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Continue reading →: Are We Related? Part One
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…
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Continue reading →: 3 Things I Learned from Alfred Mueller’s Social Security RecordThe 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…
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Continue reading →: 12 Step Program for GenealogistsChild #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…
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Continue reading →: How to Take Better Headstone Pictures for Find A Grave“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…
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Continue reading →: Who Do You Think YOU Are?
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.…
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Continue reading →: Lessons in Naming Digital Files
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…
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Continue reading →: 5 Reasons I Love Family History Month (and Why You Should Too)
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:…
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Continue reading →: Are You My Ancestor?
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…
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Continue reading →: National Coffee Day
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!
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Continue reading →: Headstone Art Question
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,…
Hello,
I’m Laura
and I’m interested in all things genealogy. Join me as I continue my decades-long quest to learn more about my family history and the lives of my ancestors.
where2look4ancestors 