October 2018
Ask a basic question: "Where did this source come from?"
It's been less than a year since I discovered the identity of my long sought-for 2nd great-grandfather, "Prosser" who died in the Civil War. I discovered who he was by the use of DNA matches to his great-grandson, my cousin Marvin Prosser.
I would have discovered this information years ago had I asked myself one question:
Where does this source come from?
Long ago I read on a website a listing of volunteer soldiers from Hillsdale County, Michigan, which included one Lewis Prosser. The only problem was that his age was listed as 17; way too young to be the husband of a 35-year old woman and the father of two children born in 1860 and 1864.
Last month when I was visiting the Michigan State Archives, I had a chance to look at the original multi-volume set of Michigan Volunteers in the Civil War, published in 1915. It also stated Lewis Prosser's age as 17. I was being assisted by Kris Rzepczynski, the State Archivist, who directed me to the microfilm of the original hand-written registers that went into the creation of these volumes. Sure enough, there in black and white, was listed Lewis Prosser, age 44. I would have known that was my 2nd great-grandfather, even before DNA testing provided strong links to his first wife and children in Indiana.
What I've been doing:
* Preparing and preaching my sermon, which I gave on October 7 (see link below).
* Attending Summer's first birthday party, and enjoying playing with her twice a week while her parents work.
* Working on another couple of unknown parentage cases
* Proofreading my next book
|
|
|
|
What I'm Reading
Last month, in my preparation for my (first-ever) trip to Indiana to research my 2nd great-grandfather Louis Prosser, I got this book on Kindle.Full of photographs from the 19th & early 20th century, it really gave me a sense of the community in which he and his first wife lived.
If you have never heard of Arcadia Publishing, you're in for a treat. Get a cup of coffee, and settle down to browse hundreds of books on local history!
|
|
In the News:
Here's an updated list of Genealogical Mysteries and Historical Fiction
See a map of Native American lands in North America
Church of Ireland parish registers to be digitized
|
|
|
Summer Catherine Sage is now officially a toddler. We had fun at her well-attended birthday party last week, and I think she did, too!
|
|
|
|
|
Last Presentation of the Year
This Saturday, October 20, I will be giving a presentation at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Tacoma, on Finding Your Celtic Roots. It starts at 10am, and you can find more details here.
Last Sunday, October 7, I had the privilege of preaching the sermon at my church, St. John's Episcopal Church in Gig Harbor. You can read my sermon on my blog, here.
|
|
|
What's Your Brick Wall?
Have I got a deal for you!
Email me with a description of your biggest brick wall, including names, dates and places, and I will give you a brief list of research suggestions, plus my newly updated handout for my presentation "DNA and Genealogy"
|
|
|
|
|
|
