How are Eve Hendrickson, Mary Adams and Catherine Devall Related?

I find it particularly important to trace our female ancestors. Anyone who has done genealogical research knows how hard that can be. Many times a marriage record or other record simply don't exist that might tell us who her parents are. But these women were our grandmothers and great-grandmothers, and they deserve our attention. DNA … Continue reading How are Eve Hendrickson, Mary Adams and Catherine Devall Related?

The Proven Children of Peter Snook and Elizabeth Simmons of Lafayette, Sussex, NJ

All hail the bachelors, spinsters and couples who never have children! These people, when they die, often leave their estates to their siblings and cousins, and through these estate records, family trees can be re-created. Often, it's the un-researched people who never marry or never have children who are the real treasures of genealogy work. … Continue reading The Proven Children of Peter Snook and Elizabeth Simmons of Lafayette, Sussex, NJ

Tracing the lineage of Thomas Woollen Sr and Elizabeth Pagan Woollen of Dorchester County, MD

How do you figure out family relationships when there aren't marriage records, family bibles, or a full set of probate or census records? The answer is land records. In my case, I was trying to find the parents of Mary Woollen who married William Webster in 1834, Washington, DC. I found their 1840 and 1850 … Continue reading Tracing the lineage of Thomas Woollen Sr and Elizabeth Pagan Woollen of Dorchester County, MD

The 1834 Will of Lydia Shores McClenen

I love solving a 200-year-old mystery! In the 1907 Descendants of Benjamin Chamberlain book, the author writes that Gabriel Chamberlain married Mary Ann McClenen, and Susan Chamberlain married John McClenen. These marriages would have taken place in the 1830s somewhere around Jefferson Township, Morris County, NJ, but no one seems to know who this McClenen … Continue reading The 1834 Will of Lydia Shores McClenen

The Different Williams Families of Sussex County, NJ

It can be very difficult to research your family when it includes a common surname like Williams. In my case, it's the Samuel H. Williams family who lives in Walpack and Frankford townships in Sussex County, New Jersey from about 1840 to 1890. Samuel's daughter, Hannah, marries Robert H. Snook. It's a mistake to assume … Continue reading The Different Williams Families of Sussex County, NJ

1755/1756 Indian Raids in Monroe, Pike and Northampton Counties in PA

During the French-Indian war, the countryside was often attacked by Indians working in alliance with the French Canadian colonial government against the British-owned colonies. These excerpts primarily from The Pennsylvania Gazette and The Maryland Gazette, but these stories are run in many of the major newspapers, including some in England. While it mentions "Northampton County," … Continue reading 1755/1756 Indian Raids in Monroe, Pike and Northampton Counties in PA

Finding the Parents of Elizabeth Walker Allen

My Walker and Allen families in Baltimore, Maryland have been a mystery to everyone. Isaac Allen and Elizabeth Walker marry on December 31, 1834 in the First Methodist Church in Baltimore (aka "Lovely Lane Church.") They are my third great-grandparents. I did find the parents of Isaac Allen eventually, and I'll write more about him … Continue reading Finding the Parents of Elizabeth Walker Allen