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 pastime, join me on my journey to uncover and document my ancestors lives.
DNA
In the past year, I have had a couple of positive experiences with DNA connecting me with previously unknown cousins. And that has been fantastic.
Brick Wall
We all have a brick wall, that ancestor who defies all research. Thirteen of 64 of my 4th great-grandparents are brick walls. Can you help with breaking them down?
Great
Meet my 19 great aunts and uncles. I mostly know them from my research. But each was great, in their own way.
Music
Is music in the family? I consider surnames on my family tree that are shared with notable musicians.
Loss
What was the impact of the loss of a wife in the mid19th century? My 3rd great grandfather was left to care for two very young children after the loss of two wives by 1850. He was a farmer and laborer, how did he cope?
Fortune
While collecting sources for an ancestor, I found strong contradictory evidence against her being my ancestor. What good fortune this prompt came along! It has led me to find this misinformation and correct the record.
Name’s the Same
While researching my maternal grandparent’s lineages, I recognized several surnames in common. With the name’s the same, were they some sort of distant cousins?
Multiples
Do you ever wonder why some families have multiple sons, while others have multiple daughters? I do. My curiosity led me to research describing a likely genetic explanation.
Power
In 1941 an electric power company built hydroelectric dams on the Holston River to produce power. In the process, they displaced many Tennesseans, alive and dead. My ancestors were among the dead.
Unusual Source
While researching a 5th great grandfather, I discovered him in an unusual source, a diary of a historical figure I had never before heard of, Herman Husband.