How quickly can you retrieve a genealogy file from your computer? Could you find a specific document in 20 seconds or less? In two minutes? Still looking? I fluctuate between “20 seconds or less” and “still looking”. Too often the file I seek is named incorrectly or worse yet, not named at all. I’m on…
An entire month to celebrate genealogy? Sign me up! Even Congress understands the importance of family history: On June 27, 2003 a resolution introduced by Senator Orrin Hatch was agreed to in the Senate without amendment and with a preamble by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S8846-8847; text as passed Senate: CR S8846-8847). We should all…
Along the same lines as my proposed TV show Name That Ancestor, I have a book idea. It’s a take off of the children’s book Are You My Mother? In this time machine fantasy series, we could go back to the date a picture in our collection was taken and ask each of the subjects,…
Today we at Where 2 Look 4 Ancestors are holding our mugs high to celebrate that wonderful elixir of life, a cuppa Joe, our early morning wake up call, the precious java that helps so many genealogists stay awake in front of their computers. Happy National Coffee Day!
Those flowers and architectural details we see on headstones are purposefully chosen for the individual laid to rest there. For example, each flower has a different meaning: daises are for youth, innocence iris denotes hope, purity lilies signify the resurrection poppies are a symbol of eternal sleep roses mean motherhood, beauty Even the way flowers…
The tongue-in-cheek sign by these cabinet card photographs stopped me in my tracks. I’m sure the antique shop owner thought it would be an attention-grabber. It certainly worked for me. Most of the cards were blank on the back. But this card had been a gift, signed by the sender: I couldn’t leave this lovely…
Something had clearly been erased and a new word written in it’s place. I assumed “farmer” was the erased word. That’s the occupation I most often associated with my 2nd great-grandfather William Penrod CLARKE. And optician? Why would the census taker have written that? William was the second of 11 children born to shoemaker Morgan…
Every person bitten by the genealogy bug knows the danger/value of exploring collateral lines. The Clarke branch of my family tree is a maze of interesting twists and turns. I often learn more about my Clarke direct line ancestors by focusing less on them and more on the people with whom they have connections. I’ve…
Gustave Mangels‘ sister Louise was a woman ahead of her time. She worked for the Federal Reserve Bank in the early 20th century when women didn’t hold such positions. But all her life she suffered from a mental illness that would eventually overtake her. Rosa Louise Mangels died in a sanitarium on this day 47…
Oh how I wish every cemetery had the trifecta of taphophiles Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis does! Last year I spent several hours of nearly every weekend photographing headstones for Find A Grave at this beautifully landscaped 250 acre garden cemetery. At the time the Find A Grave page for Lakewood said there were a little…
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