I belong to one genealogy society – the Jewish Genealogical Society of Connecticut (JGSCT.) I’m not much of a joiner. I like to do research and I love to learn new things, but I’m pretty reluctant to do so if it involves getting off my couch. (Just ask my husband!) So, why did I join […]
Read MoreHere are some fun family facts! Today would have been the 142nd birthday of my great-grandfather, Sigmund Lichtenthal. The most common surname in my RootsMagic genealogy software is SAMUEL, with 59 people. The earliest occurrence of the SAMUEL surname is in 1789. There are 1001 people in my database. The oldest person in my database died […]
Read MoreToday would have been my maternal grandmother’s 114th birthday. Rose Spiegel Lichtenthal was born on October 19, 1903 in Java (Indonesia) to Herman Spiegel and Sophie Weiss. Here are a few pictures her descendants (other than me!) have never seen. Rose (right) and her mother, Sophie – The Haag – 1921 Rose (left), sister Claire […]
Read MoreWhat do you think? I’m “crowd-sourcing” for an answer! I know what I think, but I may be just seeing what I want to see. Compare these two NY censuses. Do you think these are the same family? Both censuses are for the city of Albany in New York. Unfortunately (and strangely) I haven’t located a […]
Read MoreIf you have spent more than two minutes with me lately, you are most likely aware of my current project – the fascinating story of my husband’s great-grandmother, Catherine Seeley FitzAllen. Every time I think I found all that can be found, I am proven wrong. I recently became aware of a new blog: Chicago and […]
Read MoreI 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 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 […]
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Who We Are and How We Got This Way 