Author: Kirsten M. Max-Douglas
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The Truth About Oäkta in some Swedish Birth Records
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The first time I found oäkta in Swedish birth records, I felt something close to embarrassment. My ancestor’s story, I assumed, was one she would have wanted hidden. I was wrong. Sissa Andersdotter was twenty years old when her son Sven was born in 1867 in Näsum parish, Sweden. The…
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RootsTech 2026 Day 3: 26 Sessions, One New MacBook, Zero Regrets
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RootsTech 2026 Day 3 delivered everything I hoped for – tough session choices, a standout watch on DNA methodology, and a final session on sharpening research writing that felt like the perfect way to close out the conference. In between, I took full advantage of the flexibility that virtual attendance…
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RootsTech 2026 Day 2: Five Advanced Sessions and One Very Tired Brain
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RootsTech 2026 Day 2 was a full day — and a heavy one. Seven sessions, most of them Advanced/Professional level, plus a running battle with the session calendar to figure out what to watch now, what to move to replay, and what to add to the wish list for next…
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RootsTech 2026 Day 1: Fifteen Sessions, Zero Regrets, One Tired Genealogist
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Day one of RootsTech 2026 is officially in the books, and I have fifteen online sessions, a stack of in-person slides, and a very full Obsidian notebook to prove it. In this RootsTech 2026 Day 1 recap, I’m walking through everything I watched as a virtual attendee – from Polish…
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The Surprisingly Simple Secret to Scheduling RootsTech Sessions
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RootsTech 2026 starts March 5th, and I have 28 Priority 1 sessions already on my calendar. Scheduling RootsTech sessions strategically – not just adding everything that looks interesting – is what separates a productive virtual conference from three months of half-watched replays. My system starts with a dedicated Google Calendar…
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She Lost Two Children, Then Crossed an Ocean to Build a New Life
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In January 1885, Anastasia Hlinka buried her first child in the village of Litmanova, Slovakia. Maria Hurkala lived seventeen days. Nine years later, Anastasia buried a second child, Petrus, at seventeen months old. And then she crossed an ocean to build a new life — not in a dramatic moment…
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When Your Mom & Dad Disagree: Conflicting Evidence in Genealogy
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Two naturalization papers. The same daughter. Two completely different birthdays. When my great-grandfather Vasil Marcisak filed his Petition for Naturalization in 1935, he listed his daughter Eva’s birth date as March 4, 1911. Eight years later, Eva’s mother Anna filed her own petition and recorded May 15, 1911. One of…
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Why Attending RootsTech 2026 Virtually Is the Right Move Right Now
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Six years ago, I started attending RootsTech virtually. I haven’t looked back. With nearly 300 sessions completed, I’ve learned that virtual attendance isn’t a consolation prize — it’s a legitimate, powerful way to engage with the world’s largest genealogy conference. This year, attending RootsTech 2026 virtually is my deliberate, strategic…
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From Leluchów With Love: Andreas Knysz and Paraskevia Kowalski
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Andreas Knysz and Paraskevia Kowalski were born in the same small mountain village in what is now southern Poland, married there in 1868, and raised three daughters there. As far as the records show, they never left. Andreas died in 1873 at just twenty-eight years old, leaving Paraskevia a widow…
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They Were Standing on the Edge… and Never Knew It
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Ola Andersson and Hanna Persdotter were standing on the edge of a major shift in their family, but had no idea it was coming. When Ola died in 1915 in Wånga, Sweden, all his grandchildren lived nearby. When Hanna died in 1926, she believed only two had left for America.…