I’m visiting my parents, and I figured while I was here, I would be sure to ask them everything they remember about their parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents and any other family member they can remember. I also took a peek on their bookshelf and found something pretty neat.
My mother’s aunt is interested in genealogy [...]
When I last posted, I realized that I must have some information wrong. I thought my ancestors were Volga Germans, but I couldn’t find their Russian Village in any list of Volga German settlements.
So, I went back to what I knew. The ship manifest states they were from Marienka Crest, Russia. The 1930 census said [...]
I grew up knowing that my great grandparents were Germans who lived in Russia and emigrated to the USA, specifically Michigan, around the turn of the century.
My first forays into genealogy took me down the path of the Volga Germans – Germans who settled along the Volga River in Russia at the invitation of Catherine [...]
I’m back on the trail of my Russian German ancestors. I think figuring out where in Eastern Europe they came from before emigrating to the United States is the best thing to do at this stage. So I’ve been researching the history of the region and I realize that earlier in my research, I may [...]
I’ve been casually doing genealogy research for years, but I recently decided I wanted to step it up a notch. So I decided to go to the library and get a book. Their selection wasn’t huge, but I did find this one and thought I’d give it a try.
The instructions are quite basic in some [...]
Yesterday evening after work, I went by the New York Public library for a talk on Genealogy given by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak. The Public Library has been holding a serious of lectures and educational programs on the topic of genealogy all spring. They have many great resources for genealogists and family historians, and I’m looking [...]
A few years ago I visited Ellis Island with my dad. His grandparents and great grandparents came to the United States through Ellis Island or Castle Garden. We were there all afternoon. It was such a wonderful visit. So educational and interesting. We walked around in the actual processing center that our ancestors walked through. [...]
What an exciting day. I got an email from my aunt yesterday. It seems she has found some very exciting information about some of my ancestors. I’ve been so focused on my Russian German ancestors that I wasn’t even thinking about this line, so this was a big surprise.
It turns out that my aunt discovered [...]
This summer I’ll be attending the family reunion for one branch of my family. The patriarch and matriarch came to the US in 1905 and settled in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In preparation for my trip, I’m going to be researching that family for the next few months.
I know a few things. Adolph Flatt [...]
This is Caroline Simpson and Peter Neils Frandsen. When I look into Caroline’s face, in this picture taken on her wedding day on July 31, 1884, I see myself. I don’t mean that in some sort of abstract way. I mean, when I look into her face, I see features so similar to my own [...]