Repeating research isn't always a waste of time, especially if you have new information. Using the Down Survey and the Books of Survey and Distribution allowed me to identify what townlands Major John Allen was awarded after the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, but not the exact location of his home, which was identified as Boalnamore … Continue reading His Castle Nigh Timolege
Learning about new record sets helped to identify where my ancestor lived in 17th century County Cork.
A few years ago, a friend approached me to ask if I could help him with a book project he was working on with a colleague at the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum, one of my family's favorite museums in D.C. I agreed and spent several weeks getting to know the Walters family of Indiana who … Continue reading Between Home and the Front
The old, worn, red-covered book for genealogy of the Carmichael Clan* records John Carmichael’s parents as Archibald Carmichael and Isabella Dunlap and that the family lived near Dungiven, County Londonderry, Ireland. However, the only source listed is a Carmichael family Bible and in our copies of the Bible nothing is mentioned of John’s parents. So … Continue reading Carmichaels of Dungiven
The transcription from the diary entry said her parents were Johann Miller and Anna Barbara Muring. I was uncertain. The transcription could have errors, especially since the original writer used a slightly different alphabet and spoke a different language. I didn't know where the original diary was or if it still existed, I just had … Continue reading The Daughter Of
I had been on the trail for several years, looking for the siblings of John Adams of Chequer Hall, County Antrim, Ireland. The only sibling I knew about was a brother named James, who received £50 in John's will. Family stories say that John and James were business partners. But without known parents and thin … Continue reading Finding Siblings
Maps are a big part of my genealogy research. It's a great way to orient yourself to a location and there are lots of different types of maps. There are maps just for census and property records. For example, for 19th century Irish ancestors, this Griffiths Valuation site allows you to fade out the historical … Continue reading Creating a Map
Heart Genealogy 