Welcome to Family Finds

An Adventure in Genealogy

In addition to stories about my ancestors, I share tips for conducting online family history research.  Genealogy is a great pasttime, join me on my journey to uncover and document my ancestors lives.

Family Collage

Curious

I am curious, how do others research common surnames. I am working on: Smith, Gilbert, Russell, and Gillespie. Another I am researching has a number of spelling variations. What techniques are successful when it comes to common surnames?

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Another Favorite Photo

I looked through my box of old family photos to find a previously not scanned photograph worthy of being a favorite photo. At the very bottom of the box, I discovered a large photography studio folder with a charming image inside that is now a favorite photo.

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Foundations

My research foundations for 2022 are to put names on thirteen of my 64 4th great-grandparents who are brick walls. I do have strong clues for several, and I will prioritize my efforts with those.

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Future

For 2022 I plan on doing more research, specifically focusing on my 4th great-grandparents who are brick walls. I still plan to participate in Amy’s challenge, but I will document my brick wall research for many of the weekly prompts. Even if they do not precisely match the prompt.

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Holidays

I made a holiday photo collage and labeled each with a letter. I asked my family to match the holiday photo to the years I provided.

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Lines

In genealogy, we speak of lines as our descent from a particular ancestor. In Euclidean geometry, a line has no dimension: no breadth, and no defined length. Does that mean genealogical lines are not lines but segments or rays?

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Homemade

My father really enjoyed making things: wood, metal, textiles, and electronics. This week I share a few of his homemade projects. Many of these homemade items are still in use, or on display, yet today.

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Strength

I sometimes wonder at the personal strength my ancestors must have had to face the many adversities in their lives. Particularly when I discover the death of a spouse or child. I suspect many found strength through their faith and the practical aspects of their lives.

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Thankful

What am I thankful for? Many things, but here is a brief list presented in a (hopefully) clever way to satisfy this week’s prompt.

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Frank Takeo Flucawa

Born Takeo Furukawa on 15 March 1883 in Tottori-Ken, Tokyo, Japan, little is documented of his early childhood. Family oral history stories say that the young Takeo experienced hunger, poverty and the loss of his family. Additionally, the stories tell of friendship, spiritual learning and scholarship.

David L. Osborne: His Indianapolis Homes

My great grandfather, David Louis Osborne, lived at over 20 addresses around Indianapolis between 1876 and 1942. I thought it would be interesting to see all the old buildings and homes where he lived in my hometown of Indianapolis.

The Marriage of David and Jennie Osborne

My great grandfather, David Louis Osborne (1848-1942), was a widower with two young sons in 1886 when he married Jennie Warbington (1857-1918) in Minneapolis on the 27th of May. I decided it was time to put sources to the story.

Do You See A Resemblance?

While working on a family photo project I decided it would be fun to compare side-by-side my father and his parents, at similar ages, to try and discover a family resemblance.

Probate of Jesse King 1868

Jesse King was born in Ohio (probably in the vicinity of Chillicothe) in 1805, he was a son of Philip King and Mary Leah Wright, both of Pennsylvania. Philip King was a farmer, he married Leah Wright in 1801 in Somerset, PA, they had six children, of whom Jesse was the third.

Letter from Sarah Tucker Lafary

A handwritten letter from Sarah Tucker Lafary to the then president of the United States, Grover Cleveland. It was her last appeal for a War of 1812 pension, sadly the pension was denied. The letter gives a glimpse of a woman who had no formal education, a poor farmers wife, then widow, mother of nine, she probably just wanted some independence through an income of her own.

Sarah Smith: Challenge

52 Ancestors, in 52 Weeks – Week 2: Challenge
So much about genealogy research is a challenge, perhaps the most common challenge is the ‘brick wall,’ meet Sarah Smith. 18?? – 1846

Laferre to LaFara: Unusual Name

The surnames in my tree are typical of common western European names. However, the name that is unusual among these names is MY surname: LaFara.

Luella Pressell: Surprise!

52 Ancestors, in 52 Weeks – Week 6: Surprise!
Just when you think you know everything about an ancestor, surprise! I thought I knew most everything about my paternal great grandfather David L. Osborne, 1848-1942.

Rumple Family Photo 1895

For all of us who are procrastinating about labeling photos I have one thing to say, “Be considerate of the genealogist of the future!” My maternal grandmother was very good about labeling old family photos, and there is one, in particular, I found very informative.

Conrad Rumple: Bachelor Uncle

52 Ancestors, in 52 Weeks – Week 10: Bachelor Uncle
My uncles are the marrying kind, sometimes more than once!
I had to go back four generations for a bachelor uncle, my great-great-great uncle Conrad Rumple, 1833-1911.
Conrad was an older brother to my great-great grandfather on my matrilineal line, William Rumple, 1839-1912.

George Lafary and Catherine Landon: Large Family

My great-great grandparents, George Lafary and Catherine Landon, had a relatively small family, three of their six children survived to adulthood. However, they both came from large families of nine siblings and nearly all survived to marry and have children.

In The Paper

52 Ancestors, in 52 Weeks – Week 13: In The Paper
It’s fun to find articles in the paper mentioning one of my relatives. Mostly they are birth, marriage, divorce and death events. But, it’s the oddball articles in the papers I like the most.

Genealogy Brick Walls

52 Ancestors, in 52 Weeks – Week 14: Brick Wall
We all have a brick wall, that one ancestor who defies all research. I decided I would work at my brick walls by generation, I broke through the last of my 3rd great grandparent brick walls, now I am working on 4th great grandparents.

Catherine Landon: Out of Place

I realized I did not have a date of death for my great, great grandmother, Catherine Landon Lafary. A fresh search uncovered the date and much more. Out of place, but once discovered, everything fell into place.