Mary. D. Hudson is my toughest brick wall. She is my Great, Great Grandmother on my mother’s paternal side. Verbal history tells us that she was orphaned in the Great Boston Fire and then raised by family. All research has failed to prove this. Questions remain; if she didn’t know her parents as all her documents state, then where did…
Laura May Whitman Balentine had lain unmarked since 1927. Dying of TB she passed leaving 6 children motherless. There was no money for a headstone. She lay unidentified and I worried when I passed, there would be no one left to know where she was. I wanted her identified. To mark her grave, I had to take a long investigative…
I was googling ancestors looking for more entries into the DAR. I know I have a fairly large group of military ancestors. It is my wish to compile them into a proper list for future descendants. While googling my ancestral grandfather, Capt. Richard Bracket regarding his military service,I eyed over some text written about him and spotted mention of a silver…
It’s exciting to discover the next generation of ancestors. It’s even more exciting to discover where they lived and find that their home still stands. Also fun is discovering that something that they owned still exists today. I found out that John Alden’s rifle exists. It is the only know firearm to have crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower. It…
If you read my previous post, then you would have read my praises on research logs. To summarize, I have little time to research and when I do have a couple hours, I spend half of it trying to figure out where I was, what I was doing and diving into notes that now only confuse me. A research log…
Today, researchers have not only the internet to help us find details, facts and information but we have the internet to find support, friends and groups of like minded comrades to help us grow and become what we hoped to become. I was blessed with that experience of late. In 2017, year my research stalled due to lack of time.…
I was researching this weekend and when I came upon my original copy of The Allen Gazette, I noted the date, 1917. It is 100 years old! This was written by my Great, Great, Great Grandparents and for my Grandchildren, it’s 5 Greats. I have one original copy that my Grandmother saved for me. I am excited. My copy is…
I find family history more embracable when there are physical connections that we can see and touch. It shows us in our present time that these ancestors really did live and walk these places. With Mother’s Day creeping up on us, I thought I would share what Statues I have found online of our maternal Grandmothers. In the picture…
Researching can take painstakingly tiny steps. Every link can take hour to years to document or prove. it can feel like you crawl inch by inch. Then once in awhile you encounter a published family account and this can speed you up incredibly. This is what happens when you hit Royalty. Royalty has always documented itself. In discovering my Royalty…
It can be hard to feel a connection to your Ancestral grandparents. That is why I adore finding physical connections to their lives. When I find a home that they lived in, I can point it out and say, “That’s where they lived. They were really here. It’s more than a name and date on a piece of paper!” I…