52 Ancestors #1: The First Marriage of George Rottman

Week 1 Prompt: First I’ve decided to participate in my first 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge. Since this was my first-ever post for the challenge, that was going to fit the first theme. However, when I randomly picked a number from 1 to 63 […]

Book Review — The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America’s First Serial Killer

Title: The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America’s First Serial Killer Author: Skip Hollandsworth Format: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle Published: 2015 My Rating: The following review first appeared in the Federation of Genealogical Societies FORUM magazine (Fall 2016); reprinted with permission. For nearly […]

Western Michigan Genealogical Society 2019 Writing Contest

The Western Michigan Genealogical Society 2019 Writing Contest kicked off on January 1, 2019 and will run through March 31, 2019. You do not have to be a WMGS member to enter and there is no entry fee. Entries must be 1,500 to 3,000 words, […]

Book Review — A Recipe for Writing Family History

Title: A Recipe for Writing Family History By: Devon Noel Lee Format: Kindle Published: 2018 My Rating: Devon Noel Lee has put together a wonderful, practical guide outlining a simple seven-step process to get people over the hump of writing their family history. Using the […]

2018 Achievements / 2019 Goals

Wow, I didn’t accomplish one darn thing on my 2018 goals list! Eeeek! This year unexpectedly turned into an educational year. I was able to attend two institutes, two conferences, and a virtual institute. IGHR – Advanced German Genealogy GRIP – You Be the Judge: […]

Book Review — New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer

Title: New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer Edited by: Naomi Joshi, et al. Format: Paperback Published: 2015 My Rating: The following review first appeared in the Federation of Genealogical Societies FORUM magazine (Fall 2016); reprinted with permission. Note: This review is based on […]

Vital Records: Register and Certificate, Duplicates or Not?

One would think that the information contained on the original vital record certificate and in the vital record register book for the same person and event would be identical. But is that always the case? As genealogists we understand that getting as close to the […]

Book Review — Luxembourg-America: 19th, 20th and 21st Centuries

  Title: Luxembourg-America: 19th, 20th and 21st Centuries Edited by: Brain&More Format: Hardcover Published: 2015 My Rating: The following review first appeared in the Federation of Genealogical Societies FORUM magazine (Summer 2016); reprinted with permission. Being a descendant of Luxembourg immigrants, I’m always on the […]