Steps up to microphone at the podium, alone, on stage (in this case, a blog article.) The press corps is gathered (readers) and the lights are bright, white hot and glaring. (Who turned the heat up anyway?) Shuffles nervously. “Ahem.” … Continue reading
My grandmother, Edith Barbara Lore was born on August 2, 1888 and died on January 4, 1960. Today, I’m celebrating what I feel is a landmark aspect of her life on this, the 59th anniversary of her passing over. Life … Continue reading
Hiram Bauke Ferverda was my mother’s grandfather. Since today would be my mother’s 96th birthday if she were still with us, I’ll let her introduce you – just like she introduced me. Mother and I were visiting on the blustery … Continue reading
Sometimes, truth is so much stranger than fiction. I just couldn’t make these things up! If you haven’t been keeping track – and believe me, I understand why you wouldn’t be – let me give you a brief update before … Continue reading
As a grandparent, I love attending my granddaughters’ dance and theater performances. Every time, I think of mother and miss her. At every single performance, as I sit in the dark as the lights drop, before the program begins, I … Continue reading
Ah, the blessings of cousins. The Y and mitochondrial DNA of our ancestors can provide us with a smorgasbord of information. Unfortunately, we only carry the Y and mitochondrial DNA of one or two lines. If you’re a female, you … Continue reading
Oh yea, this cliff-hanger installment in the mystery series better known as “Dad’s Better-Than-Any-Soap-Opera Life” is a doosey! I’ve been trying for years to piece my father’s life together, and slowly, the puzzle pieces fall into the place. However, it … Continue reading
There has long been speculation about what happened to Lydia Brown, the wife of William Crumley III, and when. It doesn’t help a bit that William Crumley, her husband, was actually William Crumley the third, being named for both his … Continue reading
What is a signature anyway? A signature is defined as a mark or something that personally identifies an individual. A form of undeniable self-identification. Of course, that’s exactly why I seek my ancestors’ signatures, both their handwriting and their genetic … Continue reading
In 1816, most German women who were 61 years old would have been playing with grandchildren in the sunshine. Not Dorothea. Of course, nothing had ever been “normal” in Dorothea’s life, not the entire time she had lived in Beutelsbach, on … Continue reading