Personal Genealogy Stories

The Search for Barent Ryder

Thank you to Bob Vornlocker for this guest post. Family Stories Collection: This special collection contains a selection of family history stories submitted by our readers. Originally published Jan 29, 2015. I’ve previously written several articles about searching using wildcards …

The Search for Barent Ryder .

Justifiable Homicide

A few years ago I did an ancestry binder for an in-law branch of the family which shall remain nameless.  I discovered the story of a genuine black sheep—George Washington Coomes, who was shot to death on September 5, 1896.

Skeletons in the Closet

Whenever I research someone’s family history, whether it’s for fun or for profit, I try to find out how they feel about “skeletons in the closet” before I start.  Everyone thinks they want me to find a few—but perhaps that’s one of those things that sounds better in theory than it turns out to be in practice.

Robert Erickson, Champion Plowman

My Uncle Bob was a champion plowman, back when that kind of thing was a big deal here in the Midwest.  I don’t want his story to be forgotten.  How many young men of his generation ended up meeting four presidents, and competing in Europe (twice!) solely because of a remarkable ability to plow a straight furrow?

Big Sister Without a Name

Family Stories Collection: This special collection contains a selection of family history stories submitted by our readers. Originally published Feb 27, 2014. My father, Robert Milo Wallin (1923-1993) spent nearly all of his life thinking he was the oldest child …

Big Sister Without a Name .

Passage to America

Family Stories Collection: This special collection contains a selection of family history stories submitted by our readers. Originally published April 30, 2014. Once you become known as the Official Family Historian, a wonderful phenomenon begins to occur.  Relatives, especially older …

Passage to America .