The Hartshorn Family
This week we are traveling BACK IN TIME through a BRANCH of MY OWN FAMILY… the HARTSHORN FAMILY branch. This branch is connected to me through my paternal side and has roots in Maumee, Toledo, and Perrysburg, Ohio.
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The Adkins Family
This week we are traveling BACK IN TIME through a BRANCH of MY OWN FAMILY… the ADKINS FAMILY branch. This branch is connected to me through my paternal side and has roots in East Toledo, Ohio.
Read MoreThe Bigley Family
This week we are traveling BACK IN TIME through a BRANCH of MY OWN FAMILY… the BIGLEY FAMILY branch. This branch is connected to me through my paternal side and has roots in East Toledo, Ohio.
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John Harmon, a highly respected citizen is shot and killed in cold blood by Peter D. Cole on Main Street in the town of Deshler, Ohio just outside of Toledo, Ohio. Several witnesses were present in the six shot murder, including Mr. Harmon’s young son, as he is gunned down, traumatizing both families involved, as well as the town for one last time.
Read MoreOur first case takes us back to 10 Jan. 1889, with the Horrible Murder and Suicide of M. Shaffer and Mary Jane Valentine in East Toledo, Ohio on Front and Platt Streets.
Our second case takes place on 15 Apr. 1900 when two aged women, Kate and Joanna Sullivan, the Sullivan Sisters, are robbed in their Toledo, Ohio farm home and one is murdered and the other sister goes insane.
Join me, Kelley Amstutz, The Genealogy Investigator, as we hunt for the killer(s) of this notorious murder mystery.
Read MoreI want you all to stop and think for just a minute. Think about all the friends, coworkers, and neighbors you see each and every day. How many of those people will show up on your family tree one day? It's a good question, right. Something we don't often think about. And probably a few of those surnames might pop up in your tree. But, it's important to remember that you're part of a bigger community, one that shapes who you are and the decisions you make, just as much as your blood relatives.
Read MoreAmerican history was made with our immigrant and ethnic ancestors. Everyone has immigrant ancestors. It doesn't matter if your ancestor came to America in the 1900s, the 1600s, or were here to meet the rest of the settlers, all American ancestry leads somewhere else.
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Land records are one of the most underutilized resources in genealogy, believe it or not. What once brought immigrants to America, the ability to obtain land, is often completely forgotten in research. Established countries, like Europe, almost all land had been titled for years, even centuries. Laws of primogeniture (inheritance by only the FIRST SON) ensured that properties wouldn't be split up into smaller parcels, but that also meant that other children couldn't inherit the land.
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The Civil War produced huge amounts of documentation with over 3.5 million men (and a few hundred women) fighting for both the Union and Confederacy. But... because military records do not fit familiar patterns of most genealogical research you will conduct, vital records, passenger lists, and so on... these records can be overwhelming to a first-time researcher. But, by understanding a few key facts and having some great resources in your toolbox, you can start with a wealth of information about your Civil War ancestor before you even start digging!
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US Federal Census reports are an important part of a Genealogist research. Census were taken every 10 years, providing the opportunity for genealogists to follow families back in time. They would provide locations of ancestors, age information, occupations and geographical data. They also hold clues about an ancestor's educational background, and even military status. So, with Census documents holding so much valuable information... it's so frustrating when you run a name search for an ancestor and you end up with NO RESULTS!
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Family history research can be full of obstacles... and your genealogy journey might seem like it's laced with pitfalls, vast expanses of water... and those brick walls that seem to come out of nowhere at every twist and turn. If you focus your family-history training regimen on conquering the five challenges outlined here, you'll get better at building your family tree and even level up your Genealogy Research!
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Whenever I talk about citing genealogy sources, I swear I can hear someone physically sigh... and I get it! There is no other area of genealogy that stirs less excitement than the topic of citing! Creating accurate genealogy source citations can be DULL and let's be honest... it takes up so much time... but it's so important!
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Have you ever visited an online research site (or physical archive) and thought about the vast collection of records that were just within your reach... but you had no idea where to even start? Or, maybe you've spent hours researching one single person only to lose... or worse... forget most of what you've learned and/or where you learned it. Maybe you've even walked away from your research for a few weeks and when you sat back down were left completely confused about where to pick it up again...
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Our weather is something that seems to always be a topic of conversation day in and day out. We always want to know what tomorrow will hold... especially with global warming being a hot topic. Weather is a worldwide subject of daily conversations, and it's also a great way to break the ice in awkward moments of silence.
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It's summer vacation... and as a Professional Genealogist, running my own business, working for myself... that means I have two eager kids fighting for my time in between projects. We decided to set out and see Ohio this summer, taking in the History, learning about the land through visits to local battlefields, a trip to the public library and a tour of the Genealogy archives, and even some historical home tours that aren't too far from our home.
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As you're tracing your family history, you'll at least occasionally find that you need the help of a professional genealogist to make the progress you want. This can be due to time constraints in your own life, a need for verification of your work, dealing with a foreign language, or searching for an ancestor who left little written history behind. Whatever the reason my be, when it's time to hire a professional genealogist, it's important that you find one who is trustworthy and whose work will last for generations to come.
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As a Genealogist... you've probably already discovered that the term "Brick Wall" is discussed almost regularly! We love to chat about the brick walls that are blocking our search into families' pasts. Usually, these brick walls are only detours that we can find our way around by stepping back and taking a fresh look at our research.... seeking out different record types... or doing some cluster research to find a clue buried in the overload of information.
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