Uncategorized – tracingthepast

Research Update

It’s been over six months since I’ve posted a family history story. Unfortunately, I wasn’t coming up with any ideas using the prompts provided by the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge (which is not to say it’s not a great project for someone to undertake!). My lack of inspiration, however, resulted in a dryContinue reading “Research Update”

Service

Part of family history research is putting your ancestors into context, which includes looking at what was going on in the world during the time period in which they lived. Understanding the context of your family members’ lives can give you an idea of what events shaped them and help you to “flesh out” whatContinue reading “Service”

Where there’s a will…

For this blog post, I decided to use a different style of writing to tell the story of my great, great grandfather’s – George Francis Howard’s – will. In March 2018, I found his probate file from Alcona County, Michigan, on the Family Search website. Although the record included a Petition and Order for theContinue reading “Where there’s a will…”

Water, Fire, Air, Land*

Alpena, Michigan is located on Lake Huron’s Thunder Bay. The waterways in the area – Thunder Bay, the Thunder Bay River with its tributaries, and Lake Huron – were critical to the development of the area. During the mid-1800s the heavily forested land in and around Alpena attracted the attention of the lumber industry. BeforeContinue reading “Water, Fire, Air, Land*”

Nearly Forgotten

Galusha A. Howard was the sixth and youngest child of Enoch Galusha Howard and Henrietta Walling Howard. He was born on July 5, 1860 in Tioga County, Pennsylvania and died in Ypsilanti, Michigan on August 4, 1941. He has no surviving descendants, no one to research his life as a direct ancestor. I have discoveredContinue reading “Nearly Forgotten”

Strong woman

My great grandmother, Etta Agnes Howard, was born on May 13, 1885, the fourth child of George Francis Howard and Sarah Flewelling Howard. I have not been able to find a birth record for Etta Agnes, so I can’t say with certainty where she was born.[i] When Agnes (her preferred name) was six months old,Continue reading “Strong woman”

Disaster

In 1880, my third great uncle Lafayette Howard was living in the Village of Alcona in Alcona County, Michigan, according to the U.S. Census taken that year. He was 21 years old and, like his older brothers before him, was employed as a telegraph operator. On August 29 of that year, Lafayette boarded the steamshipContinue reading “Disaster”

Prosperity

My great, great, great uncle, Lucien B. Howard (or L.B. as he was often referred to), has been one of my favorite research subjects. Even though he’s not a direct ancestor — he is my great, great grandfather’s older brother, the firstborn to Enoch Galusha Howard and Henrietta Walling Howard – I find the detailsContinue reading “Prosperity”

Favorite discovery

My favorite family history discovery tends to be the one I just made. I’m pretty happy each time I learn something new about one of my ancestors. Recently I connected with a third cousin once removed who sent me some information another cousin had sent him on our ancestor Enoch Galusha Howard. There were copiesContinue reading “Favorite discovery”

Same Name

When I first started researching my great, great, great grandfather, Abel B. Flewelling (also known as Abram B. Flewelling), I looked at all the census records he appeared in that I could find. I requested a copy of his naturalization record and downloaded a copy of his death certificate. I looked at plat maps ofContinue reading “Same Name”