In the winter of 2016, I sat down to watch an episode of Finding Your Roots. I did not expect to find a connection that night to Neil Patrick Harris. The show went on to tell how Neil was connected to Germanna Colonies in Virginia. I thought wow, several ancestors of mine were part of […]
12th great grandmother was burned at the stake Read More »
Hugh D. Turner, Sr. and Willetta Montague are my paternal grandfather’s parents. Both families have strong ties to colonial America. Through them, I have uncovered many stories of Civil War veterans, a dozen or more Revolutionary War Patriots, a line straight to Jamestown, and among others, but first their story. Hugh Davisson Turner Sr. Hugh
Southern Roots: My Great Grandparents Read More »
David Crowley Julia Vaughan O’Leary Crowley When you first start out on your genealogical journey, it can be challenging coming across other’s trees that connect to your ancestors, but you have not idea how they connect. It can take years to sort it all out. As was the case with my great great grandparents, David
Sorting out the marriages of great-great grandparents Read More »
33 years ago today, my grandmother passed. When I look at her time line with both family and historical events, it makes me see her in a whole different light. I had no idea how many ups and downs she had before her 35th birthday. Using a timeline can really change your perspective when you
Using a Timeline – A look at earlier decades Read More »
Amedeo Alfano was born in Monte, Marano, Avelino, Italy in 1892 and immigrated to the US about 1909. Amedeo married Bianca Todino in New Jersey in 1915. They Americanized their first names to Matthew and hers to Blanche. They had 4 children that I know of: Constantine, Anthony, George, and Matthew. In the 1930 US
The Life of Amedeo “Matthew” Alfano Read More »
When I first started my research, I thought to myself, oh I have her birth certificate that she used during her lifetime…. that’s good enough. I could not have been more wrong. Certificate she used I realized I never pulled my great grandmother’s state birth record or her younger brother’s at the NJ State Archives.
Check All Versions of A Record For More Clues Read More »
The Morro Castle was a ship that traveled between New York City and Havana, Cuba in the 1930’s. The Newport News Shipbuilding Company began construction on her in January 1929. She was christened March 1930. She had her maiden voyage from New York City to Cuba on August 23, 1930. My grandfather, Hugh D. Turner,
A Photo of Grandpa with the SS Morro Castle during it’s short life Read More »
Jean’s Perspective: The Way She Remembered It I was looking through my genealogy notes and came across a tidbit I needed to followup on. The note simply said, “Grandma had a sister that died young from a fire caused by the candles from the Christmas tree.” Grandma would be my husband’s paternal grandmother, Jean Tutela.
Jean’s Perspective: The Way She Remembered It Read More »
Back Story Jennifer’s project was the first one I did for a complete stranger. Jennifer and I met by chance. She messaged me on social media in 2015 because her research had led to a person with the same name as me. Then explained to her that I married a man with that surname, but
A Biological Father for Jennifer from DNA Matches Read More »
Back Story Jeff’s father, Gary, passed a few years ago. Gary was adopted and Jeff wanted to know more about his ethnicity and maybe even figure out who his grandparents were. When I met with him, he showed me this picture of his father as a boy in the 1950s. I couldn’t take my eyes
Jeff’s Story – Searching for His Biological Grandparents Read More »