where2look4ancestors

  • My Favorite President

    I’ve always felt a connection to President Abraham Lincoln. What a treat it was to meet him in person!    

  • Are We Polish? Part Two

    Maria Bukmakofsky wasn’t an only child. Her sister Caroline also immigrated to the Chicago area. Shown here in the 1900 census with her husband and children, Caroline’s family is listed as German but with a very Polish-sounding surname – Domkowsky: It wasn’t easy to prove the connection between Caroline Domkowsky and Maria (nee Bukmakofsky)…

  • Happy Valentine’s Day 1959

  • Four Generation Photograph

    I love seeing pictures of my ancestors and multiple generation shots are my favorites. Four generations in the same professionally posed portrait are a rare find. That’s what makes this photograph so special. The baby in the picture is my grandmother Harriette Kathlyn Tolf born 02 Jul 1909. She’s posing with her father…

  • His Success is Written in Stone

    John Kauffman’s daughter Maria Elizabeth married my 2nd great-grandmother’s brother Emile Schmitt in the 19th century. Emile became an executive in John’s business, the Kauffman Brewery. The brewery flourished making John, his partner, and many others in the business very wealthy men. John Kauffman rests in Cincinnati’s historic Spring Grove Cemetery across the…

  • From Sweden to Chicago for a Better Life

    Both of my maternal grandfather’s parents were immigrants. Grandpa’s father arrived in his mother’s arms. James Walton was just seven months old when he and his parents traveled from the Isle of Man to Cleveland Ohio. Grandpa’s mother sailed alone across the Atlantic Ocean from Sweden to Chicago when she was 15…

  • 1892 Obituaries: April 27

    The following names appeared on page 8 under “deaths” in the April 27, 1892 issue of the Chicago Daily News;  Charles Artingstall, Asa Bradley, Frank J. Beilman, William Crone, Nellie Fuller Fielder, Henry Heidel, Henry Hirchbein, Matthew Harvey, Anna Kerstine Johnson, William Krueger, Capt. John Keelin, F. H. Little, Mrs.…

  • 16th Century Swedish Records

    Today is the anniversary of my 9th great-grandfather’s death. I saw the record on a page in a parish book from 17th century Sweden. I have a direct line ancestor who’s death was recorded 330 years ago. How amazing is that? Even more amazing is the page I found at ArkivDigital scanned…

  • Did Harry Tolf mellow with age?

    One member of my family described him as “one of the nicest guys you’d ever meet”. Other family members, the ones with memories of Harry Tolf’s earlier life, told a different story. As a genealogist I try to keep all the stories in mind. And look for documentation to prove or…

  • Why I Love French Baptismal Records

    On this day in 1774, my 4th great-grandfather François Schmitt was baptized. Especially exciting for me was that François’ father Claude signed the document. Here I am at my desk looking at the crystal clear signature of my 5th great-grandfather written 241 years ago. Is this a great time to be on the planet or what? But…