Genealogy
Family research, records, and stories spanning generations
Nine Weeks on the Bark "Erna"
At the docks of Bremerhaven, a port about 30 miles from the town of Bremen by train, on October 25, 1870, the noise was loud and overwhelming. Ships came in and out, and passengers jostled among merchants, dock hands, and ship crews. Many passengers lined up with their few belongings to board ships. One man, his wife, and their children were part of this crowd: Martin Zapalač (42), his wife, Marianna [Mary] (39), and their children, Johann [John] (7), Rosara [Rosalie] (3), and Johann (age not st
Three Cultures and a Wedding: San Fernando Cathedral
By the time Alejandro and Carmen exchanged vows there, San Fernando Cathedral had already witnessed nearly two centuries of people arriving from elsewhere and calling San Antonio home. Founded by families from the Canary Islands, the small parish church built its first walls in 1731 and was initially called Villa de San Fernando de Béxar. Then Mexican, then American hands rebuilt it after war, fire, and flood, layering a Gothic-revival face over its eighteenth-century Spanish masonry without los
James Cole & Coles Creek: Family Tradition Meets the Records
Was Coles Creek named after my ancestor James Cole? That is the story handed down in my family, but as a genealogist and family historian, I want to get the facts straight, and that meant locating sources and documenting my findings and conclusions. Coles Creek is a natural waterway in present-day Adams and Jefferson Counties, Mississippi. Family tradition, Camilla T. Denys's Cole Foot Prints, and several online family trees associate the creek's name with James Cole (1732-1794), husband of Mar
A Widow's Second Wedding: At Her Father-in-law's House Twice?
On February 19, 1857, a Methodist minister named Joel Turrentine traveled out to a home in Union County, Arkansas, to perform a wedding. The groom was William R. Morgan, about twenty-five. The bride was recorded simply as "Mrs. Sarah McCullar," also about twenty-five.
Worm Gruntin' and Family Roots - Searching for Emily in Sopchoppy, Florida
If you know where Sopchoppy, Wakulla County, Florida, is... well, you must either live there or live nearby, since it is not a very big place or known for having many famous people from the area. However, there is one thing that it is famous for, charming worms [Yes, you heard that right!] out of the ground during its annual American Worm Gruntin' Festival. It sounds like fishing must be really popular around there, eh? However, for me, Sopchoppy is famous as the place where my 2nd Great-grandmo
Maryland, Antietam, and a Possible Ancestor's Fate
I've been to Maryland several times — some trips purely for pleasure and sightseeing, others for genealogy research. One of the places we visited that has stayed with me is the site of the Civil War Battle of Antietam, also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg. Many of the young men who woke up that morning were also in Maryland for the first time. But they were not there for pleasure — they were there for war, and for many, for death. At this point, I have not confirmed any ancestors who fought i
Easter Lilies, April 5, 1942
This Sunday, April 5, 2026, is Easter! In the South, children wake up and see what the Easter Bunny brought them. In their Easter basket, small chocolate eggs or perhaps a large chocolate bunny can be found with other candy such as jelly beans and marshmallow Peeps. It is the time that Christians celebrate the resurrection of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. People come to church dressed in their best clothes to hear the priest or pastor speak about eternal life, forgiveness, and spiritual r
Did the Georgia Wilkinson County Courthouse Have a Curse on it?
The bane of genealogists and historians is courthouse burnings, especially those in the South. I wanted to stop by the little town of Irwinton to follow up with some possible genealogical research at the local library and historical society. I already knew about the Wilkinson County courthouse fire in 1924, but I had not realized just how many there had been. How could this county be so unlucky! But there might be a chance that there were some remnants of my McCullar and Pace families who had se
Leaving Minonk
The Eiben Family and the Road to Texas In the 1880s and 1890s, Minonk, Illinois, sat at the junction of multiple major rail lines. The city of Minonk, located in Woodford County, also had numerous new German immigrants who had come to work in the coal mines, supply lumber to the booming city of Chicago, or farm the surrounding area and nearby lands in LaSalle County. We had decided to detour to LaSalle and Woodford Counties to research my mother-in-law's family, the Eibens. Her great-grandfa
From a Secret Bunker to the Wilderness Road: Why Context Matters
Several years ago, my husband and I were with a group of businesspeople staying at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. I really had not heard much about this place. Looking up their website, I saw that it was a resort built around the area's natural mineral springs, whose mineral-rich waters had been used for medicinal purposes by wealthy Virginians since the 1830s. The Allegheny Mountains served as the backdrop, with the large historic "white" building as the resort's