Crunching the Numbers, 2021

As I wrote yesterday, never have I ever wanted to see the back-end of a year as much as I have for 2021. On this first day of 2022, as I say so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu to last year, I wanted to take some time to reflect on my blog’s 2021 stats and think about the year that lies ahead.

So how did my blog, Princes, Paupers, Pilgrims & Pioneers: Our Predecessors and Me, perform in 2021? Were last year’s results better than those from 2020? After comparing last year’s numbers with the statistics the previous year, I am sorry to say that my numbers are down, way down. As I said before, 2021 just was NOT a good year for me.

In 2021, my blog was viewed 6,882 times by 3,911 visitors in 104 countries with the vast majority of them from the United States. (Canada came in a distant second.) My blog gained 223 likes and 59 comments. The top 25 posts in 2021, receiving the most views, were the following:

1. Rev. Joseph Hull
2. More Alike Than Unalike
3. Middle-Aged Morning
4. Gateway Ancestor: Peter Worden
5. Book Review: The German Midwife
6. Book Review: The Secret Letter
7. Say What?
8. The Day My Mama Socked It To…
9. Book Review: The Secret Orphan
10. Goss Family Helps Forge a New Nation
11. The Spangler Progenitor
12. Tristram Hull
13. Color-Coded Ancestry
14. Book Review: One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow
15. Gateway Ancestor: Edward Foulke
16. Thomas Lynde
17. ABCs & Our Family Trees: The Letters I & J
18. The Abbots of Abernethy & Dunkeld
19. Seek and Ye Shall Find
20. Peter Schlosser, Jr.
21. ABCs & Our Family Trees: The Letter A
22. Daddy’s Last Days
23. Charles Spangler
24. Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester
25. Chapline Family Forebearers

2020 was a much better year for my blog which was viewed 9,009 times by 4,551 visitors in 93 countries with the vast majority of them from the United States (the United Kingdom came in a distant second). Also, my blog gained 680 likes and 159 comments, and the top 25 posts in 2020—the ones that received the most views—were:

1. Gateway Ancestor: Peter Worden
2. Book Review: One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow
3. Book Review: The Secret Orphan
4. Rev. Joseph Hull
5. More Alike Than Unalike
6. Middle-Aged Morning
7. Book Review: The German Midwife
8. Strong Women
9. Say What?
10. Long Line
11. Gilbert “The Red” de Clare
12. The Spangler Progenitor
13. Close to Home
14. Tristram Hull
15. Stick a Fork in Me, I’m Done!
16. Creating Connection for Children
17. Book Review: We Must Be Brave
18. Book Review: Out of the Embers
19. Book Review: The Secret Letter
20. 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Favorite Photo
21. 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks? You’re On!
22. Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester
23. Christopher Erb
24. The Old Country: Lombardia, Italia
25. Book Review: The Things We Cannot Say

In 2021, the top ten referring sites to my blog were It’s Good to Be Crazy Sometimes, Genea-Musings, Slave Name Roll Project, Empty Branches on the Family Tree, Joan’s Ancestral World, Heart of the Family, Geneabloggers, Jacob Cox, and His Kinfolk, Tales of a Family, and The Genealogy Corner. (Please note, I am not including referrals from search engines, Ancestry.com, BookBub, BookSirens, Facebook, FindAGrave, Goodreads, LibraryThing, Twitter, Pinterest, or WordPress.)

Whereas in 2020, the top ten referring sites to my blog were It’s Good to Be Crazy Sometimes, The Heart of the Family, My Descendant’s Ancestors, Slave Name Roll Project, Empty Branches on the Family Tree, Tales of a Family, Scrapbook Your Family Tree, Joan’s Ancestral World, The Lives of My Ancestors, and Writing My Past. (Again, I am not including referrals from search engines, Ancestry.com, BookBub, BookSirens, Facebook, FindAGrave, Goodreads, LibraryThing, Twitter, Pinterest, or WordPress.)

Finally, in 2021, my top five most prolific commenters were Eilene Lyon, Aquila, Carol Radowenchuk, Finding My Ancestors, and Rebecca Cuningham, In 2020, my top five most frequent commenters were Eilene Lyon, Carol Radowenchuk, Rebecca Cuningham, Marian Wood, and Carol Anne. Thank you all so much for stopping by my blog and caring enough to comment.

However, something that statistics cannot show is the invaluable and inspirational interactions I have had with other bloggers, amateur/professional genealogists, book reviewers/authors, and distant cousins… so many cousins. To these folks, I extend my deepest appreciation for your insights and encouragement!

So, with 2021 behind me (Hallelujah!) and the New Year just beginning, I will endeavor to share more stories and surpass last year’s statistics. Thanks for joining me on my journey!