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Category Archives: Genealogy General
Checking In, British Research and Planning for 2017
Apologies for my blog absence these last few months. We bought a new house and all the packing, cleaning, moving, unpacking, arranging, repairs, shopping and a squirrel and woodpecker removal (we weren’t expecting that!) have occupied my free time. Happily, … Continue reading
Posted in English Genealogy, Genealogy General
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Deconstructing a Civil War Regiment Part III: Seeing the Forest and the Trees of History
It is important in interpreting your ancestor’s Civil War experience that you read a lot of history books. For some of you that will be great news, for others you are wondering just how many do I have to read??? … Continue reading
Deconstructing a Civil War Regiment Part II: Photos from the Library of Congress
You have probably noticed that I often use photos from the Library of Congress to illustrate some aspect of my blog post. Their digital archives are vast and are usually available without copyright infringement problems. (Always check to see what … Continue reading
Chaplains in the Civil War
I have been researching the experience of Chaplains in the Civil War for my book on Rev. John McNair and have learned some interesting facts about what Chaplains experienced. There were 30 chaplains serving in the Army before the war … Continue reading
My Ancestor Score: Quality vs. Quantity?
I have read a few blogs recently reporting their “Ancestor Score”. Randy Seaver did a Saturday challenge about it and Ancestry blogger Crista Cowan has a YouTube video on how to calculate your score if you use Ancestry as your … Continue reading
Telling Your Story: The Lessons of Memoirs
I love to read memoirs about people I admire or who have an interesting tale to tell. The three I have read most recently have some important lessons about writing our own history. I don’t know about you but writing … Continue reading
Non-Fiction Writing: Lessons from Erik Larson
I struggle with bridging the gap between writing dry informational biography and creating captivating non-fiction when writing about my ancestors. I don’t want to add creative flourish if it is not completely accurate and based on some historical evidence. There … Continue reading
Mom – Diana (Dee) Lee Cork Kemp Turner Joy Sybrandt (1943-2011)
In honor of Women’s History Month, I wanted to remember my Mother on what would have been her 73rd birthday. Ours was a complicated relationship; while we always shared a love for one another, sometimes we had a difficult time … Continue reading
When Someone Doesn’t Like Your Ancestor
It shouldn’t be surprising that our ancestors were not universally loved, even the most virtuous of them. Therefore, when we are writing a biography of an ancestor, how do we include their bad press? Watching the political race this season … Continue reading
The Temperance Movement and Rev. John McNair
Sort of the opposite of “got me at hello” huh? Napping yet? No guilt, that was how I felt when I got to the temperance section of the book I am writing about Rev. John McNair. But without a doubt, … Continue reading
Ascending the Stairs 