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 »
DNA testing for genealogy is commonly used to help gain a better understanding of our deep and recent roots, to verify or break down genealogical findings and family lore (ie “Do I have Native American ancestry?“) and to connect with unknown cousins who can help fill out the family tree. Its popularity is not surprising. …
Can you really research your ancestry for free? Yes you can! Most seasoned genealogists know that there are an ever growing number of free family history resources online–but it is easy for beginners to get overwhelmed trying to find quality resources and end up turning to just one or two large paid sites, like Ancestry, …
Ancestry for Free: Genealogy Research Sites That Don’t Cost a Dime Read More »
Thank you to J. Lee Simons for sharing this story with us. My mother’s maiden name is Watkins. One of her second-great-grandfathers is Absalom Craddock Watkins, who first shows up on public record in the 1820 Census of Bond Co., IL. With him is his wife Mary “Polly” Little, and enumerated just before him are …
Thank you to Bob Vornlocker for this guest post. A recent German Genealogy Group experience with creating an on-line index for the records of Most Holy Trinity Church in New York, in its early days a German parish, has prompted me to write this update to an article originally published by the GGG and Dick Eastman, …
March is Women’s History Month. Last month, I talked about finding ancestors and family stories in military pension files. What I didn’t mention is that pension files are a great place to find our female ancestors. I did tell that I didn’t know who my great, great grandmother was until I obtained my great, great …
Finding Your Female Ancestors Through Pension Files Read More »
Hi chaps, After my last blog, Linda gave me some food for thought. So we’re getting away from actual documents this time, and looking at patronymics. Not to be confused with patronising, which is something the British are REALLY good at. (British forces arrive in somebody else’s country: “Oh, you don’t have a flag? Oh …
Thoughts of a Family Bible usually portray an image of a large heavy leather-covered book. They were sold in stores, available from mail order catalogs and offered by door-to-door salesmen. Even non-religious families may have owned a family Bible. The major selling factor was the “Records” or “Register” section, usually located in the center or …
The Importance of Family Bibles in Genealogy Research Read More »
Thank you to Norman Cutshall of Bouse, Arizona for sharing his story with us. In March 2011 I had no interest in genealogy. For 73 years the knowledge that I was adopted as an infant satisfied my need to know my origins. My adoptive parents were a loving, nurturing couple who always made it evident …
The Lottery Winner: A Man Discovers His Lost Family After 73 Years Read More »