One of the first rules of genealogy, long neglected by genealogists is to write down your own stories. On this German Unity Day, as falling leaves and temperatures finally reach Alabama, memories of my Year of Firsts, thirty (!) years ago flood my mind. But the beginning of the story, like so many tales, requires … Continue reading "A Year of Firsts"
Genealogists know that city directories are not simply phone books, rather that these resources were created for businesses to get access to customers and vice versa. They are genealogy gold ready to be mined! Ralph L. Polk, the most widely known publisher, began his business with 1872 Evansville, IN directory, listing … Continue reading "City directories: Just boring phone phonebooks?"
On this day in 1871 the Deutsches Reich, or German Empire, was proclaimed from a group of 26 disparate entities. According to Wikipedia, they included four kingdoms, six grand duchies, four duchies, seven principalities, three free Hanseatic states, and one imperial territory.
Source: WikipediaMy ancestors hailed from the western side of the … Continue reading "The German Empire and German Americans"
Several months ago, a friend from Florence, Missouri, asked if I knew about the deaths of three women in the United Church of Christ Cemetery. All three had been married but died as young wives. She wondered if I knew their stories. I knew one, and immediately went to work on the other two. … Continue reading "Three Young Women, Gone Too Soon"
Ever since I was a kid, I have loved postcards. I think my ancestors instilled in me a desire to travel and in previous centuries getting a postcard in the mail allowed one to get a glimpse of that faraway place. I have postcards sent to me decades ago from far flung places … Continue reading "A Giant Pickle and a Lady “Waiting” for Him"
