Category: 52 Ancestors
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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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One Address, Eight Census Records, 45 Years of Family Survival
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Tracking a family through census records from 1905-1950 reveals survival strategies. Eight NY censuses show how one Brooklyn family adapted across generations.
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My Favorite Family Photograph (For Now)
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How do you choose a favorite family photograph from a collection of 130 images? I picked the one whose story I know best. This is my grandmother Eva Marcisak on June 18, 1945, at the Exchange Tavern in New York City. She had just said goodbye to George Dubinsky at…
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Why My Genealogy Research Breakthrough Hasn’t Happened Yet
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This week’s #52Ancestors theme is “A Breakthrough Moment,” but here’s my confession: I haven’t had a major genealogy research breakthrough in months. Despite attending genealogy conferences last year, enrolling in multiple courses, and maintaining a weekly genealogy blog, I’m starting to understand why those breakthroughs aren’t happening. Somewhere along the…
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Ellen McAuliffe’s Irish Family Lost in Time — and Rediscovered?
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My great-great-grandmother Ellen McAuliffe lived a brief but consequential life. Born around 1844, probably in Ireland, she arrived in New York in 1857 and died in Brooklyn in 1875 at just 33 years old. Her death record provides no information about her parents, leaving a gap in our family history…
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When Genealogy Stops Being Solitary: The Ellen McAuliffe Story
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This post explores genealogical collaboration between the author in Cincinnati and a DNA cousin in Brisbane, Australia. Together, they’re researching whether Ellen McAuliffe (Brooklyn, 1857) and Margaret McAuliffe (Australia, 1845) were sisters, both daughters of Florence McAuliffe and Ellen Healey from Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland. Using DNA matches across multiple…
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Beyond the Barbed Wire: What Stephen Marcisak’s POW Journal Reveals About Survival
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On April 29, 1945, Lieutenant Stephen Marcisak watched a Sherman tank roll through the gates of Stalag VII-A and wrote in his POW journal: “ALLIES TAKE OVER – FREE.” That journal (actually two versions documenting his 435 days as a prisoner of war) reveals what official military records never could.…
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Sixteen Years Old and Brave Beyond Measure: Why I Admire My Great-Aunt Alma
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When I was sixteen, my biggest worries revolved around my high school classes, whether the cute boy outside Moeller High School noticed me, and getting my first job at McDonald’s. My great-aunt Alma Svensson was also sixteen once. But on January 11, 1912, she boarded the S.S. Oscar II in…
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Hello Again: The Genealogist Behind These Stories
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Hello again! As I begin my second year of the #52Ancestors challenge, I wanted to re-introduce myself and share who I am as a genealogist. I’m the researcher behind Our Growing Family Tree, where I’ve spent 25+ years tracing my Irish, Slovak, Polish, and Swedish immigrant ancestors. This genealogy blog…
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Memorable Genealogy Year: A Year of Growth and Discovery
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When I started this year’s #52Ancestors challenge, I knew I was committing to write 52 blog posts about my ancestors. What I didn’t know was how this memorable genealogy year would transform me as a genealogist, writer, researcher, and storyteller. From finally discovering what happened to my great-grandmother Julia Knysz…