Pearl May Tolf shares a New Year birthday with her uncle Peter. Pearl’s father (Peter’s brother) Frans Tolf and his wife Mathilda settled in Dixon Illinois where Pearl and five younger siblings were born. Frans and Mathilda’s oldest child was born in 1883, which means Pearl may have fibbed about her age when she and…
A shaking leaf on Family Tree Maker tells me there is a clue about my 2nd great-grandfather Peter August Tolf (1858-1929) in the U.S., Evangelical Covenant Church, Swedish American Church Records, 1868-1970. The record includes a history of the Evangelical Covenant Church of Batavia [Illinois], which was formerly called the Swedish Evangelical Mission Church of…
The League of American Bicyclists was originally founded as the League of American Wheelmen in 1880. Bicyclists, known then as “wheelmen,” were challenged by rutted roads of gravel and dirt and faced antagonism from horsemen, wagon drivers, and pedestrians. From the past to the present, bike riders have been a part of my family tree. Growing up, pretty much…
What we now know as Veterans Day is our opportunity to publicly commemorate the contributions of living veterans. Armistice Day, as it was called previously, officially received its name in America in 1926 through a congressional resolution. It became a national holiday 12 years later by similar congressional action. If World War I really had…
I’ve seen many headstones that provide wonderful clues for anyone researching that particular family tree. But none quite as wonderful as the Hollister headstone in Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis. The names, dates and relationships on the front and on the back made it easy to find the right Hollisters in the 1900 census on Ancestry.com. I…
Dear Prospective Cousin, I think you and I may be leaves on the same family tree! According to the relationship chart below, your mother (or grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, sister, sister-in-law, spouse’s cousin) Alice Hester Clarke Jenkinson was my first-cousin thrice removed. That may sound distant but consider this; Alice’s father Elmer and my 2nd great-grandfather…
The SS-5 form was more valuable to me than the SSDI (Social Security Death Index) in my quest to prove my great-grandfather’s date of birth. Why? Because it had been completed by the subject of my search. Not to mention the oodles of additional information the form added to my understanding of Alfred’s life. Remember…
Child #2 tells me I am a genealogy addict. I counter with my attendance of meetings, ostensibly looking for a cure. Child patiently explains the concept of 12 step programs; they are supposed to help one kick a habit, not provide another fix. After some thought, I developed my own 12 Step Program. Rather than looking for…
“Help us find the ending to every family story.” This is the sentiment behind Find A Grave Community Days, an event in which genealogists and taphophiles everywhere are encouraged to “Help preserve your local cemetery.” I hope you’ll join the cause! It’s an amazing way to pay it forward for any help you’ve received researching…
For decades, I thought I was 50% Swedish and 50% German. Never mind that my maternal grandfather was somehow English. I’m not sure how we overlooked that bit of information, but I continued to believe I was half one ethnicity and half another long after I should have known better. I started my genealogical exploration…
where2look4ancestors 