Twelve brides, twelve grooms, twenty-four cousins (of mine) and a first. Unlike the first eleven pairs, the 12th bride and the 12th groom are related to me… and each other. But not close enough to matter. “Frieda” is my 4th cousin, 1x removed on my mother’s side. She’s also related to my father. Her husband, “Fritz” is my 3rd cousin, 1x… More →

Not long ago I wrote about the possibility that my mother’s ancestor Drury Holland might be a descendant of (Frances) Gabriel Holland who was an early settler in Jamestown, Virginia. Much controversy exists as to whether or not Gabriel was actually descended from English royalty. Meanwhile, there is no proof that Drury is a descendant of Gabriel. Nada. Too bad. I was hoping… More →

Number 11 on my list of my mother’s cousins who’ve married my father’s cousins is unique in that my mother made this connection long before I became interested in genealogy. I am currently working my way through the Clark side of the family and realized I had not yet put this pair on the list. If memory serves, mom had phoned Carol Jane Barnard,… More →

Sometimes my genealogy adventures intersect with someone else’s and it thrills me to no end! About three weeks ago I received an email from a distant cousin who identified people who share DNA with her mother and grandmother on either the 1st or the 2nd chromosome. I am one of the latter. About 30 people received her “plea for help” email. She found us using the… More →

The tenth instance of a (very distant) cousin on my mother’s side of the family marrying a (very distant) cousin on my father’s side revealed itself quite nicely thanks to the topnotch genealogical research of my DNA match “DianaH70”. Like me, she is a descendant of both Alexander and Sarah (Austin) Joyce, ancestors of my mother, and Edmond and Rachel (Ladd) Liptrot, ancestors of my… More →

The results of my latest DNA test are in. This is my fourth and probably final test unless they dream up something new. This test dived a bit deeper into my YDNA. That’s a scary place. The Y chromosome, which is carried only by men, is complex it seems. It is passed down from father to son and remains relatively unchanged for tens… More →

Ancestry.com found a new way to get more of my money: partner with the State Archives of North Carolina and host a two-day genealogy bash. Since many of my ancestors called North Carolina home before migrating west, I decided it was an opportunity I probably shouldn’t miss. And I’ve been looking for an excuse to visit Raleigh. So off I… More →

More than 20 years have passed since I first met my friend, Anne. I was a student at UMKC’s Conservatory of Music and she was my voice teacher. We hit it off instantly. She’s intelligent, witty and sings like a goddess. Truthfully, she helped me find my voice and gave me a solid singing technique. After I graduated, our student-teacher relationship evolved into a close and enduring friendship.… More →

Day 2 of my trip to Warren County, Missouri is coming to a close. This is an important place for me genealogically speaking as one quarter of my Kenfolk via my paternal grandmother passed through these parts. Having exhausted every resource available online, I had high hopes coming here in person I’d be able to overcome some of the research… More →