Image Courtesy of Pixabay.com. WHAT DO I HAVE? When I attend a genealogy conference, I never pass up the book vendors in the exhibit hall. I am always fascinated by their offerings. As well, a presenter has probably mentioned a book “you must have”. There are books on my shelves that I use daily;  Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills is open near my right hand as I am writing this. Mastering Genealogical Documentation by Thomas Jones and Professional Genealogy edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills probably tie for second-most used books. They are where I can reach them without moving from my computer chair. There are other genealogy books that I refer to only occasionally when I need a specific piece of information. Understanding Colonial Handwriting by Harriet Stryker-Rodda is one of those. HOW DO I KEEP TRACK OF WHAT I HAVE? I do not want to purchase a duplicate. I could use a spreadsheet, but sometimes that gets messy. When Marilyn Schunke took over respon...

It is the time of year when we think about setting goals for the New Year.   How many timeshave we resolved to lose weight, go to the gym regularly, call Mom every week, or any number of other things.   I always have a goal of reading 50 books a year.   Some years I do better than others.   This year looks like it will be about 31 or 32.   Not too bad, but I could do better.   I listed 19 things that I wanted to accomplish in 2019, and I must admit that I did not do very well.   As I reflect on this performance, or lack of same, I have resolved to take a different approach in 2020.   After setting my overall goals for 2020, I am going to break them into monthly goals and do a monthly review, so that I do not get so hopelessly behind that I just give up. I’m particularly thinking about my genealogy goals for 2020.   Many of you know that I want to become a Certified Genealogist.   Before the end of 2020, I will “go on the ...

Needpix.com  T h is is the time of year when we think about the sacrifices our ancestors made coming to a new land seeking a better life for themselves and their unknown descendants.   Many of them braved perilous voyages over rough seas in tiny ships seeking religious freedom.   One hundred and fifty years later, their grandsons fought in the Revolutionary War for the right of self-government.   As genealogists, we have the privilege of gathering their stories and preserving them for our descendants.   I hope you will share their stories as you gather with your family this month.   On October 5, Katie Hanzeli, Marilyn Schunke and I attended the Seattle Genealogical Society’s Fall Seminar featuring Dr. Thomas W. Jones.   The topic of the Seminar was “Creating Credible Conclusions While Circumnavigating Walls”, learning how to forge innovative paths around research brick walls with confidence and ethics.   Learning from Dr. Jones is like...

By Marilyn Mullins Schunke Are you related to a direct-line ancestor in more than one way? If you are not certain, do you know how to find out? What method have you used to determine ALL the different ways in which you are related to an ancestor or another individual? This has been my dilemma for years, until I discovered the answer in Legacy Family Tree.  Let me explain. My paternal grandmother, Mabel Clair Maris, was a birth-right Quaker – meaning her parents were both members of the Quaker (Society of Friends) religion when she was born. The Quakers are a very close-knit community and members were “disowned,” i.e. removed from membership if they married outside their faith. The Quakers also tended to move from one community to another as groups of families. Consequently, several of my Quaker immigrant ancestor’s descendants migrated from Pennsylvania to North Carolina and ultimately to Indiana and intermarried along the way. My four paternal 2nd-great-grandparent’s su...