Respected women, part 1

Life is hard now. Inflation is nowhere under control, supply chains are still messed up and with the current financial and political situation in our country, people are struggling on all fronts. According to Bloomberg.com, 20 million Americans cannot pay their utility bills and the amount they owe has doubled since before the pandemic. That's …

Down the rabbit hole again

From time to time I get lost in genealogy searches on ancestry.com and end up deep in a rabbit hole. Currently, I'm in a deep, deep one looking for records to validate a family legend. Evidently, this oral history legend has been passed down through my mom's side of the family generation after generation after …

My funny Valentine

Say hello to my great-great-great grandfather, Valentine Bockius. Born in Maryland in 1770, he's one of the more colorful leaves on my ancestral tree. His grandfather, Johannes (John) came to America from Germany aboard the St. Mark and was 17 when he arrived in Philadelphia in 1741. His father died onboard during the journey. While …

I have Pioneer Stock in my veins

Man never made any material as resilient as the human spirit. -Bernard Williams Textures by Nancy Claeys, Mushroom 100% soft light Kim Klassen, Be Still 80% Multiply She was born in a time that was anything but easy. Ancestral records have her birth date between 1844 and 1847. She's my great-great grandmother Adeline, and she …

Friday Finds from the past

The genealogy bug has bitten me again. A few years ago I started down this path and lost days and days of my life collecting, gathering and recording information from relatives. Then, real life got in the way and my quest was put on the back burner. Recently, I connected with a cousin who lit …