I was wondering what I would post about today. (Have you noticed I’ve kept my promise so far – a post every day this month?) An article in the local paper provided me with inspiration. The article was about impending issues with the upcoming 2020 US Census, which could become a national debacle. Apparently, the department […]
Read MoreI am really looking forward to Sunday’s talk at the JGSCT (Jewish Genealogical Society of Connecticut.) Ron Arons will be giving his talk “Sex, Lies, and Genealogical Tape. Ron tours the country giving educational and entertaining presentations on Jewish criminals and Jewish genealogy. (I stole that description straight from his website.) One my favorites was on Mind Mapping – using a graphic organizer to […]
Read MoreToday’s post is inspired by Marian Burk Wood. Yesterday on her blog, Climbing My Family Tree, Marian suggested taking “virtual field trips. ” Using Google Maps, this is pretty easy. Of course, you do need to have an idea of where your ancestor lived. Below are then (1938-ish) and now shots of the apartment house my […]
Read MoreIn January 2015, I decided to participate in the Genealogy Do-Over sponsored by Thomas MacEntee. (Info on the 2017 version here.) One of the first assignments was to create our own “Golden Rules of Genealogy.” Here’s my list: * PICKHOLTZ’ RULES: “…to prevent jumping to conclusions, when you don’t have full documentation…. even when you are sure you know, don’t record it […]
Read MoreYesterday I mentioned that I was very busy working on a project about my husband’s great-grandmother, Catherine Seeley FitzAllen. Here is a teaser, from the first paragraphs of the book: ~ “She had an inordinate desire to be prominent in society,” testified Catherine’s soon-to-be ex-husband, William Seeley, “and my limited salary was […]
Read MoreYesterday I attended a presentation given by the local DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution.) No – not for my family – the furthest back this 100% Ashkenazi Jew goes in America is 1859 when Aaron Samuel arrived in Hoboken, NJ from England, with his wife and 9 children. I was there with a friend of […]
Read MoreAlmost every year from 1963 through 2011, my mother made our fall favorite: Peach and Plum cakes. There were two versions – one rectangular, with a thin crust. The other, made in a springform pan with a thicker crust. I’m a thicker crust kind of girl. The images to the left and right are from […]
Read MoreYesterday, I posted about the importance of sharing versus “hoarding” the results of our research. In the interest of full disclosure here’s a list of my completed, in-progress, and future family history projects: “Who We Are and How We Got This Way – Volume 1: Alan Samuel” (my dad)“Who We Are and How We Got This […]
Read MoreI teach in an Adult Education program. In my morning class today, we were talking about the importance of being life-long learners. I told my students I was a hoarder of information. “You’re WHAT?”, they asked. “What does that mean?” I went on to explain that I really enjoy learning for learning’s sake. Especially related […]
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Who We Are and How We Got This Way 