2nd Blogiversary-Debby’s Family Genealogy Blog

A look back at the last year-

Over the past year I have created and published about 52 blog posts.

Some of my Favorite Posts this year-

• It’s Official! I Proved it! This was a major accomplishment for me. I was able to find the information and prove to the Alden Kindred Society that I was a descendant of John & Priscilla Alden of the Mayflower. My perseverance and research skills were validated.
• Recording a Family Thanksgiving Tradition. I enjoyed recounting my father’s memories and finding videos that added to his story.
• Heading Back to School in 1880 and Back at College in 1880.  From my paternal Great-Grandmother Carrie’s Letters.  I enjoyed hearing about her trip back to college in Trenton, New Jersey and about the college itself.
• 
  

All time History Page Views- 54, 464 (about 50,000 more than last year)

Followers – 12

My most viewed blog was – Finding my Pilgrim Ancestors-John and Priscilla Alden with 1304 page views. To date this is my most viewed blog post.

What I’ve learned:

• Providing a link to my blog post on related Facebook groups has helped me find cousins and allowed me to share family history with them in a much easier format. I have received some very valuable research help from others. It really does take a community frequently and I am grateful for others willing to help and share their experiences. I have also tried to assist others when possible.
• I think as I reach out to other people on public trees having a blog to refer them to gives me a little more credibility as a  researcher and someone who is happy to share information.
• Using the right media to help tell a story can really enhance the information and help readers understand the time period.
• I can enhance the sometimes just bare facts of a person’s life by adding information about the time period around the facts.

My Frustration continues to be that there never seems to be enough time and money to do as much research as I want.

My goals for this next year:

• To once again publish at least 50 posts while continuing to work full time.
• Prove to the Mayflower Society that I am a descendant of John & Priscilla Alden.
• Make the stories of my ancestors’ lives be more than just dry facts. Help the readers understand the time period better.

Accomplishment: One of my goals for last year was to publish a book of my blog posts and I was able to accomplish that. How exciting to see all the research for a year published in to one place in a book format.

My updated Surname word cloud:

A VERY SPECIAL THANK-YOU TO ALL MY READERS!  I enjoy the comments you make and/or questions you ask.  I’m always looking for new directions to research or information that is questionable and needs verification.  



It has been another great year for me as a blogger.  On to new discoveries and new cousin connections and maybe some great new photos.

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,
Debby