Join in the Quest for Family History

My family history includes Mayflower and other early families in New England, Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam, and Germans and Swiss who arrived in 1710 and the mid-1800s. While I am very pleased to have traced many of my lines to these immigrants and sometimes to their European villages, there remain questions, even mysteries.

This blog will focus on news of interest to genealogists and on my ancestral lines. Hopefully, it will aid in breaking down some brick walls for all of us -- with your help! You are welcome to add your own mysteries as comments to any posts below. As genealogists, we know the value of sharing information and working together.

We pool our resources, work together to solve family puzzles... and readily admit that our work is never done. There will always be new information that can upset our carefully drawn conclusions and our cherished history. We carefully consider all the "facts," weigh all the evidence, base our assumptions on only the best logic... and sit back and wait for the long-lost manuscript to be rescued from a garage sale or an aging relative's attic. Let's work together to unearth that old manuscript, or letter, or diary, or bible -- or scrap of paper -- that strengthens our family history.

Will you help? I promise to share everything I know or believe is true, as well as the mysteries and theories, but only for nonliving people. You will not find living people in my online data.

Remember to add your own mysteries to the Comments section! Everyone is welcome to participate. Maybe you too will have that exciting breakthrough.

Happy ancestor hunting!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Family Tree DNA and MyHeritage

Family Tree DNA continues to expand its global leadership in the field of genetic genealogy, most recently partnering with MyHeritage, a worldwide leader with 62 million members. This builds upon its association with the National Geographic/Genographic Project, its purchase of DNA Heritage and its ever-growing database that is the largest of its kind in the world.

Friday, February 10, 2012

If you're looking for reading material that's interesting and informative, check out Megan Smolenyak's new books: Hey, America, Your Roots are Showing and Who do You Think You Are? at Megan's website: Honoring Our Ancestors.

Megan is an expert in both genealogy and DNA, especially as it pertains to genealogy.

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Samuel Worden b. 1745 -- Mystery #2



Samuel was probably born in Stonington, CT (or perhaps in Westchester County, NY), a son of Daniel> Samuel II> Dr. Samuel> Peter II> Peter I b. abt 1576 in Lancashire, England. Very little is known of him except that he had at least three sons, John, William and Edward, and probably also had Jesse P. b. 1772, Leonard b. 1776 and Ebenezer b. abt 1780. Jesse P. left Westchester County and is found in Dutchess County but soon moves on to Michigan with his wife Elizabeth Warren. Leonard settled in the Town of Clinton in Dutchess County where he married Amy Montross. No trace has been found of Ebenezer, although an Ebenezer b. 1809 is found in Ulster County, NY.

Clues, anyone?

Saturday, February 04, 2012

Have you tested with 23andMe?

If so, you can upload your test results to Family Tree DNA to vastly expand your matching possibilities. There are restrictions, so visit my favorite DNA blog: Your Genetic Genealogist for details.

More genealogy on TV

"Who Do You Think You Are?" is back at NBC on Friday evenings.

Henry Gates is readying a new show, "Finding Your Roots", to be aired on public TV starting in March. Check out this video tonight: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/health/2012/02/04/gupta-henry-louis-gates.cnn.

Henry Tigges born 1846/1847 Prussia -- Mystery #1

Where in Prussia? And who were his parents?

He immigrated to America in 1866 and is first found married to Augusta Ernestine Stark b. 17 Oct 1853 in Stargard, Prussia (probably the one now found in Poland). Their only child, Mary (Maria), was b. 27 Dec 1875 in New York City. The family later moved to Oregon. Henry and his daughter returned to the east coast after Augusta died 15 Jan 1890. Henry remarried in New Jersey and died in 1904.