While it is still cold and snowy here in the Northeastern United States, spring is just around the corner. For many genealogists, nice weather expands the possibilities for genealogical research because you can take your research outside as you search cemeteries for the graves of your ancestors. While I have visited the graves of some of my ancestors, I have not seen any headstones that are out of the ordinary. Although death itself is not funny, sometimes the inscription on a person’s headstone is. A humorous epitaph is a good way to let the memory of the deceased’s wit live … Continue reading →

Celebrities are notorious for choosing unique and unusual names for their children. Perhaps being the child of a celebrity makes it easier to go through life with a first name like Suri, Shiloh, Apple, Kid, Moxie CrimeFighter, or Pilot Inspecktor. However, it’s not just celebrities who choose strange names for their children. Two genealogists have revealed a list of the worst baby names found in the U.S. Census. Michael Sherrod and Matthew Rayback, from the super popular genealogy website called Ancestry.com, have compiled a list of the worst baby names that were ever bestowed upon the children of “regular people”. … Continue reading →

Today I thought that I would write a little poem, an alphabetical “ode to genealogy” if you will. Enjoy! A- Is for ancestors, from which we are descended. B – Is for genealogy books, and reading them is recommended. C – Is for the care with which we handle ancient records. D – Is for our role as family history detective. E – Is for the enormous amounts of time we spend on research. F – Is for the family, whose history is what we search. G – Is fairly obvious, that’s for genealogy. H – Is for how did … Continue reading →

What is the strangest name in your family tree? It’s not just the children of celebrities who end up with strange and bizarre sounding names. As you do your genealogy research, you may have come across some names that made you giggle, or laugh out loud. The census for the United States is a great source of amusing names. The purpose of the census is to list the total number of people living in the country, and the best way to do that is by taking down people’s names. It seems to me that, due to the vast amount of … Continue reading →