histories
I invested in a new genealogy database (Reunion for iPad) and most of my research time since has been spent transferring documents and information from my Ancestry account, my paper files, and my Google Drive into the program. The process has been slow, but rewarding. It's forced me to take another look at everything I've …
Continue reading "Five Things I Learned While Taking Stock of My Genealogy Documents"
I never thought I was descended from saints or anything. Still it's difficult to see proof that your forebearers were abusive, racist, or felonious. My two-times great-grandfather, Nathaniel Lewis, turned out to be all three. I'll post more about this story soon. Click here for source info.
While my great-grandfather was getting married on Christmas day 1906, his father's barn was burning to the ground. Click here for source.
A couple years ago after researching as thoroughly as possible, I had decided my family was not related to the infamous outlaw, Jesse James. But, after finding this newspaper article recently, I've brought out all of my research again. To be clear, the man interviewed happens to also be named Jesse James. He is not …
The first time I traveled to a different country I was a junior in high school. Friends had decided they’d rather take the train from Flint, Michigan, to Toronto, Canada, than rent formal wear and a limo and go to prom and invited me to come with. Being a geography nerd, I fantasized about the …
I am notorious in my household for coming home with the wrong grocery items. I'm always pretty close: fat-free sour cream instead of the fat-ful, italian-seasoned bread crumbs instead of just regular old Panko, chili powder packets instead of taco seasoning. I fully admit my grocery store impatience. As soon as I pass between the …
Those glazed over eyes. You know what I mean: that moment at a party when you realize you can't remember how long you've been talking, and everyone that was listening is now either staring at hors d'oeuvres or smiling politely while internally wording their tweets about that boring guy who droned on for half an hour about the pros …
Let's play a game of Where's Waldo? How many red-stripey-hatted discrepancies can you find in the following newspaper articles? (Or, just skip ahead to where I tell you how many I see.) First, here's a nice birth announcement, published in February 1932. Ralph James is my grandfather. Gladys Hooker is the Mrs. mentioned, and the daughter is Geraldine, …
Genealogists are magicians. Don't believe me? Watch as I make my Aunt Barbara disappear before your eyes! In my ongoing search to learn about my grandfather, Ralph James's life, I came across a newspaper article that stated the date of his first marriage to Gladys Hooker. With the discovery of that date came an intriguing story problem: If Gladys …
Continue reading "Telling Strangers Your Life Story, or Why Not to Go Whole Hog on Census Records"
