J. Paul Hawthorne
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jphawthorne.bsky.social
J. Paul Hawthorne
@jphawthorne.bsky.social
Genealogist, desert trekker, world traveler, music lover, book reader, classic movies.
Genealogy Blog: https://www.geneaspy.com/
Social sites: https://jpaulhawthorne.carrd.co/
A fascinating read...

"Did Oliver Cromwell Really Ban Christmas?"
how-to-history.com/2025/11/26/d...
November 26, 2025 at 5:22 PM
I tried Google's NotebookLM for the first time the other day.
I turned a short 1902 newspaper article into an infographic.

Alex Hawthorne is my great-grandfather. Hiram Castleberry is an African-American. The info is one-sided.

#Genealogy
November 26, 2025 at 3:28 PM
RIP Reggae legend, Jimmy Cliff.

I will be listening to my 1976 album of his, "In Concert The Best Of Jimmy Cliff" today.
November 24, 2025 at 2:31 PM
I'm in!!! "Researching Your South Carolina Roots: Finding Family in the Palmetto State" at #IGHR

Course Faculty:
Cheri Hudson Passey, Coordinator

#IGHR2026 #GGS #Genealogy #SouthCarolina @ighrgenealogy.bsky.social
November 22, 2025 at 5:13 PM
November 21, 2025 at 4:59 PM
#WeirdWednesday: A classic joke I heard back in the 90s. I turned it into a visual using ChatGPT.
November 19, 2025 at 3:32 PM
I created this visual from a joke using ChatGPT.
November 19, 2025 at 2:36 PM
#TicketStubTuesday: Randy Newman – August 9, 2006 – Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay, San Diego, California. (Ticket stub missing!)

Pic not from me.
November 18, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Experiment with #AI.
Prompt: "Generate a family tree diagram with pedigree collapse."
1. CoPilot couldn't even figure it out.
2. ChatGPT was simple and to the point.
3. Perplexity was better, but also gave an excellent description of pedigree collapse. See below in comments.
#Genealogy
November 16, 2025 at 3:07 PM
The wonders of AI (see below), but I also figured it out by myself before plugging it in. :)
November 16, 2025 at 2:04 PM
November 14, 2025 at 3:34 PM
#ThrowbackThursday: Sunday, November 16, 1986, Carreg Cennen Castle, Trap, Carmarthenshire, Wales, UK.
November 13, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Thank you to all who served. #VeteransDay

Below: My dad.
November 11, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Today, in 1863, my 2nd. Great-Grandmother, Martha McMahon, was born in Madison County, Texas.

Daughter of James Daniel McMahon & Narcissa Neeley.

I paid my respects at her grave last year.
#Genealogy
October 29, 2025 at 3:43 PM
#TicketStubTuesday: 1. Ratt – Opening act, Fastway and Mama’s Boys – August 7, 1984 – SDSU Open Air Theatre, San Diego, California.
October 28, 2025 at 1:55 PM
RIP Ace Frehley of #KISS

My best friend's band opened for him in Ramona, CA, 2019. Pic is from me.
October 16, 2025 at 11:22 PM
#ThrowbackThursday: My brother and I after a hard night of trick-or-treating.
#Halloween, October 31, 1979, San Diego.
Homemade Gene Simmons costume. My brother is Ace Fehley of #KISS.
October 16, 2025 at 5:08 PM
I "come from the land of the ice and snow
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow"! Led Zeppelin.

Yes, Iceland!
October 2025 #AncestryDNA update.
#Genealogy
October 14, 2025 at 5:16 PM
#TicketStubTuesday: [Missing Ticket] The Beach Boys – December 27, 1976 – The San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, California. NOTE: My first concert! Also, note the Olympic rings; the summer games just finished in Montreal four months earlier.
October 14, 2025 at 2:27 PM
I joined a new #genealogy society: ​Mobile Creole Cultural and Historical Preservation Society.

I am descended from some of the original Creoles in Mobile, #Alabama.

Website: mobilecreolesociety.weebly.com
October 11, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Find a Grave Tip: Make sure your reflection isn't on the stone! 🤣

This was a trip I took in 2022 to Conecuh County, Alabama. Not a relative, just thought it was cool with a picture of him with a guitar.
#FG #FindaGrave #Genealogy #FindaGraveFriday
October 10, 2025 at 4:17 PM
October 10, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Happy Birthday, Meagan Smolenyak Smolenyak!
October 9, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Transcriptions gone awry.

"Secret Operator Hawking", ummm, nope.

#Genealogy
October 7, 2025 at 6:00 PM
#TicketStubTuesday: Rush – November 21, 2012 – Valley View Casino Center, San Diego, California.
October 7, 2025 at 2:31 PM