6/52 - What happened to my Dad after his parents were committed in 1932 and 1938?
Read more…
5/52 - Nothing Like a Good GroundHog Day Cry
Not everyone cries on Groundhog Day.
Read more.
4/52 - Archives Should Also Include the Everyday Things
When we think about preserving family history, we need to think about all of the day to day pieces of digital information that are likely to disappear.
Read more.
3/52 - Speaking German
How on earth has high school German stayed with me for 50 years, while other courses are a distant memory?
Read more…
2/52 - Birthmarks
Birthmarks — physical, emotional, and generational — leave a long mark.
Read more…
1/52 - New Year's Resolutions
It’s January 8, where are you with your family history and genealogy New Year’s resolutions?
An Awful Chapter in Virginia's Past
An awful record to read, but one we can’t ignore if we are to have a meaningful understanding of our past. Despite what the history deniers and erasers might think.
Sally Mancini - Quite a character - RIP
When your mom goes, it leaves a big hole in the family tapestry.
Read more…
Holocaust Remembrance Day - January 27
Our history depends on how facts are recorded, and how they are preserved. For inspiration on how to do it properly, look no further than the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum.
1945 – The sad endgame for John Oliver Manson
The sad endgame for my grandfather, John Oliver Manson
Read more…
It takes a village to tell a family story
Understanding our family stories, writing them down, and getting anyone to pay attention takes a lot of friends.
This is NOT the story of my grandparents...BUT
This is NOT the story of my grandparents. But I wonder what ChatGPT means about how we will tell and research stories in the future.
Read more.
A snapshot of family stories from just one New York State Asylum
One of the comments I get most often when I tell the sad tale of my Italian immigrant grandparents and their lost 122 years in New York State mental institutions is, “That’s just an unbelievable story!” But….
Read more.
1917 – Father and Son Miami-to-Key-West Race Winners – Or Were They?
My grandfather and his son both won the Miami-to-Key-West powerboat race, 46 years apart. Or did they?
Read more.
1913 - My Grandfather and the Mystery of the Columbus Bones
My grandfather John Oliver Manson was never one to miss out on an opportunity to be in the press.
Read more…
1880 - Wait. My Grandfather Wasn’t Born in Australia?
Wait… my grandfather wasn’t born in Australia? Watch out for the family legends - and even official documents. Sometimes our ancestors just made stuff up.
Read more…
1925 - John Oliver Manson and the Phantom Kidnapping
The first in a series of posts documenting my maternal grandfather, John Oliver Manson. This one is focused on a 1925 Phantom Kidnapping.
Genealogists Unite! - Release the Records
It’s time to modernize the privacy rules surrounding the health records of long-dead ancestors. Release the records!
Read more…
How will future genealogists know what is truth?
How do those in the genealogy, records, and archives biz think we should start future-proofing the contemporary documents, news, and pictures that are so critical to accurately remembering the past?
Three Lessons in Family History Publishing
Thinking about publishing a family history book? Here are three lessons I learned.