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….
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…
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…
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I wanted to share the ancestor’s behind my Irish DNA. Based on my Ancestry.com DNA results, I am 31%, Irish and Scottish. To honor my Irish ancestors, let’s start with a traditional Irish blessing May the road rise to meet you. May the wind…
I like to think that most of my blog posts are well researched, thought out and reviewed several times before I share them. I pride myself in not just sharing the story, but the facts. However, this one is a little different. Tonight I received a reminder of the real…
A strong woman is one who can build a firm foundation with the bricks used to block her path Every once in a while, I have one of those days that remind me that no matter what I am going through, I come from a long line of very strong women. I…
Sometimes it is the research I do on a location, rather than the people, that leads me to a piece of interesting information. My plan for my next blog post was to write about a letter that was written by William Faught to his brother George Faught in 1871. While in…
I previously wrote a blog post called Mary Anna Faught: One Tough Lady, about my 2nd great grandmother Mary Anna (Faught) McKenzie. In that blog post, I outlined the life of Mary Anna. Since then I have come across more information that helps to tell the story of Mary Anna’s…
In an earlier blog post called Road Trip Through Our Family History, I mentioned some photos that I found labeled as Faught Lake. If you remember the photos also suggested that this lake was named after my 2nd great grandmother Mary Anna Faught. Since I found these photos and wrote the previous…
George Faught, my 3rd great grandfather, was born on July 12, 1837, in New York, the youngest child of Lawrence Faught and Bridget Fogarty. By June 11, 1860, George was living with his mother Bridgette and two older siblings William and Ann in Lexington, Sanilac, Michigan. George’s father Lawrence had passed…
I remember a trip took when I was young, 1988 based on the photos, with my parents and grandparents (Alexander and Edna McKenzie). We often took long drives, sometimes to find that “perfect garage sale”, sometimes just to drive. On this trip, we visited several places in and near Montmorency County, Michigan….
Mary Anna Faught was born in Bridgehampton, Sanilac, Michigan on January 18, 1870, the first and only child of George Faught and Elizabeth Miller. The family was enumerated on the 1870 census living in Bridgehampton. George is a farmer and Elizabeth is at home keeping house and taking care of her…
There is one cemetery that I have visited more times than I can count. The cemetery is the Briley Township Cemetery in the village of Briley in Atlanta, Montmorency, Michigan. Briley Township Cemetery I had visited this cemetery many times as a child, but once I really found my passion…
