Unfolding The Story Genealogy

08/03/2026

Meet Mary Margaret Maness Pierce. I recently rescued a 1918 photograph of Mrs. Pierce in a local antique shop, Red Rooster Antique & Design Center. Curious about the young woman in the photograph, I began researching her life and learned that she was born in Roxton, Texas, on June 19, 1901. She went on to earn bachelor's and master's degrees from the College of Industrial Arts (now Texas Woman's University) and dedicated her life to education as a teacher, principal, and superintendent.

The best part of the story? Through my research, I was able to locate her great-grandson so this treasured photograph can find its way back to her family after more than a century.

Moments like these are what make genealogy so rewarding—preserving history isn't just about names and dates; it's about reconnecting families with pieces of their own story.

07/28/2026

Some of our most treasured family stories aren't found in birth certificates or census records—they're found in the ordinary moments that shaped us. Start writing your story!

I've just finished writing another piece of my own story. It's a journey back to my childhood in Hampton, Virginia, where roller skating became much more than a hobby.

Sometimes the smallest moments leave the biggest footprints. ** Click below to read my story **

Unfolding the Story Genealogy

07/27/2026

I’m proud to share the story of my 6th great-grandfather, a man whose hands helped build more than a living—they helped build a legacy. Through faith, perseverance, and honest labor, he left behind a story that still speaks across the generations. Some lives do not simply pass through history—they help shape it. ** Click the link below to read the story **

Unfolding the Story Genealogy

07/20/2026

Most people walk past them without a second glance—boxes of old photographs, scattered on antique store shelves.
But every once in a while, one of those faces asks a question that’s impossible to ignore: Who did this belong to… and can they be found?
This is a story about the space between the past and the present—and the unexpected journey that begins with a single photograph. Inspired by Kate Kelley and The Photo Angel Project

Unfolding the Story Genealogy

07/19/2026

Today my granddaughter and I went antiquing and came across an old family photograph that simply had to come home with us. A little genealogical research led me to the family, and before long I was talking with Marie's granddaughter!

There's something incredibly rewarding about reuniting a treasured piece of family history with the people it belongs to. Another rescued photo is on its way home where it can be cherished once again. ❤️📷 Red Rooster Antique & Design Center

07/14/2026

I thought I understood a simple land grant tied to my 4th Great Grandfather, Felix Jernigin. I was wrong.

One line I had ignored for years pulled me into a trail of records I never expected—and now the story keeps unfolding in ways I didn’t see coming.

This is one of those discoveries that reminds me why I keep digging.

Unfolding the Story Genealogy

07/06/2026

☀️ Some of my favorite Texas childhood memories were made out at the Hurley stock tanks near Pleasanton. Back then, there was no better escape from a brutal South Texas summer than piling into the back of a pickup, braving the barn spiders for an old inner tube, and spending hours out on the water with family.

It wasn’t until years later that I realized we were sharing that water with the local cattle 🐮 status—but honestly, even that realization can’t ruin the magic of those carefree days. It was a simpler time when a muddy tank felt like the greatest place on earth.

Read the full story of our South Texas summers here! 👇

Unfolding the Story Genealogy

06/29/2026

Sometimes the greatest genealogy discoveries aren't found in new records—they're found by looking at familiar ones differently.

When I revisited the 1870 census for my second-great-grandmother, Emma B. Hearin, I discovered that a single misindexed surname and four consecutive family numbers revealed an entirely different story. What I once thought was a young girl living with strangers turned out to be a family staying close together after the death of their father, Thomas Jefferson Hearin.

It's a reminder that records don't change—but our understanding of them does. Sometimes the most meaningful discoveries have been waiting on the page all along.

Unfolding the Story Genealogy

06/22/2026

My 5th great-grandfather, Robert Collins Hearin made the massive choice to leave Scotland migrating to Ireland and then crossing the Atlantic to settle the South Carolina backcountry in 1764.

From the Carolinas to the early wagon trains into Clarke County, Alabama, my family's story is full of incredible grit. I guess you could say making hard decisions is just in my DNA!

Unfolding the Story Genealogy

06/18/2026

Fabulous News!!

https://news.findagrave.com/2026/06/15/honoring-revolutionary-war-participants-with-the-1776-badge/?fbclid=IwZnRzaASgFEFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeGQhxNlAzm2C8Evab6DKuy06z4-DJ7zurf4-W8BhkXA-cvClKsdtJSaD9KPM_aem_TlwM5aF5PrYWXa226EgoIQ

To help everyone discover, connect with and remember the stories of those who participated in the American Revolutionary War, we have officially launched the 1776 Badge. This badge will display on …