There are many little bits of information that arise during research that don’t turn up in data searches. Sometimes, information has to be pieced together. For example, I found an obituary for a John Wilburn Elliott who died in 1965 and was listed as being buried in “Austell City Cemetery.” I could not find any […]
We can give future generations a valuable gift of our stories. Even mundane stories about a small part of our lives can be those little gems that reveal important facets of our lives. I came across a lovely collection of stories produced by the Federal Writers’ Project (FWP) as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA)
As I do research, I often come across references to businesses, clubs, places and other non-person entities that have come and gone. Easy access to details can be difficult. As I need a place to keep this info for my own purposes (other than in Zotero!), I will be making quick posts here, so other
Places, Institutions and Organizations past… Read More »
The Harry G. Poole company was the namesake funeral home business in Atlanta, Georgia. Harry starting working as an undertaker in the late 1800s, continuing with success until his death 8 Jun 1936. The company continued on with his son until Novemeber 1946. The earliest mention I find of him in the newspapers is the
Harry G. Poole Co., Funeral Directors Read More »
As I research through hundreds of pages of documents, newspapers and other sources, I often come across unrelated bits of information that catch my eye. These stories are often sad or even tragic, though many are amusing, endearing or just somehow connect with me. Such was the case today, when a tiny news blurb from
Fun tidbits, Mam’ Linda Read More »
I once wrote an obituary for myself as part of a year-long church study group based on the Stephen Levine book, A Year to Live: How to Live This Year as If It Were Your Last. We had to read our obituary to the group. It was only a little bit awkward.. I will spare
Obituaries: the good, the bad and the sublime… Read More »
Unless we have sources, genealogical research is reduced to unconfirmed stories and myths. Our memories are wonderful and faulty. People change “facts” to fit their worldview or some idealized perception of the past. Why sources are important Stories are great, as long as you situate the story in context by citing the source. There’s no
I usually assume that if a man and a woman are memorialized on the same grave marker that they were married. More recently, the same conclusion could also apply with same-sex couples. There’s a saying about the danger of “assume”… (it does not always impugn the other person!) The question arose because of a few
Husband-Wife or Brother-Sister? Read More »
Last year, I took a “break” and visited the Gooch Family Reunion for the first time in several years. This reunion is for anyone descended from ol’ man Jim Gooch (1829-1913). I suppose anyone descended from Jim’s dad Tillman would be welcome as well! For that 2021 Reunion (the 84th one!), I was nearly blind
Gooch Family Reunion – 24 July 2022 Read More »
Every life has many stories. Wonderful happy stories and sometimes tragic stories. If we look, we see the stories. Here we have the grave marker of two brothers, proclaimed as “World’s Greatest Brothers” on the flower vase between the headstones. You might note that they also have the same death date. Often when we see
Finding stories beyond the surface Read More »
