How to Request Toys for Tots in Western Pennsylvania 2017

Toys for Tots Pennsylvania

This is our annual round-up of Toys for Tots programs in Western Pennsylvania. I’ve done my best to sort through the available information and provide you what you may need to know. PLEASE click through to the applicable link to doublecheck the details. Some of the Toys for Tots pages are harsh and regimented. Others […]

My Family Story: The Mysterious Life of Sarah Ann Campbell (1871-1907)

I’ve blogged about three of my 2x great grandmothers, all on my paternal side of the family.  Most people have eight 2x great grandmothers, four on the paternal side and four on the maternal. The final paternal 2x great grandma is perhaps the most mysterious of my recent ancestors – her name, I now know, […]

Remembering Things The Wrong Way

Remembering Things The Wrong Way

My mind is sort of stuck in low-gear these days, so I’m using blogging prompts to plow through while creating content. Write about a time you realised you were mistaken. I have a very clear and distinct memory of the first time I remember an adult in my family dying. My maternal grandfather had died […]

The Story of My Life: Coping With The Dark Tales That I Can’t Explain

The Story of My Life: Coping With The Dark Tales That I Can’t Explain

Content Note: Catholic priest sexual abuse, sexual assault I’ve learned not to say ‘well, it can’t get any worse’ when it comes to genealogy. Knowledge is power and sometimes learning the truth about your ancestors (and living family) can be harmful. Nonethless, it is truth. It is the story of my life. I have over […]

Robert E. Lee Was a Cousin of Mine

This weekend, a lot of rhetoric flowed exhorting us to respond to a horrifying display of white supremacy in Charlottesville, Virginia. One thing that resonated with me was the exhortation by some of my black friends to me, as a white woman, that I need to collect my people. The only people who should be […]

My Family Story: The Unknown Legacy of Anna Gottheld (1874-1949)

Perhaps that is her story, her legacy even. She like so many women in history are lost to us in terms of details, but real to us in terms of having actually been here and part of the tapestry of our lives. She existed in all of her unrecorded, complicated and stark reality. Her legacy is real even if the details are shrouded. Perhaps this post will unearth more details or perhaps it will simply honor the life story that we know.

Rest in power, Grandma Annie.

My Family Immigration Story: The Short Life of Sadie Butler (1872-1922)

I first learned about Sadie Butler in the early 2000’s when I sent away for the Catholic Diocesan records of my paternal great-grandfather whom I (erroneously) believed was Irish Catholic. To my surprise, I learned the Irish Kerr’s were Protestant via the marriage information of my second great-grandparents, John K Kerr (1869-1908) and Sarah A […]

#AMPLIFY LGBTQ Families, 40 Parents Share Their Experiences

Once again in honor of the 12th Annual Blogging for LGBTQ Families Day, I am sharing #AMPLIFY posts from parents, step parents  and grandparents and other caretakers of children.  Blogging for LGBTQ Families Day is meant to bring together people who are LGBTQ as well as our families and allies. It’s a celebration of LGBTQ families […]

My Family Story: The Hatfields and The McCoys

Hatfield Family

There are two parallel learning tracks with researching my family tree. First, I learn about the actual people to whom I am related – their names, occupations, where they lived, how they died, and sometimes even more details. The second track is the broader scope of historical facts that tie directly into their individual experiences. […]

My Easter Memories: Reflections on Faith, Food and Frightful Bunnies

Just some random Easter memories. What comes to your mind this time of year? As children, we had designated baskets. Mine was a big wicker style with a floppy yellow bow. My brother had an Easter cart that my father had used in his childhood. Options to hide were somewhat limited in our ranch style […]