Earlier this year, I attended the Fairfax Genealogical Society Spring Conference and there were two lectures by Thomas W. Jones that were particularly helpful: “Using ‘Correlation’ to Reveal Facts that No Record States” and “Inferential Genealogy: Deducing Ancestors’ Identities Indirectly.” I learned that I was not doing nearly enough to get past my brick walls. Leaving […]
Perspectives on Poverty and Genealogy
I love statistics and all the fun charts and graphs you can make. I also love TED Talks. You can imagine my delight when watching Hans Rosling’s New Insights on Poverty, when he inserts his grandparents into the data set while comparing past and present economic situations around the world. Genealogy adding context to economic […]
District of Columbia Genealogy Research
Do you have ancestors that lived in the District of Columbia? Here are some suggestions on getting started with local DC records. Newspapers Birth, Marriage, and Death Announcements DC Public Library: Baltimore Sun 1837-1985 The Washington Post 1877-1994 Washington Times 1990-Present You may search in any of the 25 DC Library Branches or online at […]
Harry Murphy and the Photo Mystery
A couple weeks ago I wrote about the discovery of a brother to my 2nd great grandfather, the elusive James Joseph Murphy. This brother, Harry Murphy, had immigrated a couple years after his parents and siblings to Sharon, Pennsylvania. The only way I found out about him is because my great grand aunt had his […]
A Few Of My Favorite Things
Old Newspapers How else would I know that my 4th great grandfather died at at 90 with all his teeth? The Library of Congress Chronicling America is a great starting point for old newspapers. Not all newspapers are digitized, but keep checking as more are added everyday. You can search for an ancestor’s name or […]
Sunday’s Obituary – Margaret Davis-Updegraff
Margaret H. Davis was born 19 January 1861 in Johnstown,1 Pennsylvania to David H Davis and Catherine Annie Harris, both immigrants from Wales. She was the 5th child of 13 born to David and Catherine. Margaret Davis married Henry Herman Updegraff in 1881. Her siblings considered her “marrying well.” The young couple moved to New […]
1790-1840 Census – More Than You Think!
I had the pleasure of attending a class yesterday at the National Archives in Washington, DC titled: Beyond the Basics: Census, 1790–1840. The Archives offers various genealogy classes each week and I thought this would be a great topic. I hadn’t given the 1790-1840 Censuses much attention before now. Well, I learned a lot! 1840 Census […]
Genealogy in the News
Two interesting articles I’ve read recently that relate to genealogy. Thought I’d share. DNA links 1991 killing to Colonial-era family “DNA may help Seattle-area sheriff’s deputies find a suspect in a 20-year-old killing after a comparison with genealogy records connected a crime-scene sample to a 17th-century Massachusetts family.” Basically, they ran the killer’s DNA sample […]
Sunday’s Obituary – Harry M. Murphy
I had seen a photo of “Uncle Harry,” as my mom identified him, but she didn’t know exactly who he was. His name was Harry Murphy and he appeared in a couple photos with other Murphy family members. I actually assumed that he was a neighbor that shared the same last name. While visiting family […]
Thanksgiving Traditions
My mom grew up in a large family. She always talked about the big traditional family gatherings where everyone traveled to one house and celebrated together. Growing up we still had a traditional dinner, but it usually was a small group. I never quite understood the big production of Thanksgiving, but I knew my mom […]
Katie's Grove 