where2look4ancestors

  • Mystery Monday: Death Certificate 6801

    I’m not related to Catharine, but I would like to help her return to her family. The mystery is her surname – can you make out the spelling? If you are able to reunite Catharine with her family here or on Find A Grave, I will give you an honorable mention as…

  • Chicago Obituaries: January 11, 1905

    Genealogists everywhere know the value of a well-written obituary. In the obits below, you’ll find Names of the deceased and names of others in their circle Nicknames, maiden names, married names of female family members Dates of death Possible dates of birth Addresses of homes Final resting places Connections to other…

  • Why Do People Contribute to Find A Grave?

    If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you may already know I’m a Find A Grave contributor. In fact, last year my love of cemeteries and headstone photography upstaged my family history research! I believe Find A Grave plays an important role in the preservation of history, art and architecture. And…

  • As the Year Ends

    Looking back on my genealogy-related accomplishments in 2015, my thoughts go first to the one that brought me the most joy. I visited 24 cemeteries this year. Three visits helped with my family history research. Maybe one of the others will help you with yours. If you haven’t yet made your New Year’s Resolutions, please consider…

  • Coincidences in the Family Tree

    I ran across the ads below while reading the newspaper. The April 7, 1884 issue of the Chicago Daily News to be exact. (What? You thought I was reading today’s paper?) Notice the duplicated ad in the center of the column? “Mrs. Mueller, Doctress and Midwife.” This reminded me of a previous…

  • A Surplus of Surnames

    I’ve been climbing my family tree since the days of writing letters and reading microfiche. And while I’m still interested in dead people, in 2015 I focused less on the ones related to me [1] and more on those buried in various Midwest cemeteries [2]. Which means my ancestors have been gathering dust. Well not…

  • Merry Christmas to All

    Wishing you peace and happiness on this blessed of all days. Merry Christmas!

  • Wednesday’s Child: Wisconsin Baby in a Shell

    The first “baby in a shell” headstone I had ever seen was in a large garden cemetery known for a somewhat elite clientele. In October, I encountered another example of this artistic style of carved stone in a small cemetery in rural Wisconsin. The epitaph reads “here lies at rest…

  • Chicago Daily News Obituaries; 26 Dec 1899

    The following obituaries were transcribed from page 11 of the December 26, 1899 issue of the Chicago Daily News: “BAIER-JOHN, beloved husband of Crescentia Baier, Dec. 25, aged 68 years. Funeral services Thursday, Dec. 28, at 9:30 a.m., at his late residence, 377 Sedgwick-st., to St. Michael’s church, thence to…

  • Thoughts on Find A Grave? Share Them Here!

    I’m currently working on a 2016 series of blog posts about Find A Grave