Family Stories will be a blog about the lives of my shirt-tail ancestors – aunts, uncles, cousins – and I’ve got some good tales to tell. For the Introductory post, I introduced m…| The News from Sonnystone Acres
Archival research company based in Vancouver, Canada. Specialists in land records and genealogy to support Indigenous status. Fediverse address:@KlahanieResearch@mastodon.sdf.org| Fedi.Directory – Interesting accounts on Mastodon & the Fediverse
Trivia question. For whom was Winston Churchill named? If I ever knew, I no longer do. Are you you able to help? —S. F-L, Chicago The post Why was Churchill Named Winston? appeared first on The Churchill Project - Hillsdale College.| The Churchill Project – Hillsdale College
Version française By Ariane Gauthier The story of Sulo W. Alanen begins in the northern Ontarian village of Nolalu, a small settlement outside of Thunder Bay that emerged largely due to the arrival of Finnish settlers in the region. These settlers were … Continue reading →| Library and Archives Canada Blog
How John Farmer, a humble scholar, pioneered American genealogy—and why his Eurocentric legacy faced challenges from Black historians like William Cooper Nell.| New England Historical Society
Version française By Rebecca Murray In 2022, I wrote about researching my great-grandfather’s attendance at the 1936 unveiling of the Vimy Memorial. A year later, I shared another instalment, and now, I’m back with what feels like the conclusion to … Continue reading →| Library and Archives Canada Blog
It was a quiet night in Alanreed, Texas. Perhaps a dog or two barked at the automobile weaving its way down Main Street; cars were still a novel enough sight for the canine population to call attention to each one, … Continue reading →| NEVER QUITE LOST
The largest contingent to arrive in Ipswich from the same village were 15 men and women from Assington, Suffolk, including Thomas French and his family.… Continue reading Thomas and Susan French of Ipswich, and their Sons and Daughters→| Historic Ipswich
By Eilene Lyon My recent genealogical research has included using a new feature available at Family Search, the free genealogy site owned by the LDS Church. They are now using A.I. to search some o…| Myricopia
I’ve been an amateur genealogist since I was a teenager. I started before the internet existed. This was a world where finding a single fact about a not-too-distant ancestor could involve an entire day of hauling huge indexes off shelves, then waiting five days for the certificate to arrive. It was time-consuming and expensive. As I extended lines it became impossible for me to go further as to do so involved trips across the country to churches and local record offices.| Rachel Andrew
The Pykett Methodist School, Penang was a 130 year-old school, part of the Anglo-Chinese School, Penang founded by Rev Benjamin Pykett in 1891, the oldest Methodist School in Malaysia. With a long …| Malaysia 1786 - 1957
By Eilene Lyon Last month I shared some background on my Arbogast ancestors who migrated to Ohio from Alsace, France. Of the Arbogast children who traveled with their parents to America, my 3rd gr…| Myricopia
Norway was invaded by Germany on April 9th, 1940, in a surprise attack. The war lasted until May 8th, 1945. Being 85 and 80 years ago, it will be commemorated in many ceremonies in Norway in the we…| Genealogical research in Norway
We weathered the windy weather well, but it was as scary as any I’ve witnessed. Now we’re on Day 4 of thunderstorms and interminable rain. I am not Inspired… In order to spare you…| The News from Sonnystone Acres
The spectre of “the elements” currently haunts the environmental humanities: this quasi-intuitive idea seems well on its way to replace Raymond Williams’ lamented word “Nature”.[1] Indeed, if “Natu…| Critical Posthumanism Network
Author: Antoinette Seymour, University of Windsor| MOBA
By Eilene Lyon It’s time I shared a bit about a neglected line on my family tree, the Arbogasts of Alsace. They immigrated from a tiny village or commune in the Bas-Rhin department of France called…| Myricopia
I always feel that Evangeline Adams introduced me to genealogy. Her Pluto conjoined my Moon, and as I researched her life, I uncovered many government and church records that provided key information about her. After that, I more easily researched other families as well as my own. Pluto unearths things and can be relentless in its action. It kept me focused on genealogy research for a long time.| Karen Christino
I had an opportunity today to experiment a bit more with using artificial intelligence to create family trees (GEDCOM files) from narrative texts. My goal was to see how much I could limit the AI’s creativity to insert information into the GEDCOM file that wasn’t in my prompt. (Earlier, I had discovered two constraints that … Continue reading AI Genealogy: Text to GEDCOMs: Surprises, Cautions, Discoveries→| Ashe Ancestors
I’ve been an enthusiastic explorer of artificial intelligence-assisted genealogy for the past several months. My 35-plus year interests in linguistics and language, computers and programming, and genealogy and family history converged in November 2022 with the release by OpenAI of ChatGPT to create new possibilities like a supernova creates new elements such as gold, silver, … Continue reading AI Genealogy: Value of Trusted Critics, Skeptics→| Ashe Ancestors
I enjoyed and recommend yesterday’s livestream “Genealogy & AI: Unlocking Family Secrets” by FindMyPast, featuring Jen Baldwin interviewing Blaine Bettinger. The discussion delved into the potential of AI and chatbots like ChatGPT in the field of genealogy. However, as with any powerful tool, there are potential pitfalls that genealogists should be aware of when using … Continue reading AI Genealogy Tip: Don’t Get Burned by Spicy Autocomplete→| Ashe Ancestors
Highlights: I love newspaper archives. I love them so much that I keep paid subscriptions to at least three major vendors (and perhaps others I’ve forgotten I’m still paying for), not to mention my love for Chronicling American, DigitalNC, and other free state and national newspaper archives. But as researchers know, one of the most … Continue reading AI Genealogy Use Case: Cleaning-up OCR Text→| Ashe Ancestors
How to Extract Information from Text Sources Using Artificial Intelligence Three examples: obituary, wedding announcement, newspaper article After my discoveries last week that ChatGPT (model GPT-4) can: (1) create, read, and correctly interpret GEDCOM files, (2) create narrative reports based only on GEDCOM data, (3) match narrative style to location and setting of text, and … Continue reading AI and Genealogy: Using ChatGPT to Glean Info from Obits, Articles, and Announcements→| Ashe Ancestors
GPT-4: A Revolutionary Tool for Genealogists and Family Historians Introduction I had fun making a couple of discoveries this week while exploring the new GPT-4. As someone with lifelong interests in the worlds of linguistics, language, computers, programming, writing, storytelling, genealogy, and family history, it has been surreal to see these interests come together, creating … Continue reading Artificial Intelligence and Genealogy: Using ChatGPT to Write Stories from Family Trees, Creat...| Ashe Ancestors
In my SLIG 2023 class today in Evidenced-Based Writing (Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy), we were in a session on writing preparation and organization, so when we were given ten minutes to try an organizational exercise, I thought I’d see what ChatGPT could do in ten minutes. I’ve been working on a research project for … Continue reading Genealogical Evidence-based Writing, Organizational Brainstorming, and ChatGPT (OpenAI’s artificial intelligence)→| Ashe Ancestors
[I took five genetic genealogy courses in 2022, most focused on endogamy, pedigree collapse, and multiple relationships. Nicole Dyer at Family Locket asked me to share something about that. This post focuses on visualizing complex relationships, such as multiple instances of pedigree collapse and multiple relationships in one DNA match (e.g., between two close cousins). … Continue reading Visualizing Complex Relationships: Working with Pedigree Collapse, Multiple Relationships, and Endogamy→| Ashe Ancestors
To narrow the scope of a researcher’s task, overlaying an enumeration district map on top of a modern street map may enable the researcher to focus their line-by-line browsing of census page …| Ashe Ancestors
Readers interested in this post may also want to know about: "Quick Update on AI 'Reasoning' Models as OpenAI Releases New o3 Variants" (31 Jan 2025).| AI Genealogy Insights
På Minikurset på Riksarkivet 26. oktober 2024, ble følgende lenker presentert av Liv Birgit Christensen. De vil hjelpe deg i å finne nødvendig informasjon i Norge om… Read more "Emigranter i familien – de som reiste til USA eller Canada"| Genealogical research in Norway
I think that when presenting one’s genealogy, it is important to tell a rich story. Who were our forefathers? What were their lives like? What impacted their… Read more "I manns minne – memories"| Genealogical research in Norway
Consider how over 50 years of genealogical research has and will continue to tell the story of our Hagenbuch family.| Hagenbuch Family
Explore details about the Hagenbuch relatives of Judy Hymes, as they are added into the Beechroots genealogy database.| Hagenbuch Family
By way of an occasional post, this is an illustration of why you should never give up on a brick wall. Many years ago I discovered the wonderful Augier sisters, their name recorded sometimes as Hosier, and the name of the father who freed them in his Will was John Augier. He was that mystery … Continue reading Never Give Up – seeking John Augier» The post Never Give Up – seeking John Augier appeared first on A Parcel of Ribbons.| A Parcel of Ribbons
My great uncle used to tell me stories about my great-great grandfather, William Miller, who grew up in Speyer, Germany before immigrating to the United States. He had been an altar boy in the city’s Romanesque Cathedral and considered studying to become a priest. He was drafted into the military of the newly formed German Empire, but decided to leave the country after witnessing a Prussian officer …| Journeying Jeff
The annual Swedish genealogy conference was held on the 24th and 25th of August 2024 in Malmo. This conference is bigger than what we are used to… Read more "Släktforskardagarna 2024 i Malmö – a Swedish genealogy conference"| Genealogical research in Norway
Ringerike is a large municipal district in the county of Buskerud. Knowing its history might help you understand what the people think of themselves, their ancestry and… Read more "The rich history of the Ringerike area of Buskerud"| Genealogical research in Norway
As I recently pointed out on BIOPOLITICAL PHILOSOPHY, October 15, 2026, will mark the centennial anniversary of Michel Foucault’s birth, with plans underway to commemorate Foucault in a varie…| BIOPOLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
By Eilene Lyon My 3rd great-grandmother, Abigail “Abby” (Bedford) Jenkins (1801–1882) had seven surviving siblings and one who died as an infant. I’ve written about several of them, as well as abou…| Myricopia
A line is simultaneously a colour, a texture, and a tone: it is the abutting edge of positive and negative, the breaking up and adjoining of two planes, the touching point of autonomous bodies. To …| Critical Posthumanism Network
Perhaps only British readers will be interested in this one. Let’s see. We’re going to visit Masham, our neighbouring market town: population – just over 1000. Main employers: two…| From Pyrenees to Pennines
In this fascinating podcast episode, Dr. Dean Kirby, a historian, journalist, and professional genealogist based in Manchester, England, shares his deep-rooted interest in the Manchester slums. Inspired by his discovery of his ancestor’s history in a Manchester slum, Kirby delved into extensive research, leading to his PhD and the book “Angel Meadow: Victorian Britain’s […]| Maureen Taylor
Episode 6: Claude Projects vs Custom GPTs, Student FAQs, The Importance of Chatting with your Chatbot| AI Genealogy Insights
By Eilene Lyon Evelyn Ethel (Halse) Hansen (1913–1981) Evelyn was the eighth-born child of Mabel Cutting and Guy Halse. According to my great-aunt, she was the “black sheep” of the family who avoid…| Myricopia
Found Photo Project #8 By Eilene Lyon This portrait of actor David R. Young was taken in Boston in 1896. He inscribed it to his mother, who lived in Connecticut (as did he). How it wound up in an a…| Myricopia
Probably the best source for tracing Lizzie Leslie‘s family, both her ancestors and her descendants, is a book by Margaret Leslie Lindner called Campbell of Hastings County, Ontario. Actually, the book’s full name is William and Isabella Masson Campbell of Hastings County Ontario: Their Ancestors and Descendants. William and Isabella were Lizzie’s maternal grandparents. Their […]| The Prices
It can neither be overstated nor stated too often that the covert sleight of hand upon which humanist and vitalist ideologies depend is the very same dissimulation that makes possible unfettered in…| Critical Posthumanism Network
Three of my grandparents died in rather quick succession: my mom’s mother in 1978, my dad’s father in 1980, and my dad’s mother in 1982. I was eight, ten, and twelve. This left my only grandparent, Loyd Linton Brantley. Loyd worked for the Hercules Powder Plant and delivered dynamite for a living.| On An Underwood No. 5
Much work has been done recently demonstrating the presence of people of African origin in the UK for far longer than had previously been thought, notably Miranda Kaufman’s book Black Tudors. I recently came across the extract above in the parish register of Hunsden in Hertfordshire which highlights two more people whose origins would otherwise be … Continue reading Hidden black identities» The post Hidden black identities appeared first on A Parcel of Ribbons.| A Parcel of Ribbons
I owe a debt to Michael Hardy who kindly obtained this much better copy of the image of Robert Cooper Lee from the Christie’s sale catalogue of 27 March 1979. When I call this a ‘lost’ miniature I am sure the owner knows they have it! and I hope they still know who it is … Continue reading Robert Cooper Lee – The Lost Miniature» The post Robert Cooper Lee – The Lost Miniature appeared first on A Parcel of Ribbons.| A Parcel of Ribbons
Some readers will be aware that I am currently studying for a post graduate Diploma in Genealogical, Palaeographic and Heraldic Studies with the University of Strathclyde. I am hugely enjoying the course, but one of the things I have learned is the inadequacy of the way in which, in the past, I have recorded the … Continue reading Family Trees undergoing revision» The post Family Trees undergoing revision appeared first on A Parcel of Ribbons.| A Parcel of Ribbons
In “The Body: An Abstract and Actual Rhetorical Concept”, Karma Chavez critically examines how rhetoric historically privileges certain abstract bodies, i.e. white, cisgender, able-bodied, heterose…| Critical Posthumanism Network
A quick reminder about my book on the extraordinary life of Rachael Fanny Antonina Dashwood who married Matthew Allen Lee, son of Robert Cooper Lee and Priscilla Kelly whose letters feature in A Parcel of Ribbons. You can buy the story of her life from Amazon as a paperback or Kindle. The post The extraordinary Female Infidel appeared first on A Parcel of Ribbons.| A Parcel of Ribbons
Rhetoric and Posthumanism Mehdi Mohammadi “Posthumanism first appears as antithetical, nearly impossible, for rhetoric”,[1] as the former ventures beyond anthropocentric narratives, yet the latter,…| Critical Posthumanism Network
