where2look4ancestors

  • Death or Divorce?

    I’m trying to determine if my 1st cousin thrice-removed had been widowed or was divorced before her 2nd marriage. Myrtle H Youngberg and John L Miller were married 01 Jul 1910 in Michigan at a popular destination for elopements: None of the John Millers in the 1910 Chicago city directory seem to be a…

  • Birthday Celebrations

    How does your family celebrate birthdays? How is this similar to/different from the way you celebrated birthdays as a child? My childhood birthdays included party hats, cake and ice cream, and games like Pin the Tail on the Donkey and Clothespin Drop. Relatives joined the festivities until we were school-aged…

  • Ancestral Look Alikes

    With which ancestor do you share the most physical characteristics? What similar characteristics are there and how do you feel about them? I began this quest with a photo of my parents taken in 1956. Searching their faces for specific features that match my sisters’ and mine, I began to wonder where those…

  • Zora (Clarke) Highbarger 1857-1940

    From the January 26, 1940 edition of the Funkstown Daily Mail; “Mrs. Zora Highbarger, widow of John Highbarger, died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. William King, Woodburg, Baltimore County, on Thursday afternoon, at 2:00 o’clock. She was born and reared in Downsville but has lived in Baltimore for…

  • Political Activism

    Were your parents or grandparents politically active? What is your first political memory? 4th grade was an election year. Richard Nixon, Hubert Humphrey and George Wallace each hoped to be the 37th President of the United States. Our class held mock elections, following the campaign on TV and in the newspapers.…

  • Reasons to Research

    How many names are in your tree? How far back have you gone? If you’ve ever told anybody that you are climbing your family tree, chances are you’ve heard these questions more than once. The answer I’d like to give? Ugh. Why? Because I’m not a collector of names and…

  • Morgan Edgar Clarke 1873-1876

    From the Daily Mail, Hagerstown Maryland, Friday January 21, 1876; “On the 11th inst., at Downsville, MORGAN EDGAR, son of Morgan and Susan Clark, aged 2 years and 6 months. Its remains were interred in Funkstown.” Morgan has a memorial on Find A Grave.

  • Award-winner? Who, me?

    Kevin over at Nitty Gritty Dirt Man nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award. Since Kevin’s blog is one I faithfully read and enjoy, this was an especially wonderful moment in the short history of my humble little blog. Thank you Kevin for making me feel special on a day I…

  • Resolutions Revised

    Are New Year’s Resolutions a waste of time? It seems like many of those set get left among the confetti and streamers. I’ve made resolutions on and off over the years. I like working toward goals, so each new calendar brings an opportunity to reflect on what I’ve accomplished and what is left to…

  • Happy St Lucia Day!

    Some traditions get lost in time. Others last for only one lifetime. Meaningful traditions just might last forever. I hope my family’s celebration of St. Lucia Day  is in this third important category. Time and distance may separate us, but on this day my grandchildren are in my every thought. Instead of dwelling…