5th Blogiversary of Debby's Family Genealogy Blog

A look back at the last year:

Over the past year I have created and published only 28 blog posts. This is about half of what I normally post… but wait a minute, a lot has happened over the last year. Everything in life was going well and in the second week of March I became the proud owner of a 2020 Winnebago Travato. I was making plans for retirement and getting on the road in my new RV. A week later Covid hit and everything changed in all our lives. Similar to many others I was suddenly working from home and everyone was trying to determine what exactly was going on and when our lives would ever get back to ‘normal’. I had a very difficult time blogging in March and April and May with everything that was going on. While I was safe many others were not. With the uncertainty of the time blogging just didn’t seem that important to me.

I continued to dream of retiring and taking my genealogy road trip. At the end of June I did retire after 35 years as a Special Education Teacher. Retirement during Covid was very different. Eventually I made the decision that I could safely travel in my camper with my dog Harley. I knew what to do to be safe.  I believed I could travel, be safe and still do many of the things on my genealogy road trip list. (see post Genealogy Road Trip 2020) After about 10,000 miles and a little over three months I am back home safely with my trusted companion Harley. The unpacking is done and I am ready to start blogging again … and adding to the list for the next road trip.

Some of my Favorite Posts this year:

Visiting the home where my grandfather was born and grew up - The History of the Warner Homestead and Visiting the Warner Homestead.

Going to places where my ancestors lived is so important to me.  Completing my post Gerald G. Warner, Land Owner was a success because I found my great uncle’s land in South Dakota and was actually able to stand on land that once belonged to him. 

Finding out about my great grandmother’s siblings (The Missing Rowan Children-Who Were They?), who died very young, was important to me so that these children would not be forgotten.

All time History Page Views - this year went from 96, 989 to 115,077.

Followers – this year went from 22 to 24

In Case You Missed Them, My Top Five Most Viewed Blog Posts Were:

The Missing Rowan Children-Wo Were They?

Visiting the Warner Homestead

The Wyoming Massacre and Congress

Genealogy Road Trip 2020

The Life of Merrit Howell, Jr.

What I’ve learned:

When possible, being able to actually visit repositories is invaluable when searching for those elusive records. (See post- The Twists and Turns of Finding Baptismal Records for 1878 )

Visiting the land/area where my ancestors lived gives me more insight into who they were and how they lived. I can’t get the ‘feel’ for an area from pictures alone.

Developing chronologies of my ancestors’ lives in a story format helps me better put together the pieces of the data that I have found.

My Frustrations:

Finding the time to write the posts about all that I have learned about my ancestors continues to frustrate me.  I hope that retirement will give me more time to write.

Several ancestors remain elusive but with time I hope I will learn more about them.

I have several projects in the works related to my ancestors and hope that being retired will help me accomplish them sooner.

My goals for this next year:

Now that I am retired, I am hoping to finally complete my edit of my paternal great grandmother Carrie’s Letters in a digital format so that my cousins and others can easily read them.

To once again publish at least 50 posts.

To figure out how to add writing blog posts to my agenda while camping. This year as I embarked on my first genealogy road trip I focused mainly on how my camper works, traveling with Harley, seeing family and friends and doing some research.

Accomplished:

I was able to meet three cousins (a first cousin, a second cousin and a third cousin) in the last several months that I had found through DNA. What an amazing experience!! I cherish the time I was able to spend with them and look forward to our time together in the future.

I have been blogging now for 5 years and have published 234 posts. When I look back that seems like a lot but I have so much discovered information that I want to write about. Now it’s just setting aside the time to write the posts and get the information published to continue to tell my ancestors’ stories.

Despite all that has been happening since March I was able to publish 28 blog posts over the last year.

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:

It has been an interesting, and at times, very exciting year for me as a blogger.  On to new discoveries and new cousin connections.

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

Enjoy the journey,
Debby

4th Blogiversary of Debby’s Family Genealogy Blog

It's hard to believe that I have been doing this already for four years!  A look back at the last year:

Over the past year I have created and published 49 blog posts.  

Some of my Favorite Posts this year:
The series of posts I did on MM Coolbaugh; including MM Coolbaugh, Tombstone Tuesday with a Twist, Death and Obituary for MM Coolbaugh, Wedding and Anniversary of Betsey Granteer and MM Coolbaugh, Election Day-Ever Wonder if Your Ancestors Were Involved in Politics, etc. I seemed to just keep uncovering information.

A fun post was about discovering a hidden little cemetery I never knew about- How Many People Does it Take to Locate a Cemetery?

All time History Page Views- this year went from 54, 464 to 96, 989

Followers – this year went from 12 to 22

In Case You Missed Them, My Top Five Most Viewed Blog Posts Were:

• The Dark Day
• 2018 A Year of Genealogical Research
• 1827 Pupil List for School District #3 Baiting Hollow New York
• Sometimes You Just Get Lucky
• 3 July 1778 The Wyoming Massacre

What I’ve learned:

• I appreciate finding out how my ancestors participated in the happenings of their times. How they became a part of history with the lives they lived whether it was being a soldier in the Revolutionary War, taking a ship across the Atlantic to start a new life, being involved in the politics that lead up to the Civil War, etc. Researching the time period they lived in adds to much to my ancestors’ stories and gives me a better sense of them. These also seem to be my most viewed posts as well.

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:

• Complete my edit of my great grandmother Carrie’s Letters in a digital format so that my cousins and others can easily access them.
• To once again attempt to publish at least 50 posts while continuing to work full time.
• Make the stories of my ancestors lives be more than just dry facts. Help the readers understand the time period better.

Accomplished:

• Three published years of my blog stories. How exciting to see all the research for a year published in to one place in a book format.
• Write reviews of the Speakers who present for the San Diego Genealogical Society. I have enjoyed doing this and am able to ‘try out’ suggestions from the speakers and blog about it.

A VERY SPECIAL THANK-YOU TO ALL MY READERS!  I enjoy sharing what I have learned and appreciate 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:

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

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

Enjoy the journey,

Debby

3rd Blogiversary-Debby’s Family Genealogy Blog

Saturday, November 24, 2018

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:

• most viewed blog post this past year was DNA Chromosome Mapping with 2531 page views!  Wow!
• second most viewed post was entitled Riverhead, New York Soldiers in the War of 1812 with 920 page views.
• third most viewed was a post entitled A Lot More Questions Than Answers-The Life of Ann Meenan Rowan with 760 page views.

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:

• After attending the Celtic Connections Conference 2018 in Boston I wrote a blog post entitled Celtic Connections Conference-Pathways to Our Past.  A link to my post was published on the Celtic Connections Conference website.
• I presented, for the first time outside of San Diego County, Carrie’s Letters: Brining Ancestral letters to Life at the Sacramento German Genealogy Society and made some wonderful new friends I hope to see at the International German Genealogy Conference in June.  Be sure to register.  I have.
• I wrote my first piece, a speaker review on Kitty Munson Cooper who presented in October, for the San Diego Genealogical Society Quarterly newsletter.

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:



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

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

My 1st BLOGIVERSARY-Debby’s Family Genealogy Blog

 

 

A look back at the last year- I owe so much thanks to fellow blogger and good friend Diane Gould Hall (Michigan Family Trails) who has helped me tremendously this past year, from setting up my blog to many suggestions and ideas to help me in my blogging endeavor.  I had tried several years ago to start a blog but never really got it off the ground.   Diane’s biggest suggestion was to blog regularly.  The goal I set for myself for the year was to write 50 blog posts.  While I have tried to post weekly, that hasn’t always worked out, but I’ve managed to write and publish – 53!   Some of my Favorite Posts this year- Are always my posts about my paternal Great Grandmother- Carrie’s letters.  Here are a few:

• Carrie’s Letters
• Carrie’s Letters-Bringing Ancestral Letters to Life
• Independence Day 1897-Carrie’s Letters
• Carrie’s Letters-Snow Days
• Birth 1897 Style
• Carrie’s Letters- Christmas 1896

All time History Page Views- 3,698

Followers – 10

My most viewed blog was – Using County Histories to Find Information- Timothy Alden

 

 

 What I’ve learned:

• I think my research is more focused when I am working on a topic for a blog post.
• When I am telling the story of my research I frequently find I have more information then I thought I had when I started writing the story.
• Writing a summary of my research helps me realize where my gaps are and gives me a direction for more research.

My Frustration is that there never seems to be enough time to do more research and write more posts.

My goals for this next year: 

• To once again publish at least 50 posts. 
• To find some more ‘cousins’ to connect with
• Finally complete my edits and research on Carrie’s Letters and get them published

I found out I can have my posts printed in a book format in order to save them.  I think this will create a good family story for me to save and share.

A Special thank-you to fellow bloggers Randy Seaver (Genea-Musings), Diane Gould Hall (Michigan Family Trails) Jana Iverson (Jana’s Genealogy and Family History Blog) and Thomas MacEntee -Genabloggers (May I Introduce to You….) for mentioning me in their blogs and patiently offering guidance as I learn how to do this.  

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.    It has been such a great year for me as a blogger.  I am looking forward to next year. On to future discoveries and new cousin connections.

Enjoy the journey,

Debby