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Love Transcends Time: Three Wedding Stories, One Sacred Legacy
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Week 23 of #52Ancestors Challenge: Weddings Sometimes the most beautiful family stories don’t hide in dusty archives or DNA matches, but live in the continuity of sacred moments that span generations. Today I want to share the story of three weddings that took place in the same congregation across nearly…
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The Ultimate Reunion Love Story
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Week 22 of #52Ancestors Challenge: Reunion When people ask about the greatest reunion of my life, they expect me to talk about discovering long-lost ancestors through dusty church records or connecting with distant DNA cousins across continents. After all, my blog is filled with stories of Swedish brick walls, mysterious…
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Remembering the Forgotten Heroes: Paul and Stephen Marcisak
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Memorial Day Special – #52Ancestors On this Memorial Day, as we honor those who served our nation, I find myself thinking about two men whose stories deserve to be told: my grandmother’s brothers, Paul Marcisak (1922-1959) and Stephen Marcisak (1913-1961). These weren’t generals or war heroes whose names appear in…
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My NGS 2025 Journey: Amazing Learning, Ready for Solitude
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As I write this final conference post from my room at The Galt House, I’m reflecting on what has been an absolutely incredible in-person genealogical immersion. Today’s sessions were the perfect capstone to my first NGS conference, taking me from foundational methodology all the way to cutting-edge AI applications. But…
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NGS 2025 Day 1: From Virtual to Reality – My First Full Conference Day
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After years of attending conferences virtually (I’m looking at you, RootsTech pajama sessions!), today marked my first full day at an in-person National Genealogical Society conference here at The Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky. What a day it’s been! Morning Sessions: Diving Deep into Methodology “When the Evidence Doesn’t Agree”…
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Pre-Conference Adventures and Unexpected Connections
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Note: Writing this on Saturday morning Sometimes the best conference days are the ones that unfold organically, without a packed schedule or rigid plans. Yesterday was exactly that kind of day at my first in-person National Genealogical Society conference here in Louisville. A Working Friday Morning Since I still had…
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From Pajamas to Louisville: My First In-Person NGS Conference Adventure
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As a veteran virtual conference attendee (five years of RootsTech pajama sessions, plus NGS, PaGE, North Carolina, and more!), it was finally time to experience one in person – especially when NGS landed practically in my backyard this year. I’ve finally taken the plunge into my first in-person National Genealogical…
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The Astonishing Roadster Revelation: My Quiet Grandfather’s Secret Wheels
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Sometimes the most surprising family history discoveries appear when you least expect them. While sorting through a forgotten box of papers (you know, the kind we genealogists can never resist), I stumbled upon something that made me catch my breath—a complete set of purchase documents for a 1936 Plymouth Sedan…
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