Family Tales & Trails

08/01/2026

Having trouble tracking the women in your family? (There's probably at least one.) If so, American Ancestors's class might be of interest.

07/31/2026

Records and information may exist! Just not where you might expect!

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland currently has an exhibition "A Plea for Refuge: Letters from Vienna to Belfast, 1938-1939."

Is it possible that a member of your family sent one?

07/24/2026

The June 14th post talked about never knowing what you may find in the Facebook Marketplace. The same holds true of sites such as e-bay, Genealogy: Lost and Found FB Group, etc. Think that it's a long-shot? Maybe so! Then again, it might just result in that break-through you've needed! Need proof? Check out this article:

See how a chance auction find from 1911 unlocked Julia's family tree and sparked a passion for rescuing "orphaned" historic records for Geni users worldwide.

06/25/2026

Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, PA

Working on a family with Presbyterian ties in New Jersey, and not satisfied with what I was finding on-line, I decided to do some on-site research. Sometimes this is necessary, or the better option, when you aren't finding what you want on-line or images aren't that great. Of course if you can't do an on-site visit, calling or e-mailing is another option.

Some things I learned while there are: (1) Ancestry digitized many of its records, but not all; (2) there is a reference book available on-site only of a survey done by the WPA that indicates where church records were located at the time, be it in the church, a library, etc.; (3) while you might be looking for marriage, birth or death information, it is worth reviewing the entire register as notes of other events as notes might have been made in them; in many cases multiple registers will exist with relevant/up-to-date information being in each one.

SHEPPARD ( https://prestohost68.inmagic.com/Presto/home/home.aspx?ssid=Sheppard_Home ) should be searched in advance of contacting/visiting PHS. Remember, most parishes are identified by their location, ex. Millville, NJ. When submitting the on-line appointment request you will be asked for information found in the catalog. Be sure to note the SPECIFIC time period of interest. FYI: Some records may not be available if they are less than 50-100 years old or an individual is still living.

You can take in a laptop/cellphone & cables, paper & pencil. There are lockers for other items. Digital images permitted.

The Historical Society is located in a beautiful/historic section of the city and offers free off-street parking. There is both an Acme and a CVS within a very short distance.

06/14/2026

You never know where you might find something of interest!

My latest "rabbit hole" is Facebook Marketplace. The other day I saw someone posted a booklet of a presentation made to the Lansdowne Chapter NSDAR by the person who sold my grandmom's home.

Along the same line, someone else is selling a box from Sparrow Chocolates, a company "back in the day" for whom my granddad may have been a salesman.

There are all sorts of items available: family histories, photographs, atlases, bibles, etc.

One thing I would advise, and this goes for anything you may want to go back to...BOOKMARK IT!! Trust me, if you don't, you'll never find it again!

04/04/2026

If there were one subject you'd like to learn more about, what would it be?

03/05/2026

Family Tree Maker is one of the top programs/apps used by all levels of genealogists.

Family Tree Maker is easy to use and has many "hidden" talents. One of my favorites is the list of all names with various search capabilities. Another is the number of fields built which makes entering data from a variety of documents so much more efficient. Did I mention the source entry forms?

If you would like to learn more about this program and entering data to streamline your research process, please feel free to contact me!

02/15/2026

Do you use Family Tree Maker? Would you like to know "best practices" for using it?

Main Line School Night is offering a "basics" class. Set up a "file," learn how to enter data from documents and source information...and more!

Class will be held March 10, 2026, from 6:15 pm to 8:15 pm at the Lower Merion High School. For more information and to register, go to: https://courses.mainlineschoolnight.org/wconnect/ace/CourseStatus.awp?course=26SHC22036

While there, why not also check out: "Genealogy: Organizing Digital Information?"

02/02/2026

While visiting the Lazaretto in Essington, PA, I came across this piece showing linen processing. Things like this can help you and others better understand an ancestor's trade.

01/09/2026

Mount Moriah Cemetery, Yeadon, Delaware County, PA

This cemetery is located in both Delaware and Philadelphia Counties and has been the subject of much debate over the years.

Privately owned, it has been neglected for decades. In doing research for a D.A.R. project, I spent many hours there and attempted to do some clean up. Graves were overgrown and it has been used as a dumping ground for all sorts of things. Back then mausoleums had been ransacked. Even though the resting place for some historic figures, very few sites were maintained. While sitting there documenting some grave sites, Philadelphia Police were seen patrolling (the Philadelphia side) and, out of curiosity, one stopped to ask what it was I was doing.

Now there is this story: https://www.phillyvoice.com/alleged-grave-robber/

Charges have been filed in Delaware County only. Following investigation it sounds like a lot more will be filed in other jurisdictions.

The 34-year-old's house in Lancaster County was 'a horror movie come to life,' the district attorney says.