Even a “man of the cloth” can be a black sheep… Consider the case of Rev. George Washington Hays. I used to be church historian at the church where I grew up. One summer I decided to read all the board minutes, starting at the beginning—1858. Not far into the project, my eyes were drawn …
My husband’s great-uncle Wayne Nedry Alwood (1893-1948) had a Model T automobile similar to this one, pictured. Those puppies could be hard to start, and sometimes a person had to get creative. But Wayne’s brother-in-law, Walter Garver, discovered a system that worked. Dale Garver, a cousin of my husband’s and a top-notch genealogy researcher, wrote …
Mosey, my married name, is an unusual American surname, with no obvious ethnic origin. But I have learned that it’s English in origin—Yorkshire, to be specific. My husband’s great-grandfather Robert Mosey was one of his “gateway ancestors”—an ancestor who came from elsewhere to settle in America. Robert Mosey (1821-1884) was born in Bishop Wilton, a …
Thank you to the free family history research site Crestleaf for contributing this fun guest post. It is not uncommon for people to believe that their ancestors changed their surnames upon arrival at Ellis Island. And although we now know that this tale is actually quite a tall one (see the fascinating article on the topic from …
10 Famous Immigrants Who Changed Their Names After They Came to America Read More »
My ancestors ran the gamut from black sheep to outstanding citizen. But life isn’t fair… Those who honor faith and family, who play by the rules, sometimes suffer the most tragedy. Consider my Peterson ancestors. My great-grandparents were Nebraska pioneers Carl Peterson (1861-1917) and Emelia Fryksdal Peterson (1861-1933). From all indications they were a close …
New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) and FamilySearch, the family history arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, today announced a multi-year collaboration between the two nonprofit organizations and a sharing of online genealogical resources, establishing a milestone in the growing international family history industry. In a database exchange program, the two …
I’ve had Amish friends for a long time. I took this picture from the back seat of their buggy—one of my favorite places to be… When I first got to know my original Amish friends, their eight children ranged in age from two to eighteen. Now the youngest is out of school (which means eighth …
My husband has a great-grandfather who fought in the Civil War and lived to tell about it (although barely). His name was Lewis Alpheus Mosey (1843-1925). A few years ago I found Lewis’ Civil War Pension Index Card and 1890 Special Veteran’s Census Schedule on ancestry.com. The census said that he had a “rifle wound …
Thank you to family history research site Crestleaf for contributing this guest post. Ahh, Valentine’s Day. Depending on your current relationship status, the season of courtly love can either conjure up warm and fuzzy feelings, or make you want to forget the day exists! But this lovey dovey day isn’t just for couples who want to …
Love is My Last Name: A Fun Look at Valentine’s Day Related Surnames Read More »
Thank you to Bob Vornlocker for this guest post. I’ve previously written several articles about searching using wildcards and my comments have continued to ring true for me. I’ve added hundreds of new records since last published here using wildcard and proximity searches. I even convinced Mocavo, one of my favorite genealogy websites, to add …