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Her Secret to Family Survival? Keep the Door Open
My great-grandmother Mary Plunkett Dowling lost her mother when she was about five years old. She spent the next forty years making sure no one else in her…
4 min read
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The Truth About Oäkta in some Swedish Birth Records
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.…
4 min read
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RootsTech 2026 Day 3: 26 Sessions, One New MacBook, Zero Regrets
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…
4 min read
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RootsTech 2026 Day 2: Five Advanced Sessions and One Very Tired Brain
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…
4 min read
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RootsTech 2026 Day 1: Fifteen Sessions, Zero Regrets, One Tired Genealogist
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…
4 min read
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The Surprisingly Simple Secret to Scheduling RootsTech Sessions
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…
4 min read
