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Continue reading →: Instant Ancestors
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:…
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Continue reading →: The Census Mistake that Wasn’t
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…
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Continue reading →: Following the Bread Crumbs Left by My Clarkes
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…
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Continue reading →: Two Sides of a Coin
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…
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Continue reading →: Honoring the Dead at Lakewood Cemetery
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…
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Continue reading →: Oh, the Questions I Would Ask
My great-grandfather Gustave Robert MANGELS died on this day 44 years ago. Although I was 13 or 14 at the time, I had never met him. And as I was drafting this post, I started wondering how much my dad had known of his grandfather. Gustave and my great-grandmother Esther…
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Continue reading →: Happy Birthday Grandson!
That first day of having you on the planet was an amazing day for all of us. You hold a special place in our family tree; the eldest child of the eldest child (your mom) of the eldest child (me) of the eldest child (my dad). And you certainly hold a…
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Continue reading →: They Became Americans
Today is our nation’s Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. It is a day set aside to recognize the adoption of the United States Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens. I’m proud of the members of my family who made a dangerous trip across an ocean to start a new life…
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Continue reading →: Killed by the Cars
As much as we’d like to think the 19th century was a kinder gentler time, the truth is that everyday life was filled with close calls. People frequently dashed out of the way of fast-moving horses, streetcars and trains. And, as is reported in the article below, they weren’t always…
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 