Saturday, November 24, 2018

3rd Blogiversary-Debby’s Family Genealogy Blog

Saturday, November 24, 2018
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A look back at the last year-
  • Over the past year I have created and published 50 blog posts.  This was one of my goals and I accomplished this despite working full time.  YEA!!
  • All time History Page Views- 79, 284  (about 25,000 more than last year)
  • Subscribed Followers – 17
A review of my posts for this past year shows:
Research Accomplishments:
  • 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 I think my greatest research find this year was a series of posts I did about my paternal 2x great-grandfather John W. Rowan and locating his Civil War Records.  I started with a family story in Who Was the Civil War Veteran? then Is It the Right John W. Rowan, Civil War Veteran? and concluded with Civil War Records of John W. Rowan. To be able to start with a handed down story and find the truth in it was amazing!  More to come on this subject.
  • A major accomplishment for me this year was to be able to find the information and prove to the Society of Mayflower Descendants that I am indeed a descendant of John & Priscilla Alden of the Mayflower. My perseverance and research skills were validated!  I received word this week, a few days before Thanksgiving.  The official certificate hasn’t arrived yet.  This was one of my goals for the past year.

Honors:
What I’ve learned:
  • Develop a research plan when you have a specific question you want an answer to.
  • Citing my sources definitely helps me remember how and where I learned information about an ancestor.
  • Look for county or town ‘Centennial Books’.  I keep finding interesting tidbits on my ancestors since many of my lines go back to the 1600 & 1700s in America.
My goals for this next year:
  • To publish at least 50 posts while continuing to work full time. 
  • Obtain a military headstone for my paternal 2x great-grandfather John W. Rowan.
  • Make the stories of my ancestors’ lives be more than just dry facts. Being able to research the time period or location where an ancestor lived helps me understand their lives.
  • My Dad continues to give me ideas for researching.  He is challenging me to see how far back I can go and determine the previous land owners for our family duck farm.   I think this research might make for an interesting presentation one day.
My frustration continues to be that there never seems to be enough time and money to do as much research as I want.

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 search or information that is questionable and needs verification. 

My updated Surname word cloud:
wordle 2018


Another great year for me as a blogger.  Looking back shows me I have accomplished more than I thought I did.  On to new discoveries and new cousin connections while also enjoying the great ones I have already made :)

If you have any corrections, additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.
Enjoy the journey,
Debby









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