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.

Susant Constant at the Jamestown Settlement

Genealogy in Jamestown: Living Our Family History

One of the best things about doing genealogy in Virginia is the opportunity to go and live history. I can go into my back yard, dig a hole, run my hands through the red clay and know that 150 years ago Civil War soldiers were here fighting the Battle of the Wilderness.  I love the fact that I can enrich my boys’ lives with educational outings so that they can live, see, feel, and experience what they learn in the classroom about our early-American ancestors. … Learn More →

Adventures in Genealogy DNA Testing, Part 2

A few months back, I ordered a 37-marker kit for my dad from Family Tree DNA, who had purchased the company that done our Combs surname study (see part 1). I was offered a special price because of the buyout, and couldn’t pass it up. Family Tree DNA offers 12-, 25-, 37-, 67- and 111-allele tests. Its 37-allele Y-DNA test was the closest I could get in volume to the 43-marker test the Combs DNA study used. I didn’t know which alleles would be tested … Learn More →

Adventures in Genealogy DNA Testing, Part 1

The last eight months have been an absolute roller coaster ride for me in the world of genetic genealogy. In one of my earlier posts, I talked about why my dad is participating in a name study, and the disappointments with the company going under and losing the sample. I’m happy to report that the company that took over has done the testing and we have the first round of results. It’s far from over, but I thought I’d share with you the process in … Learn More →

A Tale of Two Revolutionary War Ancestors

Recently, I did research on a brick wall female ancestor.  Sarah Freeman was my fourth-great-grandmother on my father’s side of the family.  She was the wife of John Freeman from southern Indiana.  I happened to stumble upon a record that helped me to discover the connection to her first husband, John Quakenbush.  In the end it also took me to her maiden name, Foote.  (Read more about my discovery of Sarah Foote.) I’m pretty sure her father was John Foote from Dublin, Ireland.  John, according … Learn More →

The Combs family cousins, about 1955, Washington, Ind.

A Letter to a Long-Lost Friend Pays Off

Where I am from, everyone knows everyone else. I am pretty sure in my mother’s home county everyone is all related in some way, unless you are a foreigner (i.e. not born there). As you can imagine trees merge, intermingle, and sometime collide right into each other. This leads to people you never even thought about being in your family tree turning into cousins. Just so you all know, I think my parents merged the only two families in two counties that were not linked … Learn More →

3c11126r

Feeding a Child’s Interest in History

A frequent question my friends ask is, “When do you sleep?” Usually I smile, laugh, make a quirky-yet-flippant comment back about sleep being for the dead, and I go on with whatever project I was doing at that moment. Yes, my name is Shannon, and I have a project problem. It all starts simply enough. An idea, a spark of inspiration, will hit at the darndest of times. Usually I will mull it over, think about possible scenarios, and unless it is a really horrible … Learn More →

Old Post Office, Washington, D.C.

The Value of Old-Fashioned Letters

Over the past several weeks, I have discovered the joys of reading old letters. These letters have been sent to me by my mother-in-law, her cousin, ones I found in a trunk, and several that I copied from the National Archives while I was looking at pension records. It amazes me how much you can see into a person’s life with just a simple letter. Each one has given me a glimpse into a moment in time. The way each person wrote tells me so … Learn More →

arvin armstrong reunion

The Power of Cousins

I have been absolutely amazed by the people of this community. Cousins, yes very distant but relatives just the same, seem to be coming out of the woodwork to introduce themselves to me, share information, and collaborate together on family lines. I never in my wildest dreams expected this. When I first started researching my family, I found a cousin through Ancestry.com. Her grandfather and my great-grandfather were brothers. Thanks to her, my Combs family research opened up and blossomed almost overnight. Within a few … Learn More →