Welcome to the Geary Family Homestead

 

Welcome to the Geary Family Homestead, my home on the Internet and a place for me to share hobbies and family information.

I have been interested in webpage design since deciding I wanted to share our genealogical research with others. I first started using Arachnophilia as my webpage editor because it was free and easy to use. I then switched to FrontPage and wanted to learn more about the coding aspect of design. I took over the editing of our church website. I decided to get some critiques on the site from the FrontPage Talk forum. In stepped Tina Clarke with many suggestions.

I started to work and signed up for a couple of free classes - in SEO Techniques and Web Development Training which is part of it. The classes were offered FREE by GNC Web Creations. As more classes were added, I signed up for each one and learned new things each session. I have continued to work with Tina Clarke on the different aspects of FrontPage and the Expression Web. I have learned so much from all of the teachers and wanted to share that knowledge with others as others had done for me. I have taken classes on using cascading style sheets (css) and the Expression Web program.

This site is a place to share a more personal side of my family - family photos and links to favorite places. I'll share another favorite hobby of mine - counted cross-stitch.

Some of the websites I designed and maintain are:

• Geary, Jewel, Tucker and Little Family Genealogy - the genealogy of our maternal and paternal lines. Links to the individual surname sections included in the left hand menu.
• Genealogy Web Creations - my "niche" so to speak in designing web pages
• Expression Web Tutorials and Templates - tutorials and templates
• Massanutton Chapter, NSDAR - my local DAR Chapter.
• Harrisonburg Unitarian Universalists - our local religious home.
• Jim's Writings - long articles and short sketches by Jim Geary
• Pat’s Cross Stitch Corner - a blog for posting pictures and information on my latest counted cross stitch projects
• House of Oak & Sofas - a site for a local furniture store I maintain for a friend
• Genealogy Computer Tips and Tutorials for those using Rootsweb to host their genealogy websites.

Who We Are:

• We live in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and have been married 34 years in October (2016). Between us we have seven children - five daughters (his), two sons (mine) - and twelve grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. We enjoy spending time with our families and traveling. We are the proud parents of Katie, a golden retriever/husky mix who keeps us on our toes. UPDATE: On October 28, 2015, we said goodbye to our sweet Katie. And on February 25, 2017, I lost my dear, sweet man. He was 102 years old and led a long, good life. In March of 2017, I added another dog to our family by adopting a sweet small lab mix named Shadow. She has brought me much joy along with some problems of dog ownership but I love her dearly. And in April 2019, we added Sheila to our family.
• One of our chief hobbies (or addictions) over these past years has been genealogical research. We started in 1987 when we bought our first computer. We've spent countless hours in courthouses, libraries and cemeteries searching out our elusive relatives. Much of that research is now done via the Internet.
• Jim loved writing, photography, reading and working around the house. Pat is an avid computer user, reader and cross-stitcher. The walls of our home are covered with the results of our hobbies - photographs of places we've been and cross stitch pictures. We're both active in our local Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.