A New Approach: Blogging My Own Family History

It's been ages since my last post.  "Real life" interceded and I've spent the past few years busy with work and life in a new part of the world (northern Colorado).  I intend to pick up again where I left off, however with a slightly different goal:  blogging my own family's history so that cousins near and far can learn much more of what I've gathered over the past several years. 

Several times now I've gotten requests from distant cousins for "any and all information" that I have on a branch of the family, and it is a tough request in which to respond.  I am happy to share what records I have, but often that's dozens of papers or files that without context don't really tell a story, and probably leave people a little bit confused or unsatisfied.  And I've come to peace with the knowledge that I will probably never have the time or energy to sit down and write a book on the various lines in the family. 

What I can do though, is occasionally pick a person, a family line, or a topic, and share what I find most interesting, along with the records and photos that help tell the stories.  In this way, I hope to share more efficiently and effectively all the cool stuff I've been learning with all my cousins out there. 

I hope to keep it interesting and fun, and as always welcome any of your questions, suggestions or comments.  Looking forward to getting back on track with this new focus, but also continuing to share resources and information I think might be universally helpful or entertaining.  I hope to not disappoint!

Who Do YOU Think You Are?

The NBC series "Who Do You Think You Are" premieres tonight. I am psyched! Speculation is that this will lead to an increase in the number of Americans interested in family history, and I couldn't be happier if this is true. That means more cousins to collaborate with, and more possibilities at finding old family documents, bibles, photos, and more.

Watching a preview clip for the first episode, I was surprised to realize that Sarah Jessica Parker is a cousin of mine. Ok, a distant cousin, but the connection is on her and my ELWELL line in Massachusetts. Of course, more than a few of you reading this blog probably have New England ancestors, and a few Elwells hiding out, so this is not an exclusive group at all!

Who might you be related to who will appear in this season? Spike Lee? Susan Sarandon? Matthew Broderick?

I know I have been away from blogging for some time. I also made all my videos public once again after rectifying some problems with a "stalker" I was having. Creepy.

I'd love to hear what your thoughts are on the show tonight! Post a comment and let me know.

Top Ten Reasons Our Ancestors Came to America

I didn't write this one, but it was too good to resist re-posting here:

Top Ten Reasons Our Ancestors Came to America

10. Took wrong turn at Bering land bridge.

9. Slavers seemed pretty insistent.

8. Sought religious freedom and the right to disembowel Quakers.

7. Nothing good to watch on BBC.

6. Took their orders from Neil Diamond.

5. Potato famine put big dent in profits from Irish fish-and-chip franchises.

4. To oppose anyone else being allowed to immigrate to America.

3. Sick of having unpronounceable names.

2. Wanted the right to vote on behalf of their wives.

1. Hoped to one day be listed on Ellis Island website.

I stole this (rather shamelessly) from The Genealogue, who publishes all kinds of other "Genealogy News You Can't Possibly Use". He has an excellent and highly entertaining blog filled with news that you can definitely use, or at least get a laugh from. Check him out at:

http://www.genealogue.com

And for ALL of his "Top 10" lists, visit:

http://www.genealogue.com/2005/05/top-ten-list-index.html

Off the Beaten Genealogical Path

Sometimes I get tired of ordering birth and death certificates, sifting through census data, or searching cemetery databases. Not tired of genealogy, but tired of the "traditional" channels for research.

That's when an article like Kathy Jones-Kristof's comes in to play. Her "Unusual Places to Look for Genealogy" does a great job of listing a number of different avenues for research - some that you probably have never thought about, and some which you have probably not tried for awhile. It's worth taking a fresh look at the article, as well as the rest of her blog:

http://genealogyhelpandhints.com/2008/07/05/unusual-places-to-look-for-genealogy/

Inspired by her post (it was written awhile ago but I just came across it today), I decided to search some Unclaimed Property type sites and actually came across three recently-deceased cousins listed. I've contacted their next of kin, and am hoping that there is some sort of positive payout for them!

Overcoming Those "Brick Walls"

This time around, a little bit of a personal story on my family history research, and how I was able to overcome what I thought was a "brick wall".

Watching the video you'll see that I had a clue the whole time, and didn't even realize it. :)