This week’s topic for the 52 Ancestor’s in 52 weeks is Outcast. I thought immediately of a maternal 2X great-uncle. He was cultivating beans in a field on a hot day. He was found wandering around, incoherent. It was determined he had a stroke. As part of his recovery, he was sent to a well-known…
Social Media
I’m writing week 6 of the #52Ancestors Challenge, about Social Media. I admit, this was a challenging one for me to write about. I had not thought about it before the topics list was released. I realize, there are times I groan looking at my Facebook and Twitter feeds. But it’s never when I look…
Oops!
The theme for this week is Oops! It made me think about a mistake I made early in my research days in associating the wrong father to my maternal grandmother. My grandmother’s name is Grace. Born in a city, she was placed in foster care as a teenager with a German Quaker farm family. She…
Education
This week’s theme is Education. I’ve always liked school and the learning process. When I was in high school, my counselor advised me to be a professional student. I followed that in the traditional sense by obtaining my bachelor’s in business administration, and later an Executive Master’s degree. I appreciate how with the internet, I…
Out of Place
This week’s theme is “Out of Place”. It makes me think about a book I ordered just a few months ago, called the “The Woodworkers of Windsor, A Connecticut Community of Craftsman and Their World, 1635-1715”, by Joshua W, Lane and Donald P. White III. I’m a descendant of Thomas Barber, a young man who…
My Favorite Picture
This week’s challenge is about our favorite picture. I chose this one, from my father’s side of the family. These are the three Pelz brothers, Valerian, Albert, and Anton. Polish homesteaders, they emigrated to Hay Lakes, Alberta, Canada in the early 1900’s. Albert (Wojciech) is my great-grandfather. Two stories come to mind about Albert. When…
Week One – I would like to meet
Week one’s theme prompt is “I would like to meet.” In response, I would like to meet Rachel Kilburn. Rachel is my fourth and fifth-times great-grandmother (my great-grandparents were second cousins hence the clarification). Rachel was born in 1777 in Farmington, Connecticut, the daughter of Richard Kilburn and Mercy Bronson. Rachel married Alexander Barber (born…
The 52 Ancestors 2023 Challenge
I just finished two years of intense genealogical studies with Boston University, Professional Genealogists (ProGen) Study Group, Genealogical Proof (GenProof) Study Group and Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG). These learning opportunities have been amazing experiences, both from what I have learned about the field as well as the peers, instructors, and mentors I have…