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…
If you grew up in Northern Michigan during the winter, as I did, you are more than familiar with the blustery conditions that we endure during the months of November thru March. I recently found a small notice in the Detroit Free Press about my 2nd great grandfather William Hawley…
I think every genealogist has come across their fair share of strange family connections and relationships. Some of these relationships seem strange, or even taboo to us, due to the time in which we live. However, one of the things that a genealogist must do is to investigate with perspective…
In a couple of previous posts, Elizabeth Miller and the hope of a cure and The Founding of Long Rapids Township and the Role my Ancestors Played, I mentioned a letter written from William Faught to his brother, my Third Great Grandfather, George Faught. In his letter, William provides a wonderful description of…
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…
As all beginning genealogist, I relied on online public family trees to start my research. Over the last year, I have been going back over my research, verifying information, adding sources and filling in the gaps. During my research, I started to add sources for my second great grandfather William…
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…
Benjamin Burt is my 7th great grandfather. He and his wife Sarah (Belden) Burt were forced to endure a terrifying and unthinkable ordeal during the winter of 1704. In this blog post, I will share their story. I will admit ahead of time, that a large part of the information…
Tom Orlando McKenzie (February 13, 1960 – November 6, 2014) Every Father’s Day is special. A day to show your father how much you care. This year is very tough for me because this is the first Father’s Day that my dad Tom McKenzie will be spending in heaven. There…
We have all probably heard that we look just like…. (fill in the blank with a member of you family). One of the things I find so interesting in my genealogy research is old photos and especially, finding the similarities between living members of my family and those that have…
I referenced a photo I found of a lilac bush, in a previous blog post called Road Trip Through Our Family History. In today’s blog post, I will share with you the beautiful and sad story about the planting of this bush and the continued impact that it has had on…
Newspaper article about Vera Royer I come from a line of very strong and determined ancestors, of that I have no doubt. So, in honor of June being the month for graduations and to honor these members of my family, today I would like to share their graduation stories! All…
I referenced a photo I found of an old water pump that sits on the original of the McKenzie Schoolhouse, in a previous blog post called Road Trip Through Our Family History. In today’s blog post, I will provide additional details about the McKenzie Schoolhouse and it’s wonderful history and connection to my McKenzie family. Jeremiah McKenzie and…
