This email was distributed to subscribers of the Ancestry Blog a couple days ago. Especially appropriate for us as genealogists is what Ancestry states in the third paragraph: The entire Ancestry family is horrified and appalled by the tragic events that occurred in Charlottesville. We not only condemn the violence that occurred but are deeply
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Resumption of Posting to This Blog
It’s hard to believe but it has been one month and two days since I last posted to this blog. The subject of that post was to record the passing of my wife Mary Jane, MJ for short, on May 19. Since then it has been quite an adjustment not having her present in my
Read on »In Finland Cemeteries, Graves May Be Recycled after 25 Years
When I visited Finland a few years ago, I made sure that I toured the cemeteries of Vesanto and Rautalampi, the villages my grandparents emigrated from. I found several cemetery stones with Huuskonen and Hytönen (Grandma’s maiden name) engraved on them–but none were for ancestors I knew about at the time. There is a good
Read on »Who Was that Little Girl Buried Next to MJ’s Grandmother
In discussing our family history, my wife, Mary Jane (MJ for short), has mentioned many times that her paternal grandmother was named Mary Margaret Caroline Heinselman Butcher Van Court. She was somewhat unusual for having two middle names and three family names. Heinselman was her maiden name, and Butcher was the name she assumed when
Read on »Wallace Dingman–My First Relative To Be a Railroader
My maternal grandfather, Wallace Betts Dingman, b 1881 – d 1920, was the first of several relatives to “escape” from life on the farm to working on the railroad. He grew up with his twin brother, Walter, on the farm of Andrew and Mary (Betts) Dingman in Williamsfield Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio. The family is
Read on »Wow! Nine Hints for 7GGF Johann Valentine Landt from Germany
When I opened my Huskonen-Dingman-Van Court-Scheppelmann Family Tree on Ancestry.com this afternoon, I saw that 99+ ancestors and collateral relatives had “hints.” I clicked on the first name on the list: Johann Valentin Landt from Germany who is my 6th great grandfather. Here is how I am descended from Johann on my tree: Johann Valentine
Read on »My Absence from Posting on Collecting Ancestors
It has been awhile since I last posted to this blog–since July to be exact. I have been dealing with some family health issues. I can’t say they have been resolved, but I am better organized to handle them. As a result, I am going to begin again to post more regularly on this blog.
Read on »52 Ancestors — #8: Nelson Andrew Dingman, Cheesemaker
I’m aiming to create postings about my maternal grandfather, Wallace Betts Dingman, his twin brother Walter Chase Dingman, and their older brother Nelson Andrew Dingman. I’m starting with great (or grand) uncle Nelson for the simple reason that he died relatively young and therefore left only a limited number of records. When Nelson Andrew Dingman
Read on »Ancestry.com Discovers President Obama Related to First Documented Slave in America
The latest press release (see below) from Ancestry.com describes how staff research connects our first African-American president to the first African slave in the American Colonies. The connection is on his white mother’s side. PROVO, UTAH – July 30, 2012 – A research team from Ancestry.com (NASDAQ:ACOM), the world’s largest online family history resource, has
Read on »New Finnish Detective Novel from James Thompson
I’ve just learned that the latest detective novel by James Thompson is now available. It is named Helsinki White and features Inspector Kari Vaara. The new book is the third by Thompson with Vaara as the main character. James Thompson, eastern Kentucky born and raised, has lived in Finland for over a dozen years and
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