Crazy-Making-Keep Looking When it’s Not Obvious

Recently, I uploaded my DNA info into another ancestry/genealogy site, one that gives pretty simple raw data, connections and names/email addresses. So I contacted the person who was highest on my list. We SHOULD BE third cousins, which means that our great-grandparents were siblings-in other words, we SHARE a great-great grandparent. We exchanged surnames back …

The Myth of the Cherokee Princess, or Family History Revised

I'm going to throw this out there, because while I'm sure a million of you have heard this story, I am sure some have not, and if I can save someone the embarrassment of telling this story in public and having someone else cry "BS", then it's worth it. The stories always go something like …

Why “Finding Grandmothers”?

I thought of this name a few years ago. It was the title of a piece of writing that I never published anywhere. Some pertinent information has changed, so I need a major re-write on it, but the gist of the story is this. In 2002 I had a horrible year. Everything that was lose-able, …