Hints for Tracking Down Elusive Ancestors

Many people joke about having outlaws as in – laws. Sometimes, though, it is actually true. There have always been “bad guys” (and bad girls) and there probably always will be. For some reason, the capers of criminals and other characters from years past seem more interesting, more exciting, and perhaps (depending on what they were doing) more acceptable than the dirty deeds of modern day criminals. However, at the time that these folks were plundering ships, bootlegging whiskey, shooting up saloons, or planting the seeds of organized crime, their families were probably not so pleased about what they were … Continue reading

Christmas Tree Traditions

If your family celebrates Christmas, chances are that your family photo albums have many pictures of your family’s Christmas trees throughout the years. Each family that gets a Christmas tree for their home every year has a slightly different ritual for doing so, too. When I was younger, my parents would usually get a tree in mid – November. We had a wood stove in the room where we would put the tree, so getting it earlier was not really an option because the stove would dry the tree out and result in needles all over the floor. Some years … Continue reading