We move now to the next generation of Freemans and my 4th great-grandfather, Micajah Freeman. Years ago, when I first discovered this unfamiliar name, I remember turning to my mother and saying, "Mack-a-jaw? What kind of name is Mack-a-jaw?" I've since learned the "j" is silent and is pronounced "Muh-kai-yuh" but it's still a story [...]
Thanks to recent revelations with DNA and additional research, it's come to my attention that much of the information I've shared in the past regarding my Freeman ancestors is incorrect. Over the coming weeks, I'll be correcting and updating the information I've shared. Specifically, the post regarding William Freeman as well as The Freemans:John Freeman [...]
My Wright family line is one that so often appears in the shadows of my research. Simply because so much of the research was done by those who came before me, I suppose the allure of revealing the unknown is gone. And yet, each time I travel down its branches, I find it all so [...]
In honor of St. Patrick's Day yesterday, I wanted to share a compilation of writings about my Irish 3x great-grandmother, Hanorah Murphy Kennaley. Hanorah with her children Horrible Murder In Jones County Where I share the details surrounding the death of Hanorah's husband, my 3x great-grandfather, David Kennaley Family Mystery in Neola, Iowa Where Matilda and I [...]
Last week, I shared the discovery of an old photograph of a gravestone in my archives. Today, I'm sharing one of the other photos I found alongside the gravestone within a Christmas card addressed to my grandmother. When I first saw this photograph I thought, perhaps they were children of my grandmother's sister, Dot and [...]
This past weekend, I spent a glorious amount of time in my office. Cleaning, reorganizing, adding photos to my gallery wall and, most importantly, compiling a list of archival needs so that I can begin organizing my genealogical collection in a way that will make sense to others, and not continue to place documents and [...]
Whether you lie beneath a heavy slab of stone, that bears your name, your birth, your death; Or beneath the dampened earth, slick with fallen leaves, A grave that time has forgotten and neglected, Know I search, ancestor. I may not yet know your name, Or when you lived or loved or died. You may yet be lost [...]
People with strong Learner talents constantly strive to learn and improve. The process of learning is as important to them as the knowledge they gain. Learners are energized by the steady and deliberate journey from ignorance to competence. They are excited by the thrill of learning new facts, beginning a new subject, and mastering an [...]
11 February 1897, 2:30 a.m. Surrounded by her sister and brother in her small home in Oxford Mills, Belle Sutliff's heart stopped beating. She had been in pain and agony for weeks, first ingesting extract of cotton root, having instruments used upon her, undergoing enema injections of either warm water and carbolic acid or warm [...]
Last week's post was about Clara Belle's death. This week, I wanted to share the story of Belle's life. Though it's nowhere near as Since my research uncovered the truth about Belle's death, I've felt incredibly protective of this ancestor, this woman whom I've never met. Yet, as with all my ancestors, I am determined [...]
BRIANNA WRIGHT 