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Bless Your Research with Church Records

Claude Monet 's Street in Sainte-Adresse (1867) famous painting. Original from the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel. "Most family history researchers turn first to civil records to begin the documentation of important events in an ancestor's life. These are frequently accessible, often digitized, and usually can be found on major websites such as Ancestry or FamilySearch. Church records, on the other hand, are a sometimes overlooked resource that can greatly enhance your genealogical research. They can fill in the blanks in your ancestor's timeline and have other benefits as well." Read more about the benefits of church records, tips on finding them, in my article "Bless Your Family History Research by Delving into Church Records." The article was published in the September 2024 issue of Stirpes, and is available here by permission of the Texas State Genealogical Society.  Be sure to drop a comment on church re...
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So Many Stories to Tell

Young Thomas J. "Tommy" Kozlina and my mom Anna Margaret Kozlina.
Friends,

This past year, I have dedicated much time to my favorite hobby: family history. I have read books, listened to podcasts, attended workshops, and begun again, to research our family lines.

I do so for a variety of reasons, but mainly I am intrigued and excited by the people the research reveals. At first, it was all about the names and dates, and "how far can I get back?" And, while that is still somewhat of a focus (Apparently, we cannot go back to Ireland until I find out where the Casey line is from!), I find more and more that I am just drawn into the stories that emerge, as I find more details of our ancestors' lives.

There's the funny stuff : "Polish Wedding Causes Trouble," is the headline of a newspaper article featuring my great grandmother Margaret McAndrew Gilbride. We'll save that one for another post.

There's everyday life: "So-and-So is visiting their mother this week." The not-so-everyday: "Sleeping Sickness Fatal to Girl."

There are stories which break your heart, and ones that make you nod your head and say, "Oh, so THAT's why..."

There are discoveries of familial likenesses, shared hobbies, tales of travel from abroad, and tales of deeply held American roots. There are railroad men, a hockey player, a prominent blacksmith, several coal miners, a nun and a priest...

Newspaper snippets - the Facebook of the time - recording who visited whom, or who wore what to whose wedding. There are both slices of everyday life and memorable moments in photo. There are bunches of interesting folk, who lived sometimes ordinary, sometimes extraordinary lives.

So many stories to tell. And here in this little space, I hope to share them with you.

Come on along.
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