that she was from Prospect in County Cavan and that her Father was Humphrey Robinson.

Humphrey Robinson is clearly listed in Griffith’s Valuation.  Ancestry.com provides a good description of Griffith’s valuation.

” referencing approximately one million individuals who occupied property in Ireland between 1848 and 1864. Griffith’s Valuation, or Primary Valuation of Ireland, was executed under the direction of Sir Richard Griffith to provide a basis for determining taxes. This involved establishing the value of all privately held lands and buildings in both rural and urban areas in order to figure a rental rate for each unit of property. The resulting survey was arranged by barony and civil parish, with an index to townlands appearing in each volume. The original volumes of the survey are held in the National Archives, Dublin, and Public Record Office, Belfast.’

Here is Humphrey Robinson’s Griffith’s Valuation entry in Prospect, County Cavan.

Griffiths Valuation Prospect

The Ask About Ireland Griffith’s Valuation website allows you to see an old map of a location from the Griffith’s list. Here is Prospect.

Ask About Ireland Prospect Map

The land marked with the number 5 on the peninsula in the map is where Humphrey Robinson lived. The really cool thing is that you can slide the slider in the top right corner and see the location on Google maps today.

Ask About Ireland modern Prospect Map close

When Duke and I were in Ireland in September of 2018 we were able to go to this precise location. Exactly where the two buildings are in the middle of the map below (above the S of Prospect) we found the ruins of two old houses!

Very close up Ask About Ireland modern Prospect Map

Humphrey Robinson Property

Humphrey Robinson Property 2

Humphrey Robinson Property 3

We found the houses my ancestors lived in! It was an amazing experience.

Humphrey Robinson along with his son, Humphrey Robinson Jr. and daughter-in-law Eliza Johnston and two grandchildren, William Johnston Robinson and Mary Jane Robinson emigrated to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia in 1864. They left Liverpool in April and arrived in Brisbane in August. Four months on board the “Earl Russell”. Humphrey was 73, His son and daughter-in-law were each 31, and his grandchildren were 6 and 3 respectively. Their ship’s register is in the Queensland State Archives. What a trip it must have been!

Humphrey and his family are buried in Toowong Cemetery in Brisbane.

Coincidentally  when I was eleven my family moved to Brisbane. We lived there for five years. We knew very little then about my Mother’s family. My Mother had no idea that her Great Great Grandfather had also lived in Brisbane. She probably even had cousins in Brisbane!