Im age courtesy Unsplash    Online Research – a Book Review I have been reading The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy , by Kimberly Powell. [ 1 ] I hesitated to read the book because the world of online genealogy changes hourly, and I wondered if I would learn anything useful from a book published 17 years ago. I approached it with the idea that much of the information would be out of date, and it is. However, the ideas I can apply to my genealogical research, and suggestions of sources that had not occurred to me have justified the time I have spent reading the book.     Determine Your Goal Even though I have immigrant ancestors, as we all do unless we are indigenous people, I have always been most interested in my ancestors after they came to America. I was surprised to learn that by the time we have worked through 10 generations, we will have discovered more than 1000 direct ancestors. [2 ]  Whenever I am tempted to “jump across the pond”,...

In honor of Women's History Month and each of the brave, generous, tenacious women described:  Barb and Bob, Ted and Lola: Loss, war, love and enduring friendship .   The story begins at the meeting place: 4711 Meridian Avenue, Seattle .  4711 Meridian Avenue, Seattle, Courtesy of Google Maps Four families and a l egacy of connection What seems like chance—the convergence of four young lives in one small house in Seattle—created bonds that would last lifetimes. The story of Bob and Barb, Ted and Lola reminds us how seemingly random moments can shape generations, including the author's very existence. The Meeting Place: 4711 Meridian  The story begins in a modest house in Seattle, owned by Mary Shutt, a woman who had already weathered more than her share of grief. Living with her was her daughter Barbara Jean, known to everyone as "Barb," a bright Lincoln High student with her whole life ahead of her. The Foundation: Mary's Journey Mary Reese was born in Indiana i...

Generated by CoPilot 16 March 2025 Why Preserve Stories? Have you ever casually said, “when I did . ..” and your children looked at you and said, “Huh? you did what?”  When this happens to you, it is time to record the story. Thirty or 100 years from now, that story will mean much more to your descendants than any family tree you create. Inland Empire Students at Music Sessions, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, 24 July 1949, p. 24, col. 2-3. If you think, “Someday, I will write a family history,” but you go right back to researching the marriage date of third Cousin Mary Missing, within five minutes the incident will have flitted from your mind. Kevin Kelly admonishes us to write down the idea within five minutes before it is gone. My list of experiences, events, and incidents is getting really long, so I have decided to get started so that my descendants will have SOMETHING. The summer of 1949, my mother attended a short course at the University of Washington to prepare her ...

Book Jacket from Amazon  November, 1896  Salford, England On a very cold day in industrial Salford, England, Harold became the newest resident of the local workhouse.  His wife and children had gone home to her family until Harold could find work to support his family.     'So, what's your story, mate? Why are you in here?'        'It's a long story.'      'I'm sure it is, but we've got a long time.' . . . 'We likes a good story, mate. So what's yours?'      For a second, a memory of his grandfather sitting round a fire telling his stories of  t he past came back to him.  Maybe it was time to tell what had happened and why he was here.      The scent of the tobacco helped him decide.     'I was born in the Moon when Trees Crack with the Cold, or what you would call February in Salford. . .' 1 March, 2024 Manchester England Martin and Isobel Walker are brother and siste...

Slot Machine by Bing Image Creator 26 Feb 2025 Reassessment This year I've taken on a "52 Ancestors" project , where I'm creating a research report for my 52 closest ancestors in ahnentafel order. Well, it's only the beginning of March, and I'm already behind. On the other hand, while catching up, I noticed an anomaly on my great-grandmother Annie McPherson Cowan's FamilySearch profile ; she had parents reported there with names close to her actual parents' but upon checking the sources, it became obvious that someone had attached her to the wrong parents.  Check Your Lineages* L ots of people are using the FamilySearch Family Tree right now since RootsTech Relatives has been activated through 11 April 2025, so I wanted to be sure to get this fixed right away.  My first step was to leave a note in the Collaborate section after checking the connected records. Evidently I had not filled out great-grandmother Annie's tree on FamilySearch very well ...

Photo by genibee,  CC BY-NC 2.0 Have you ever had an old memory surface at the oddest time? I was in the dental chair having an implant screwed into my jaw, and there was so much pressure! When they were doing something else, I said, this feels just like the first time I ever put on a girdle. I was giggling about it, and nudged the assistant, and said, you know what I'm talking about! She was giggling too, and then she said to the doctor, you do NOT know, but ask your wife! The silliest thing about it was that I was in seventh grade! Who needs a girdle ever, much less in seventh grade? It was not about the boys; they never looked at us then. And really, we all thought the other girls were noticing, but I think all of us just wanted to fit in. For the record, let me just say that while I can't recall the last time I squeezed myself into a girdle, I do not miss that pressure one bit! Why mention this weird old memory? Well, it paints a picture of adolescent life before pantyhos...