Roots & Rabbit Holes

“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...

“Prosperity” is the theme for Week 37 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge. Several generations of my Turner family were wealthy,...

It’s Week 36 of 2023’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge and the theme is “Tradesman.” When I initially found the marriage record for my...

Charles Barr, my great-great grandfather, was originally from Canada. He eventually moved to Salem, Massachusetts where he worked for...

The topic for Week 34 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge is “Newest Discovery.” My newest discovery was made two weeks ago, when...

During the past week of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, I was supposed to cover the topic of Strength. I’ve been on vacation, and...

After serving in Okinawa during WWII, Grampy Phil was relocated to Korea after the Japanese surrendered. While there, he and his fellow...

“Flew the Coop” is the topic for Week 31 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge. There are a few Salem witch ancestors on my dad’s...