Returning from my 18-month Family History mission in Utah, I walked into the Carlo M. DeFerrari Archive in Sonora wondering, “What’s new?” Directly in front of me was a huge painting called “The Hunter’s Dream.” To my left were several more paintings and artifacts, and to my right sat County Historian Carlo De Ferrari and
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No matter your heritage, you will more than likely find at least one of your ancestral lines leading back to England. Let’s make something clear, though. When some folks say England, they are really referring to all of the British Isles. Not so! The following is a general breakdown that will help you with the correct
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Genealogy miracles small and large have been experienced by most family history researchers … and recently, I watched one unfold. Have you ever bumped into a good friend while in a distant city – what a thrill to see them – someone from home! And if that doesn’t happen, the next best thing is to
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What a great time to be a genealogist! The records being collected and digitized are appearing online faster than we can keep track of them. At the time of this writing, there are 475 collections on beta.familysearch.org, and several more will have been added as you are reading this. For instance, those of you who have
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“If you don’t stop wasting, you’ll land me in the poorhouse!” was a phrase that many of us who were Depression babies grew up hearing. Poorhouses have been with us for hundreds of years – and many people have been forced to go there as a result of economic failures. They existed in almost every
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Thanks to the generosity of our Tuolumne County Archivist, Charlie Dyer, I am holding in my hands a real treasure – more valuable than gold! I realize that saying such a thing in the Mother Lode is like swearing in church, but it’s true. Charlie gave me Otis Rosasco’s new book, “Early Day Tuolumne County
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Your ancestry is Native American and you want to find your ancestral records. Your parents and grandparents have told you stories, but you wonder where to go from there. Perhaps the following will be of help to you and Myrtle Franks of Sonora. “I don’t have much information, but I wonder if you can help
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Chocolate gravy … holopchi … taties … beaver tails. What do the foregoing have in common and how on earth could they be clues to your ancestry? At family gatherings, big or small, conversation usually gets around to “remember when…” and then the words that were common in your particular family begin to surface. These
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Think about it. When you meet someone, what is the first thing you do? You’re right – you exchange names. How about your pet? I’ll bet it has a name. The city you live in, the grocery store where you shop – yes, everything has a name. Flowers, trees – everything. You may even have
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Wow! The technology to assist us in family history research is advancing like a tsunami. I recently attended the Family History Expo at St. George, Utah and came away with my head crammed full of information. I really like the free Internet sites (makes my Scottish blood flow a wee bit faster) and following are
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