Roots & Rabbit Holes

The “Bridge Street bums” – those who attended Bridge Street School in Westbrook– went on occasional field trips to the movies, the beach,...

Week 14 of 2024's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge is "Favorite Recipe." My mom, Linda, came across this recipe for ginger cookies...

I recently found some church records on Ancestry for my Wolf family that offered up some unknown details about my immigrant ancestors,...

There are pros and cons to AI, but in general, I’m excited about its potential applications in genealogy.  From MyHeritage’s use of...

Week 11 of 2024’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge is “Achievement.” While no one can say for sure that the time Sol Shaw shot his...

This week’s topic is “Changing Names,” but none of my ancestors are jumping out yelling, “Pick me!  Pick me!”  There are a few I could...

The theme for Week 8 of 2024’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge is “Heirlooms.”  It’s probably a silly, sentimental notion on my part,...

“Immigration” is the prompt for Week 7 of 2024’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge. I’ve written about my Wolf family before and...

Great-great grandma Georgie was a legend in our family.  My grandfather adored his grandmother, so we grew up hearing stories about her...

Week 5 of 2024’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge is “Influencer.” John Brackett Shaw never met his father.  Though the exact date of...

The topic for week 4 of 2024’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge is “Witness to History.”  As family historians, we dig deep to unearth...

Week 3 of 2024’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge is my favorite repeat prompt: “Favorite Photo.”  This new-to-me photo came into my...

“Origins” is the theme for Week 2 of 2024’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge. It’s 1667.  A 16-year-old girl stands on the deck of a...

Welcome to my first blog post of 2024’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge!  Today’s prompt is “Family Lore” and I have a...

It’s the final week of 2023’s 52 Ancestor in 52 Weeks Challenge, and the prompt is “Me, Myself, and I.”  If I was a normal person, I'd...

Week 44 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge is “Spirits.” There were no ghosts in my grandparents’ cobbled-together home, but...

Week 41 of 2023’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge is “Travel.” Raise your hand if you had an ancestor who wanted to get hijacked. The...

It’s the 40th week of 2023’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, and the topic is “Longevity.” Silas Howell, my 6th great-grandfather,...

“Surprise” is the theme for Week 39 of 2023’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge. A few weeks ago, I wrote about my 3rd...

“Adversity” is the theme for Week 38 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge. Like many Jews in Eastern Europe, my husband’s...