52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Long Line

It is week three in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge. This week’s prompt is titled Long Line.

I immediately thought of the many lines I have traced back through history the farthest. A few years ago, I became fascinated with identifying and proving lineage for several “gateway ancestors,” colonial immigrants whose ancestry can be traced to Old World gentry, nobility, or royalty. So far, I have determined that the following ancestors are direct descendants of Charlemagne: Edward Foulke (1651-1741) of Pennsylvania, my spouse’s 8th great-grandfather; Lawrence Smith (1629–1700) of Virginia, my 10th great-grandfather; Edmund Hawes (1612–1693) of Massachusetts, my 11th great-grandfather; and Peter Worden (1569-1639) of Massachusetts, my 12th great-grandfather.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Favorite Photo

It is week two in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Week’s writing challenge. This week’s prompt is Favorite Photo.

“That’s should be easy,” I thought, “as I have tons of pictures. With 3,649 images in my family tree, there’s bound to be a photo or two that would qualify as a favorite.”

The Case of the Lost and Found Grandma

A WOMAN OF MYSTERY

Years ago, when I first began documenting my maternal family, I reached out to our matriarch at the time, my Great-Aunt Doris. She spoke for hours, naming the ancestors she knew then sharing stories of their lives.

Although she knew a lot about her mother’s family, my great-aunt was less certain about her father’s family, especially his mother, Alice (Manley) Cole.

What little Aunt Doris knew about her grandma was her name and the fact that she disappeared from her father’s life when he was a child.

Alice was an enigma, a woman of mystery. As a family historian/genealogist, I LOVE following clues and solving puzzles, so off to the records I raced.

Matryoshkas & My Matrilineal Matriarch

Have you ever seen a set of wooden dolls, each one of decreasing size placed inside another? These nesting dolls are called matryoshkas, which means  “little matrons.”

By now, you might be asking yourself why a family historian with mostly British Isles roots is talking about Russian matryoshkas.

Well, today on Twitter, I saw a new writing prompt, #RussianDollChallenge, inquiring just how far back we genealogists have traced our matrilineal lines. This idea intrigued me, so I took a closer look at my mother’s maternal family. It turns out that on that branch, including me, there are ten generations of women whom I have documented.

George Moore

On this day, 20 November 1864, George Moore, my 4th great-grandfather, passed away.

Born in Scotland circa 1811, nothing is known of George Moore’s childhood or his parentage, unfortunately.