Finding Abigail has proven to be a significant challenge. As I wrote in Finding Abigail… Part 1, her last name has been elusive. I have been tracking my research about her through the research logs, and here is what I have.
Date Contacted-Who Contacted-Why Contacted- Response
- 12/2/2019 City of Danbury, CT Abigail Soper They wrote back and said, “Certifiable records began in 1840.”
- 12/26/2019 Dorset Historical Society Proof of Abigail’s assumed last name of Soper My email: I was hoping you could please do a preliminary search and let me know if you have any information on the Soper family. My main search is for…
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In this 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, Close to Home, I decided to write about Mary Yeula Wescott, my 2nd great-aunt. She was born 27 December 1889 at Poyner’s Hill in Currituck, North Carolina, where her father, John Thomas Wescott, was the keeper of the Poyner’s Hill Life-Saving station. She was the third of six children born to John and a year younger than my great-grandfather, Albert.
At a very young age, Mary loved to read and write. She was first published at the age of 12 when she decided to enter a writing contest for the St. Nicholas…
My son recently commented that family history or genealogy is more for “old people.” I do not think that is true. Of course, “old” to him could mean someone in their 30s.
Researching family history may not be his scene, but more and more people of all ages are interested in their ancestry. Especially with shows like “ Finding Your Roots,” “ Genealogy Roadshow,” A New Leaf,” “ Relative Race,” and “ Who Do You Think You Are.”
Many people are taking DNA tests to try to figure out their heritage. When the traditional research methods are not working, a…
If you’re reading this in hopes of getting great clues on finding your brick walls, do not get too excited. I do have a few for you, though.
Today I searched more of my dead ends using some techniques given to me on my Twitter page where I follow fellow family historians and professional genealogists. They provide some great tips and websites for research.
One such tip is getting the best out of Google™ searches called “Boolean Operators.” Here are some examples.
Lately, I have been helping several people with their family history. One thing that they have all in common is the same issue I ran into when I first started. They did not take full advantage of the document hint that was given to them when they were researching.
For instance, a man and I had both located a census on his relative. He took it at face value, only looking at the page that, in this instance, Ancestry® had provided. It showed the page of his ancestor and their children. However, when I looked at the same document, I…
To get the most out of your family history takes time. You need to research and verify facts and sources. Sometimes you need to order documents. But, what you get out of it is so much more than the time and money you spend. It helps you to understand your family members a little bit more, and it may just help you to understand yourself a bit too.
And, don’t underestimate your children. As I explained in my Family History for Children Blog, children are very curious and avid learners of their history. …
A couple of weeks ago, I received my jury notice. Yes, like you, I immediately rolled my eyes and groaned. But, as the date got closer, my curiosity got the better of me.
The first day was the narrowing of the jury, but was very tiresome. The waiting around and the same questions were fraying on my nerves, but I ended up being one of the seven picked. The guards called us the “Lucky Seven.” We were to report to trial the next day.
The trial was going to be an interesting one. An assault case, but not a cut…
It is very easy to get enthralled with attaching records of your ancestors from the many genealogical websites like Ancestry®, My Heritage ©, or Family TreeDNA. However, you should download those records instead.
When you just attach a record to your ancestor on one of these sites, it stays attached to that ancestor only as long as you are paying for the service. …
A historical fiction book I am reading is about a man and his wife who inherited his father’s house. As they were cleaning the house, they found a secret door in a closet that led them to an attic. Inside the attic were trunks and trunks of letters, documents, photos, etc. from Germany and Sudetenland. They even found references to the Nazis.
The couple met as psychology majors in college. The wife had mentioned a connection to psychology and the study of family history when the husband wanted to shut down the investigation of all they had found. …
Loganalogy
Each of us has a story. Our ancestors had stories too. I try to create them from the research that I and many of our cousins have done.
