Over the years, we used to hear about Sal’s (my mom) Wild West days in the 1930s, panning for gold. This was likely all triggered by both some financial despair in NYC and my grandfather’s deep-seated appetite for risk. Fortunately, my sister June sat down with Sal and asked her about them and recorded her. (Reminder to everyone, record your parents’ histories before it’s too late). I edited my mom’s comments a bit, but here you go.
Checking out the just released 1926 Irish Census.
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Long ago, I got a big stack of records from the Military Personnel Center about my father’s military service — he was in the Navy from 1944 to 1946. If you haven’t done this for an ancestor, it’s well worth doing. An now, enter #AI….
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A random book, a reference to a non-traditional genealogy source, a kind researcher, and voila - my grandmother’s story unfolded…
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A reflection on some of my Jan 17 shared birthday pals.
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James Madison Agee was born on April 9, 1851, in Roanoke, Virginia, during the pre-Civil War period when tensions over slavery began boiling over. Named perhaps in honor of the fourth President of the United States, James grew up in the Cave Spring area of Roanoke County, where rolling hills and fertile valleys made farming a way of life for generations of Virginia families.
In the heart of County Queens, Ireland (now County Laois), Martin McEvoy was born in 1843, a child of pre-Famine Ireland who would live to see his homeland transformed and his children scattered across the Atlantic. His life story is one of resilience, family, and the profound changes that swept through Ireland in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
OK, I guess it looks like only my second post in the #52Ancestors in 52 Weeks series might violate a rule. It is not exactly about an ancestor. This record I want to discuss is not about a family member. Nor is it a particularly old record – it’s a photo I took just last year.
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It’s been ten years since the passing of my sweet mother-in-law, Nancy Sowers Mutter. #familyhistory #genealogy
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This is the FIFTH of a series of Excerpts from Immigrant Secrets, the story of how I solved the mystery of my lost grandparents, Francesco and Elisabetta. #genealogy #familyhistory
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This is the FOURTH of a series of Excerpts from Immigrant Secrets, the story of how I solved the mystery of my lost grandparents, Francesco and Elisabetta. #familyhistory #genealogy
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This is the second of a series of Excerpts from Immigrant Secrets, the story of how I solved the mystery of my lost grandparents. #familyhistory #genealogy
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This is the THIRD of a series of Excerpts from Immigrant Secrets, the story of how I solved the mystery of my lost grandparents. #familyhistory #genealogy
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This is the first of a series of excerpts from Immigrant Secrets, a real life #familyhistory mystery. Enjoy. #genealogy
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Turns out my son-in-law is connected through his G-G-Grandmother, a Cagney and Lacey character in her time, to the longest serving mayor of Jersey City, a machine politics guy who was a character on Boardwalk Empire.
Every picture tells a story. Some stories can be upsetting, but that’s no reason to keep them hidden.
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Sometimes it’s a brick wall, and sometimes it’s a weak link in the chain. #genealogy #familyhistory
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For families in the 1800s, death was never far away — and personal.
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How did people 300 miles apart meet in the 1800s?
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Back of the picture info: Caleb Sowers (1840-1927) is in the lower left of the picture. The fifer next to him is Samuel Palmer. The photo was probably taken between 1905 and 1910 at a Confederate reunion.
