All Blog Posts (3,110)

What's on my mind? So much...ancestry DNA led some search angels and I to my biological father...pure elbow grease and dogged determination led to the identity of my birthmother. I now know where my genetic roots lay. A lovely search angel spoke with my birthmother a little while ago, apparently she's kept up with medical info for me , and asked for my name and number. I'm hoping she does reach out to my little family at some point, if for no other reason than to…

This  morning I got a post from Audrey Stetson from InDepth.  Linkedin.com area for responding.

Audrey posted about Free On line Courses offered by  BYU Independent Study.

Where has this information been?  At least it has been found and exposed.  So I am saying to you all

Free Online Courses - BYU Independent Study

Check this out and take advantage of it.  Some very…

NATIONAL GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300

Arlington, VA 22204-4370

Phone 703-525-0050 or 800-473-0060

Fax 703-525-0052 

Phone: 703-525-0050 ext.…

 Going to try a different approach, this time.  I have three siblings all younger than I am. 

  One sorta interested in genealogy, the rest, I am not sure about. 

  I did learn that they all are somewhat interested in the medical side of our history for themselves or

 for their children.  Why people are not excited to learn about our medical background leaves me dumbfounded.

 Any time we can prevent or forestall having a disease, we owe it to…

My great-great-grandmother was Elizabeth Szilagyi, she was born 11 Feb 1853 (according to the obituary found in a Michigan newspaper).  Her parents were listed on her death certificate as Teme Szilagyi and Ersebet Cauka.  Elizabeth married Sgimond or Zsigmond Bertalan between 1872 and 1874 (census gives her age of first marriage as 20)  in Hungary.  Zsigmond died before 1910 because on the ship record for their son Imre, he lists his mother, the widow Zsigmond…

 The Holiday is here, though our world does not show it.

  Wishing you all the best that we can make it.

  Hoping your Thanksgiving is thankful and rewarding for all that we have.

  Thanks for dropping by, do come by again.

The next few years were spent getting to know people.  There was the day my dad's older sister came to the house.  She was the first one we connected with.  She lived only two hours away.  She didn't tell us her last name or any personal information.  Everyone was scared.  What will they think of us?  Will they want something from us?  And then she walked in the door and 45 years of separation started to melt away - awkwardly at first, but then in front of me I saw a 14 year old girls who…

  Today, Shirley Becker gave a small presentation on phishing. Telling members what damage it can do and what to look for in your emails or phone calls.  Remember a bank will never email you data a Phishing person asks, if in doubt, first always call the bank and ask. I myself have never found the bank to do this and they say it is not their policy  to email you for the types of information Phishing people ask.

  1. You can call your bank and verify if they…

After my dad said "Is it you," there was silence.  I don't think it was probably more than a couple of seconds, but it felt like days.  And then I heard something amazing.  "Oh my God, Terry, how the hell are ya?"  Guess what?  Terry had been in contact with everyone?  For twenty years!  I spoke with Terry that night, which, by the way, was a feeling I can't put into words.  He told me he heard dad say "My name is Jerry," and he didn't hear anything else.  He knew it was his brother.  By the…

  What did I collect as a youth?, is more like what did  I  not collect.  First it was Butterflies. I had 7 boards of butterflies.'

  Then I have always collected rocks, ie gems, minerals and those types of things. I even when an adult learned to cut, 

  polish and mount some of my collection.  Did you know you can once in a long while find a rough diamond at the 

  beach?  My Uncle found on on Stinson Beach in the 1950's.  Therefore I also collected sea…

My dad's next trip was to the Annie Wittenmyer Home.  It had not been an orphanage for many years and had been turned into a library.  Dad walked the grounds and pointed out which dormitory was his and which was his brother's and sisters'.  He reminisced, not fondly, about the house mothers.  They went inside and asked if there was anything left from the orphanage days.  There was one, small file with a notebook in it.  Every year, the home held a reunion for former kids and employees.  In…

I have to start by saying I understand the premise of adoption law.  It protects birth parents, adoptive parents and children.  It has, however, become the bane of my existence.  A very nice lady named Kim, who worked in the adoption office verified that she was looking at my dad's file.  She verified there was information on all seven children.  She read some basic, descriptive information - my grandfather was a tall, angular man -  just enough to leave us wanting more before adoption law…

Fast forward to 2001.  I have graduated from college and moved back home.  I was working full-time.  All of the sudden my dad ends up in emergency heart surgery.  Always a fast healer, he bounced back fairly quickly.  I've always heard that being faced with your own mortality can change your life, but I was hoping he'd quite smoking, eat healthier, etc.  I had no idea his surgery would change his MIND.  One day, out of the blue and very matter of factly, he says "I'm going to find my…

New information has been shared about this lovely family. If you have seen his home in Rhode Island you would be amazed with it's size and quality. He even imprinted his initials in the chimney of the house. You can still see it today.

A distant cousin shared some great information on the JONES lineage from Christopher Jones Jr down and we are looking for other descendants to help fill in the blanks.  

In case you think  you may be related do…

I don't remember not knowing my dad was adopted.  I don't remember an earth-shattering revelation that my grandparents were not my grandparents.  I vaguely remember my dad explaining what "adopted" meant, but it didn't seem like a big deal.  If you asked him, my dad would tell you the very few things he remembered about his siblings and his dad, his grandmother and step-grandfather and that he remembered almost nothing about his mom, except that she was hardly ever around.  Here are a few of…

Contact: Courtney Holmes

Phone: 703-525-0050 ext. 221                                                                                                                   

cholmes@ngsgenealogy.org                                                                                                            …

This is to wish all Veteran's of all services, a Blessed Veteran's Day and life.

Our family is Military orientated since the pre Rev War time, down to current members of today.

Blessings to all.

NEW SOCIETY LAUNCHES at http://surname-society.org

The founder members are delighted to announce the launch of The Surname Society - the online society for individuals,…

Here's another photo from my grandmother's house.  I believe these people where somehow related to my great-grandparents Janos Peto and Esther Liska or maybe just friends. 

My grandmother used to make these amazing cookies for special occasions. They are called Franz Joseph Cookies and supposedly took their name from the famous Emperor of Austria. I’m not really sure the back story on how my grandma got this recipe but it was a family favorite and one that had great pomp and circumstance around the making of the cookies. She resisted giving the recipe to anyone for many years and finally when she was well into her late 80s, she gave me the recipe. When I make…