Adobe Stock: Generative AI Doing genealogy is good for us No matter how you define it, learning family traditions, story, lore, and placing ourselves into the flow of history is good for our health. And for those of us who do research, the thrill of discovery and of connecting with cousins can't be beat. Pure joy. There have been some academic studies about the value of knowing our family and community history for youngsters, but we don't need studies to know that those benefits stay with us all our lives. In this increasingly fragmented world, a sense of belonging keeps us centered . Those who plan or attend family reunions often build memories that last for a lifetime.  Milestone celebrations  such a births, birthdays, shared holidays, graduations, engagements, weddings, housewarmings, homecomings and funerals are fundamental ways of structuring family ties, even when our relatives and ancestors leave us. There is something solemn and sacred about leaving flowers on a grave;

Vecteezy image October 20, 2024 What kind of reader are you? Do you become involved with the characters in the book, locating their setting on a map even though the main town is fictional?  Do you enjoy books that have historical settings, either time period or location so you are immersing yourself in a favorite environment or are learning something new?  Do you look forward to the next adventure that a main character may experience, thus following them through a series of books? If any of these traits describes you, you will probably greatly enjoy reading genealogical crime stories.  And you will find several authors to satisfy your hunger. Vecteezy October 20, 2024 Genealogical Mysteries are like lessons in Genealogy The authors take their characters through the trials and tribulations that most of us experience when we are researching.  We can identify with the frustration of a brick wall and rejoice with a character's successful discovery. Good authors keep their characters up

Connecting people. Image courtesy of Dreamstime Doing Genealogy When we first start "doing genealogy" we're finding records, noting what we find, and trying to make sense of it all. As time goes on, we may turn into hobbyists, and begin using forms, consulting books, online repositories, and perhaps, building a tree on our computers, online, or both.  Eventually, it grows so much we don't know what we have, or where! This is where all those "genealogy do-over" or "filing Fridays" projects start. Both of those might be useful in your situation, but here is the ruling principle that can bring quality into your work and peace into your heart: genealogy projects using the Genealogical Proof Standard , the GPS . This principle is what professional genealogists use, but it is not for pros only. Fortunately, it's not a secret; it is the key to effective and efficient work for researchers all around the world.  Genealogical Proof Standard GPS Shapes a

 Summer is a great time to travel to the old home places and distant repositories. What's your first step?  Create Your Plan The longer your trip and farther away your destination, the more preparation you will need. Are passport, visa, special vaccinations required? Early on, write away for maps; some are available for free but arrive by mail; good local maps will help in the planning process. How about connections with researchers in the localities you will visit? Join some local societies, and start conversations with the local history groups, libraries, colleges, courthouses, archives and museums. Create a spreadsheet or table to gather names, contact information, closed dates, hours of operation. Before you leave, print your itinerary and the info sheet. Leave a copy at home with friends and family, too.  Prepare short biographies of ancestors who lived locally to leave in vertical files in libraries and archives. Ensure that each bio has your contact information; if there is

  This story revolves around the complex family ties and the mystery of Robert Keith Marvin's parentage. Born Charles Audrey Rice in 1922 to Harriet Rice, he was adopted by Ray and Jesse Marvin and renamed Robert Keith Marvin. The adoption was recorded in the Marvin Family Bible, indicating the family's awareness of it. In 1942, Robert accidentally discovered his adoption when he requested his birth certificate. The truth about his biological parents remained a mystery until DNA analysis in 2017 revealed a connection to the Bonebright family line, suggesting that Elmer Bonebright and Harriet Rice were his real parents. Robert passed away in 1970, never knowing his true origins, which were only uncovered nearly a century later through DNA science and his son's determination.   The story begins In the tapestry of family history, few threads are as entwined with mystery and discovery as the lineage of Robert Keith Marvin. Born amidst the snowy peaks of Helena, Montana, in the

FAN Research: Riches Ahead! It isn't all mysteries and adventure; by following the FANs ( F amily, A ssociates & N eighbors), fascinating stories can be unearthed. Families intertwine in the most interesting patterns. Digging in the dirt, as in archaeology, beauty sometimes emerges.  I found an image which reminds me of this family, created centuries ago by the Minoans, now in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Crete. Isn't it gorgeous? Courtesy of Mark Cartwright, published on 4 September 2017. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Who are these Hamiltons who keep showing up in my tree and my DNA matches? This has been the question I've been asking myself more often lately. So far, no Hamilton ancestors have shown up, but the Hamiltons are the largest portion of my grandfather Harvey McBee' s ancestors' FAN club for four generations. In the screenshot below, you can

Generated with Bing ImageGenerator, February 4, 2024 at 1:54 PM Some years ago, Lowell Tuttle led a family history writing group which met at a local library, where the writers swapped ideas and drafts of their writing. Over time, health issues etc. caused the group to dwindle. Months ago, Lowell wrote to me (Valorie) with some rough drafts for which he wanted feedback. I wrote back with a few suggestions and asked if we could use part of what he had written here in the blog. Recently he wrote back, giving us his permission to do so. Note: While we have not been able to rekindle the Family History Writing group, we do have an online group:  https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Family-History-Writing . While it has not taken off, it is a place to send your drafts and ask for feedback.  Introduction Dear Readers:  My name is Lowell Allyn Tuttle. This is a Pep Talk on why you should write your or your family's stories. There are  hundreds of sources on HOW to write your or your families' sto

  Elsie Schell Cowan and Thomas Cowan, mid-60s? Gramma and Grampa, as I called them, my grandparents, lived a short walk away from my childhood home. Thomas Cowan and Elsie Schell Cowan were my daddy's parents, I came to understand. My mother called them Mom and Dad too, so it took my child's mind awhile to figure out that they could not be Mom's mother and father! Maybe this was why I was interested in the family history early on - I wanted to understand why I only knew one set of grandparents. Thomas Cowan My grandfather, Tom Cowan, immigrated here from Canada in 1924. He was born in Puslinch township, Wellington County, Ontario, on his family's farm, Juniper Hill Farm. His great-grandfather established the farm in 1832, when he and his family and some neighbors (perhaps relatives) emigrated from Yarrow Feus, Selkirkshire, Scotland to Puslinch in Upper Canada. The house they built still is lived in. Grandpa's parents sold the Century Farm between 1911 and 1921 and