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Forged by Mystery: How Childhood Playtime Shaped My Genealogy Obsession
I blame Nancy Drew. And Encyclopedia Brown. And every cryptic puzzle in Martin Gardner’s Codes, Ciphers and Secret Writing. Growing up in the mid-1970s, I devoured mystery books…
4 min read
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When Shakespeare Couldn’t Save My Family’s Money
When I discovered newspaper clippings about my Irish ancestors’ encounters with Brooklyn’s legal system in the 1860s and 1870s, I uncovered stories that reveal the harsh realities of…
4 min read
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From Wide Open Spaces to New American Lives
The story of American immigration is fundamentally a story about sky—trading the endless horizons of rural homelands for narrow urban canyons and industrial smoke. Between the 1840s and…
4 min read
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William Dowling: A Young Listowel Lad in New York
When I think about my earliest documented ancestor, my mind travels across an ocean and back in time to a young man making his way from the hills…
4 min read
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Sacred Traditions – The Byzantine Catholic Faith of My Ancestors
Discover the rich Byzantine Catholic traditions of my Slovak and Polish ancestors, from sacred sacraments to holiday customs. A personal journey through immigrant faith practices that preserved ancient…
4 min read
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Cousins: 3 Lessons From My Most Surprising DNA Matches
Discover 3 essential lessons from surprising DNA cousin matches, including a dramatic phone call revelation and Swedish family tree connections.
4 min read
