On the fence You know how sometimes it’s easier to not do anything when you don’t know what to do? That has been exactly the case. Indecision has been my companion, but I’ll get back to that. I love family history, and I’ve been trying to sort the piles of documentation our family has collected…
I don’t usually find humor in an obit. I do usually avoid them since they give me the heebie jeebies. I abhor everything they represent. They are so, final. This one, though, discovered while researching my mother’s ancestors, gave me pause. OK, fine, I smiled…but I’m guessing you may too when you see why. First,…
For the genealogically minded: The link below opens a 15 page document detailing my ancestors back to 1717. Appel Peter_Nidda Germany_1717_descendants of The document was sent to me recently by a woman I met on a Volga Germans social media page. My mother, an Appell, is a direct descendant of the people listed here. They…
INTO IRONWOOD One of the utter frustrations of genealogy is slamming into that brick wall, again, and deciphering the scanty, often hard-to-read records. But we all know the delightful, gut-giggling joy when a puzzle piece fits. Or several. This letter, #3 in my INTO IRONWOOD series, has done it all. This is a new, short…
INTO IRONWOOD I don’t know cold, or what it’s like to experience a truly, deep cold winter. I’ve been neatly tucked away somewhere in the Pacific Northwest most of my life. I haven’t experienced bitter, biting winters next to Lake Superior. We are pretty spoiled in the garden department as well; what we plant grows…
INTO IRONWOOD Some of you are familiar with my series about my great grandma, Orah Myrtle Butterfield (the link takes you to the first entry titled Cherry Season). I stared a series about her for several reasons. At first it was to preserve our family history, but also because her letters were shocking. Hundreds of…
finding merle 