When I was young, writing a will felt like a very adult concept. Colombo episodes, Nancy Drew books and Scooby-Doo cartoons informed my romantic notion that only rich old men had wills to instruct the disposition of their vast lands and priceless fortunes upon death. Their controversial decisions to favor one descendent over another always …
I always wanted to be Irish. Afterall, Lucky Charms was my favorite breakfast cereal. Unlike other kids my age I loved the corned beef and cabbage dinner Mom routinely whipped up for St. Patrick’s Day. I became a rabid Notre Dame Fighting Irish football fan as a young teen. I even picked a four-leaf clover …
One day, I might have been about ten, Mom was cutting carrots in the kitchen. I asked her if my full name was Victoria. I’d had a friend at school whose name was Victoria and she went by the nickname Vicki like me. Victoria sounded so elegant, like a Queen, or like that pretty Victoria …
I didn’t have many pets growing up. I recall having a turtle as a youngster. A stray white poodle, who we named Tuffy, found his way into our family for a few months before we gave him to my great-grandmother. I had the requisite gerbil until, sadly, I found Chewbacca expired in his cage the …
I love to travel. Many years of experience have taught me that a light load is the way to go. My souvenirs are limited to refrigerator magnets and Christmas tree ornaments. I often feel quite inadequate as a tourist when I document $5 of purchases on my customs paperwork upon my return. Likewise, my mom …
Older headstones sometimes yield significant clues for the genealogist by providing a short biography of the interred – similar to one I found in the medieval cathedral ruins of St. Andrews, Scotland. It read: Here Lies the Body of Thomas Halyburton. Minister of the Gospel. He was Born at Duplin Dec. 25, 1674, And Ordained …
Many of us have photos, or more accurately—boxes of photos—that we would like to organize and digitize. The task can seem impossible. It will take time, planning, time, organization, and—did I say time? I have “finished” my digital photo albums. I include quotes because ancestry projects are never finished. There’s always something to add. However, …
I have a family photo from Christmas in 1944 that included my cousin Dorothy and her fiancé Ed. The story great Aunt Evie told me was that Ed died when his plane went down soon after this picture was taken, which was tragic enough, but then flowers arrived for Dorothy after Ed died. My intent …
Many of us have a family story about being related to a famous person, but how many turn out to be true? One of my family stories is that we are related Bing Crosby, but no one knew how. My great Aunt Evie showed me an old letter from Bing Crosby’s Personal Secretary, but it …
Inheritance author Dani Shapiro will be in St. Petersburg on Saturday! Readers of genealogy stories, you must have read her memoir, Inheritance, right? Dani Shapiro’s story, triggered by a DNA test that changes her life, is the latest example of the kind of upheaval today’s technology can bring. Shapiro, author of five memoirs and five novels, …