Roots & Rabbit Holes
My Family History

Roots & Rabbit Holes
My Family History
I started this blog to participate in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks genealogy challenge, and to share other genealogy information and anecdotes.
Week 7, Outcast: Feiga's Story
The theme for Week 7 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge is Outcast. My husband, who is ethnically a Jew, said I should write...
Week 6, Social Media: Old School Social Media
It’s week 6 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, and this week’s topic is Social Media. People often have a love-hate relationship...
Week 5, Oops: Officer Abbott's Surprise Package
Oops is the theme for Week 5 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, and I have a story for you! It’s about two young pranksters who...
Week 4, Education: Nana Connie's Career
Week 4 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge is Education. My grandmother, Constance Meloche, grew up in Montreal where she was the...
Week 3, Out of Place: Mystery Portraits
Well, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?) I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?) Tell me, who are you? ...
Week 2, Favorite Photo: Welcome Home, Judy!
Week 2 for 2023’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge is Favorite Photo, which is always a fun theme, though it’s hard to narrow it down...
Week 1, I'd Like To Meet: My Most Excellent Time Travelling Adventure
Welcome to a brand-new year of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge! This week’s topic is a fun one: I’d Like to Meet. The trouble,...
Week 52, Looking Ahead: 2023 Genealogy Goals
I can’t believe it’s the final week of 2022’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, and I actually followed through with it! Because I...
Week 51, Perseverance: Elizabeth Tilley, Mayflower Passenger
Week 51 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge is Perseverance, a topic that makes me think about some of my first ancestors to settle...
Week 50, Traditions: Pony Boy
Week 50 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge is Traditions. One of my favorite family memories and traditions is “Pony Boy” with...
Week 49, New Horizons: Immigrant Groups in North America
Week 49 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge is New Horizons. When I think about my immigrant ancestors, I imagine their perilous...
Week 48, Overlooked: Charles H. Turner Jr.
Overlooking an ancestor here or there is a common occurrence in genealogy, especially when it’s a collateral ancestor and not someone in...
Week 47, Wrong Side Of The Law: Uncle "Bootlegger Joe" Laviolette
Grampy Phil relished sharing the tale of his Uncle Joe Laviolette, who was a bootlegger. Uncle Joe was my great-grandfather William’s...
Week 46, Tombstones: Gravestones of the Woods Family of Groton, Massachusetts
For week 46 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, we’re exploring the topic of Tombstones. Tombstones, headstones, gravestones –...
Week 45, Ghost Story: The Mitchell Street Ghost
The theme for Week 45 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge is a fun one – Ghost Story! I’ve had a few strange things happen to me –...
Week 44, Shadows: The Grisly Death of Theophile Laviolette
Finding a topic for Week 44 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge was a struggle. The topic is Shadows, so we were supposed to write...
Week 43, Organized: Odd Fellows & Rebekahs
Organized is the topic for week 43 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge. “Organized” can mean someone who is organized, a way of...
Week 42, Lost: Grampy Phil's WWII Diary
My Grampy Phil rarely spoke about his time in WWII, and I was taught from a fairly young age not to ask him about it. It was therefore a...
Week 41, Passed Down: Nana Peep's Sewing Machine
Week 41 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge is Passed Down. I’ve become the de facto keeper of family heirlooms. I’m not great at...



















