Family Tree Firsts is a genealogy blog following the adventures of Brian Parotto of Hampshire, Ill., a budding genealogist, as he works his way through the Family Tree University curriculum and reports on his family history research.
With thousands of people in my family tree, it’d be unusual if I didn’t have a black sheep or two in there. I recently received some information on court records (as of yet unverified) for a Thomas Allen in our ancestral home of Lawrence County, Mo. It’s quite a rap sheet…
I’ve heard that when word gets out you’ve taken up genealogy, documents and photos begin appearing on your doorstep and you become the de facto family archivist. I can confirm this to be true.
As I mentioned last week, my dad sent me a packet of family documents that included an obituary for my great-great-grandfather Porter Allen. Porter has always been something of a mystery. From my father, I learned the story of him selling the family farm. But no one seemed to know his birth or death dates or even where he was buried.
My dad’s hometown of Neosho, MO, lies just 20 miles from Joplin, which was devastated by tornadoes this past weekend. My aunt and grandma are both gone now, but many members of my father’s extended family still live in the surrounding area.
These are my great-grandparents Walter Allen and Della Haworth on their wedding day, August 29, 1900. I love this photo because it so perfectly portrays their personalities.
In the end it came down to two programs: RootsMagic and Reunion. For several weeks I was torn between two programs. What to do? I loved them both.
Recently the biggest challenge in my genealogy life is time. I naively thought that when my four chicks left the nest I’d have more time to pursue the things that were important and interesting to me. Yeah, not so much.
I’m just going to warn you — I’m obsessed with Civil War research right now. Aided and abetted by the FTU course I’m taking, it’s all Civil War, all the time. Also, I’m in love with Shelby Foote. But more on that later.
Sixteen years ago today my friend Susan Jane Ferrell died in the Oklahoma City bombing. She was my first and best friend. Our parents were good friends in their newlywed days, so when I was born, followed a year later by Susie, it was natural that their friendship was passed down to their daughters.
I spend all week working in a library (a different one) and where do I go on a beautiful spring Saturday when every normal /sane person is at the garden center or on the golf course? Another library of course. If my geek reputation wasn’t already firmly established, this alone would prove the point.