Every genealogist has hit a brick wall … that moment when your family tree suddenly quits branching. You can’t get anywhere because there are no more records, no more proof, and NO CLOSURE! It’s painful. It leaves you wanting. The parents of my 2nd great grandpa, Winfield Scott Douglas … Scott … (1847-1913) have proven…
I’m not sure when I decided I would name my daughter Phoebe … it was certainly LONG before she was even a twinkle in anyone’s eye. By all accounts, Phoebe Douglas was a strong and strong-willed woman and I wanted my daughter to embody that spirit. It seemed fitting she would embody the name, too….
One thing I find most frustrating about being relatively young and tracing family history is that I don’t hold much of the actual history in my own memory. Someday I will, I suppose. Now, however, I rely a lot on older relatives and old books that have bits and pieces of the puzzle. Unfortunately, I’m…
One thing I have learned in the short month of writing 52 Ancestors is that I know very little beyond vital information about my ancestors. It’s amazing how much genealogical information we have and equally amazing how much we’re missing. It’s the difference between our history and our heritage. I’ve heard the name James Madison…
Tonight, I’m missing my daddy and all the crazy stories he told about growing up in Harrisburg, Illinois in the 1950s. So, I’ll share one with you about his grandfather. First, I have to tell you a little about Great-Grandpa Moore. What I know about George Melvin Moore George Melvin Moore was born on June…
My Dad’s grandfather, Charley Jones, was always one of those conundrums in the family … the genealogy brick wall that I could never get through. Until recently. About 6 months ago, I was able to push through the brick and start tracing my Jones family history … all the way back to early settlers of…
Jacob Heinrich Mueller is my 4th great grandfather on my mother’s side. He was born in Darmstadt, Germany in 1798 to John George Mueller and Anna Maria Rhutz (1800-1844). He immigrated to America in 1828 and settled in St. Clair County, Illinois. He was employed as a blacksmith after he arrived in St. Clair County. Jacob married Mary Margaret Weber…
Margaret Ellen Lindsey is my 2nd great grandmother on my mom’s side. She was born on November 17, 1841 near Pomona, Illinois to Lewis and Nancy (Sumner) Lindsey. The Lindsey family settled in this area in the early 1800s. She was among the first generation of Lindsey’s born here in Southern Illinois where much of…
I had a lot of fun with my genealogy blog in 2013. I’ve managed to combine all of my favorite past times – writing, genealogy and cooking – into one space. While I’m not a New Year’s Resolution kind of girl, I did read a Facebook update from Lisa Ling that talked about how she…