Category Archives: Family History / Memoir

Title: Or Go Down in Flame: A Navigator’s Death Over Schweinfurt Author: W. Raymond Wood Format: Hardcover Published: 2013 My Rating: On October 14, 1943, otherwise known as “Black Thursday” to the United States Eighth Air Force, nearly 300 bombers set out on a mission to destroy the ball-bearing industry in Schweinfurt, Germany. This second air battle at Schweinfurt resulted in great loss for the Eighth Air Force, but in hindsight, it can be seen as an important turning point for the air war over Germany. The main motivation for […]

Title: Endogamy: One Family, One People Author: Israel Pickholtz Format: Paperback Published: 2015 My Rating: The following review first appeared in the Federation of Genealogical Societies FORUM magazine (Fall 2015); reprinted with permission. The world of genetic genealogy has grown considerably over the last several years. The testing of one’s DNA and comparing the results to others has no doubt crumbled a few brick walls. As more and more people test their DNA, resources that help navigate the DNA pool are in high demand. Many of the top genetic genealogists […]

Title:  The Other Mother: A Woman’s Love for the Child She Gave Up for Adoption Author:  Carol Schaefer Format:  Paperback, Kindle Published: 1991; reprint, 2013 Synopsis:  (from Amazon) In 1965, Carol Schaefer was 19, a freshman in college and deeply in love. She was also pregnant. When her boyfriend’s family opposed their marrying, her parents sequestered her in a Catholic home for unwed mothers a state away, where she was isolated and where secrecy prevailed. She had only to give up her baby for her sin to be forgiven and […]

Title:  Out of the Shoebox: An Autobiographic Mystery Author:  Yaron Reshef Format:  Paperback and Kindle Published:  2014 Synopsis: (from Amazon)  A mysterious unexpected phone call hurls Yaron Reshef into an intensive two-year journey, during which he has to solve a mystery that took shape in the 1930s and gradually unfolded in the present.  A mysterious lot, a forgotten bank account, a people long gone along with their memory which were obliterated during the Holocaust.  All of these rise to the surface, bearing with them memories and emotions previously hidden away […]

Title:  What’s in a Name? History and Meaning of Wyckoff Author:  M. William Wykoff Format:  Paperback Published:  2014 Synopsis: (from Amazon) The cumulative evidence presented here proves that the origin of the surname Wyckoff is Frisian and refers to a household or settlement on a bay, although many uninformed American descendants of Pieter Claessen Wyckoff continue to believe the name to be Dutch. Frisian was only one of the many languages spoken by early settlers of New Netherland. In the Northern Germanic linguistic area of Europe, the surname occurs principally […]

Title:  Finding Dolores: An Adoptee’s Mid-Life Search for the Beginning Author:  Thomas W. Muldary, Ph.D. Format:  Kindle Published:  2011 Synopsis:  (from Amazon) Finding Dolores is a compelling true story of perseverance and triumph over failure and adversity. It details an extraordinary journey against all odds to learn the truth, connect with genetic history, and claim a birth right. For some, Finding Dolores is a virtual guide for adoption searches, with informative resources and facts about the experiences and challenges of adoptees, birth parents, adoptive parents, and anyone touched by adoption. […]

Title:  Annie’s Ghosts: A Journey Into a Family Secret Author:  Steve Luxenberg Format:  Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle eBook, Nook eBook Published:  2009 Synopsis:  (from the author’s website) “My mother was an only child. That’s what she told everyone, sometimes within minutes of meeting them. When I heard that my mother had been hiding the existence of a sister, I was bewildered. A sister? I was certain that she had no siblings, just as I knew that her name was Beth, that she had no middle name, and that she had raised […]