Week 12: Loss: Fire Devastates the Hawley Family

Not once, but twice the William Hawley family was devastated by fire. The logging industry was a primary industry in Northern Michigan in the late 1800s and early 1900s. William Hawley’s family was no exception. William moved his family from upstate New York to Long Rapids Township, Alpena County, Michigan…

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Week 11: Fortune: What Would it be Worth Today?

Have you ever thought about how your ancestor’s possessions would be valued in today’s world? I often think about this because it helps me to better compare their situation against my own. On the 1850 United States Population census individuals were asked about only the value of their real estate….

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Week 10: Name’s the Same: The Schooner Annie Faught

I typically research newspapers using the website Newspapers.com to find details about the lives of my ancestors that may not be available in other typical genealogical sources. When searching for information about my second great grandmother Mary Anna (Annie) Faught, I found information not only about her but also some…

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Week 9: Multiples: The fate of William and Frances Faught

The theme for week 9 of the 52 ancestors in 52 weeks challenge is multiples. I was struggling with this theme. Nothing jumped out at me that was interesting enough to write about. But thanks to Valerie Hughes from the “Genealogy with Valerie” blog, my writers block was cured. Valerie…

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Week 7: Unusual Source: The Postmaster

The source I chose to talk about this week for the 52 ancestors in 52 weeks theme of “Unusual Source” is called “U.S., Appointments of U. S. Postmasters, 1832-1971”. These records can be found in more than one repository, I found these records on Ancestry.com. I’m not sure if this is…

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Week 3: People with a Presidential Namesake in my Family Tree

Children are often named after their parents, grandparents, close family, or friends. I’ve even seen children given a name based on the location of their birth. One trend that I noticed in my family tree was naming children after United States presidents. Have you noticed this in your family tree?…

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Letters From Home: The Effects of War on the Home Front

In previous posts, I wrote about my great grandmother Mae Arla (King) McKenzie and the letters she wrote to her daughter Cora. As in everything, timing and context are important when analyzing the lives of our ancestors. To catch up on the life of Mae and her family thus far, take a moment…

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Sunday’s Obituary: Edward Royer Sr.

Edouard Joseph Royer, my 2nd great grandfather, passed away on August 22nd, 1939 in Rudyard, Chippewa County, Michigan at the age of 77. Edouard’s obituary was published in The Evening News, published in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan on Tuesday, August 22, 1939.  I have transcribed the obituary below: Obituary Edward…

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Letters From Home: Dad is Home Again…

In previous posts, I wrote about my great grandmother Mae Arla (King) McKenzie and the letters she wrote to her daughter Cora. As in everything, timing and context are important when analyzing the lives of our ancestors. To catch up on the life of Mae and her family thus far, take a moment…

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Letters From Home: Who is Johnnie?

In a previous post, Letters From Home: Mae McKenzie I wrote about my great grandmother Mae Arla (King) McKenzie and the letters she wrote to her daughter Cora. As in everything, timing and context are important when analyzing the lives of our ancestors. To catch up on the life of…

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