William S Dean's Blog – April 2010 Archive (6)

Making Haste from Babylon by Nick Bunker is a new history of the Mayflower Pilgrims with in-depth research from apparently hitherto untapped archives. Author Bunker also went to the places prominent in Mayflower history. It's a "non-standard, non-linear" history with promising trivia and anecdotes which shed new insight into the character and actions of the usually lauded and glossed-over reality of these men and women. It's true that "heritage"… Continue

Lately in the chat room here, we've been discussing how difficult it is doing Irish genealogical research. For those who are seeking their Irish roots and hitting brick walls, I thought I'd mention here some of the problems in Irish genealogy.



Census Reports Destroyed



According to the National Archives of Ireland's website http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/, "The… Continue

One of my direct ancestors, William Buckland, came from Branscombe, Devonshire, England, to The Plymouth Colony aboard one of the ships in John Winthrop's fleet of 1630. The records appear to mark him at the time as a servant of Josiah Plaistrow.



According to The Pilgrim Republic: an historical review of the colony by John Abbot Goodwin, (1888):

"The justice of the Bay Colony was curiously shown in 1631. 'Mr. Josiah Plaistow,' for stealing four… Continue

For many, our brick walls can come tumbling down by using online sources separate from "the usual suspects", i.e. ancestry.com, Family Search, etc. Obscure, hard-to-find, and out-of-print books covering a wide variety of genealogy, history, and specific family histories can be found at online sources. Here are a few that I have found very useful. Perhaps you will, too.



Open Library. Link: www.http://openlibrary.org



Open Library is both an… Continue

Before you get upset, this post is not about politics and faith, but about genealogical clues to ancestors' lives. In my research, I have found the records kept by various church groups to be of immense help in learning about my ancestors' lives and travels. Such records combined with "state" documents, incl. census reports, official land deeds, wills, and court cases are often all we have to go on -- evidence-wise -- apart from word-of-mouth family stories (which may or may not be… Continue

A recent blogger here mentioned something about research findings that make your hair stand on end. I'm wondering how many people have a particular affinity for something, especially historically-speaking, and then later discover in genealogical research that their ancestor was involved in what you show an affinity for. I don't mean talent, like in music or art or something.



Here's an example. Since I was kid, I always liked and felt strongly about the events in the book and movies… Continue