Latest Posts
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A Sunday Morning Hero
2 Feb 2023
Recently, my husband and I flew to the island of Oahu for a few days. Although most people fly there for pleasure, we arrived there to fulfill a promise as well as remember and honor the thousands who died in service to our nation during World War II.
So, on a calm and beautiful morning in Honolulu, we were winding our way up through the small neighborhoods of the city embedded into the side of an extinct volcano. Read More …
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Collaboration is the Key
27 Jan 2023
Lately, I’ve been reviewing some earlier research I had done on one of my maternal family lines. While doing so, I was reminded of the importance of collaboration. I realized that almost everything I know and understand about the lives of all my ancestors is unquestionably the result of information shared among an extensive network of my known and unknown “relatives.” Without them, our “collective” family history mysteries would remain unsolved, and our ancestors’ stories would be forgotten. Read More …
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Amanda M. Lancaster: Lexington to Lexington
1 Oct 2020
Introduction My second great-grandmother, Amanda M. Lancaster (see Image 1)[1], began and ended her life north of Lexington. However, these two life events did not happen in the same states. She was born in Owen County, Kentucky, sometime in May 1828[2] to James Lancaster (1805-1875) and Ann Nelson (1808-1891). She was the oldest of their eleven known children.[3] Although Amanda was likely born in Owen County, the 1840 U.S. census records her family living in Read More …
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A Kienlen Family Legend
1 May 2020
Great-Grandmother Kienlen For as long as I can remember, my mother’s side of the family loved to tell stories about the quirkiness and adventures surrounding my Kienlen family ancestors. One of the most unique and delightful characters in this line of my family was Margaret Ann Bruegger (1853-1938) who was my 2X great-grandmother. Margaret was born in Highland, Grundy County, Illinois, on 03 July 1853[1] to Alois Bruegger (1816-1872) and Maria Kirri (1820-1903) both of Read More …
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The Howle Home in Oklahoma Territory
18 Jan 2020
A favorite family photo One of my treasured heirlooms is a photo of my Howle family grandparents standing in front of their home.[1] I had never seen this picture until after my grandmother Lillian Florence Howle (1902-1994) passed away in 1994. Not long after she died, we found an old trunk tucked away in the hall closet of her home. It was filled with letters, legal papers, and lots of photos. As I began going Read More …
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Tracing the life of William T Hughes
26 Feb 2019
[Parents of William T Hughes – Part 2] Starting with what I know In order to begin tracing one’s ancestors, it is critical to always start “with what you know.” Right. Well, when I began tracing the life of William T Hughes (1821 – abt 1875), I didn’t know much. The few clues I had were based on his notation in my maternal grandmother’s family tree (see Image 1). From this single page of the family bible, Read More …