A couple weeks ago I posted the first part of these thoughts about genealogy and mathematics. Thinking that too much math might not feel so magic to everyone, I decided to break what I wanted to write in two. So, once again, with apologies to Donald Duck and his journey through Mathmagic Land, I thought […]
A Genealogist in Mathmagic Land Part 2 Read More »
Years ago my grandfather ordered a few copies of a book that covered some research into his surname. After he died, my mother asked if I wanted a copy but added that the book wasn’t any good. I wondered how my mom, who is not a family historian, was able to make such a judgment.
Judging a Book by its Innards Read More »
I always loved the film Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land when I was a child. With a few vignettes, it showed how mathematics was everywhere—in music, architecture, nature, games, sports… Funny that they never mentioned genealogy. There is quiet a bit of math lurking within genealogy. Here are a few of my favorite bits of
A Genealogist in Mathmagic Land Read More »
When we were children most of us complained that we had nothing to do at one time or other. At the same time we usually had piles of blocks, Legos or some such thing waiting for us to build something. There were so many things we could have built when we had “nothing to do.”
10 Things to Do with a Piece of Evidence Read More »
Have you ever been happily reading along, learning about a family you’re researching and then you start to get a queasy feeling. A few pages back you read something that you really think might lead you to a breakthrough. Now, after reading just a bit more, inside your head a little voice starts to object.
When Memory Divides Read More »
I’ve been dealing with a few odd records lately. To be honest, nothing too out of the ordinary but sometimes it does get to be a bit exasperating when a person doesn’t have the same place of birth in any two records. That has got me thinking about the unfortunate fact that not only were
This last Thursday, my children did what they always do on Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter). They put on old skirts and aprons. They each put their hair up in a kerchief. They each got a basket, a toy cat and a broom. With a little makeup they became “Easter Witches.” Then they did
Family Stories, Ethnic Traditions and Easter Witches Read More »
I suppose everyone has had the experience of learning something new and suddenly that little fact seems to pop up everywhere. That experience has just happened to me again, so I’ve been inspired to write about it. A few posts back I wrote about This Republic of Suffering, about death and dying in mid-nineteenth century
That Flash of Recognition Read More »
I assume that everyone doing British or British Colonial research is getting ready for New Year’s Eve. It’s time to uncork another of those pre1752 bottles you have hidden away, put on your homemade tri-cornered party hat and get together with fellow genealogists. Ok, maybe not, but the fact that New Year’s Day is coming
Happy (Old) New Year Read More »
As family historians we are always trying to gather facts and tie them together into lives. Though every event we can document is important, there are three that get most of the attention, birth, marriage and death. All three are surrounded by practices and rituals unique to their time and culture. Birth and death bracket
This Republic of Suffering Read More »