An Adventure in Genealogy
In addition to stories about my ancestors, I share tips for conducting online family history research. Genealogy is a great pastime, join me on my journey to uncover and document my ancestor’s lives.
Future – Family Finds
A Look Back at 2021 Before I look to the future, I’d like to take a look back at 2021. First, and foremost, I managed to write a post for each of the 52 prompts for Amy Johnson Crow’s challenge, “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.” [1] In addition to writing every week, I also challenged myself to read…
Keep readingStrength – Family Finds
While researching my ancestors I sometimes wonder at the personal strength they must have had to face the many adversities in their lives. Particularly when I discover the death of a spouse or child, I consider, with admiration, how the rest of the family carries on. I suspect many found strength through their faith, and the practical aspects of…
Keep readingThankful – Family Finds
What am I thankful for? Many things, not least of which is having received a good education, being able to earn a good living, and now enjoying a comfortable retirement. I am also thankful I live in a time when science and technology can improve my quality of life. Finally, I am thankful I live in a democracy, where I can…
Keep readingBirthdays – Family Finds
For this week’s prompt I take a look at my hometown paper on the day I was born. Newspapers provide a synopsis of what is happening in the world, as well as local events. But, they also are a time capsule of product prices, entertainment and sports. It’s interesting to discover the headlines my parents…
Keep readingStormy Weather – Family Finds
I enjoy researching family oral history and finding records to validate the story. But, sometimes the records reveal there is much more to the story. One such story involves some stormy weather and my great-great-grandfather, William Rumple, who served in the 123rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War. The story told is he laid in…
Keep readingVoting – Family Finds
Since regular voting is typical among members of my immediate family, I have imagined most my ancestors being regular voters, too. However, there are rarely historical records of a person voting or being registered to vote that could provide proof. I have previously written about discovering news reports of my great-grandfather going to the polls to vote. [1] But, recently my…
Keep readingShock – Family Finds
Unexpected Shock Some unexpected family history was uncovered while I was researching one of my genealogy brick walls. And, at first, it came as a bit of a shock. Now, though, I am not certain I have all the information to form the correct conclusion. The shock, or at least surprise, indirectly involves the brick…
Keep readingSports – Family Finds
Sheepish Sports – Sheep to Shawl During the 1980’s, my mother, Betty LaFara, participated in a competitive, team sport called Sheep to Shawl. As the name suggests, the competition begins with a sheep and ends with a shawl. A sheep is sheared, the fleece is carded and spun into yarn, the yarn is then woven into fabric,…
Keep readingChanges – Family Finds
Several of my ancestors have surnames that change over time. Often, the name change was to conform to American characteristics. The surname changes I have documented are, for the most part, taking a German pronunciation and phonetically adapting it to American-English. There are a few methods that can be employed to find records of the variant spellings…
Keep readingPreservation – Family Finds
Genealogy is all about preserving the past. Documenting ancestors’ lives, recording family stories and collecting family memorabilia, is the mission of a family genealogist. I do each of these tasks for my own enjoyment. This blog site is one way I preserve family stories, it will live in “the cloud” long after I am gone.…
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Family Finds 