Gardner, Massachusetts. A town that can be summed up in one word: quaint. The town proper is just hardly big enough to fit the shops needed to sustain a community — the grocery store, gas station, car shop, etc. Today those roles are filled by a number of business big and small; the town has …
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My Grandmother In most families, people grow up in a warm, engaging, environment. For my grandmother, that was not the case. My grandmother, Edna Archer, grew up in Galveston, TX, with a mother, father, and brother. Her great grandfather was a well-known entrepreneur, William Lewis Moody, famous throughout Galveston and the southern part of Texas. …
Continue reading "Annie Archer: My Grandmother"
Ever since I was a little girl, my dad used to tell me that I was related to Sir William Wallace. I was always slightly skeptical as to how he knew this to be true. However, being too young to know any better, I just assumed he was right. As I grew older, I began …
Continue reading "Sir William Wallace: Scottish and Catholic Hero"
As an orthodox Christian, it came as a bit of shock to me that practically my entire father’s ancestry line was Mormon. This religious dynasty extended to even the founding of what I had previously considered a cult. While it might not seem that I would be thrilled to write about this discovery, after some …
Continue reading "Stephen Fletcher: Mormon Roots, Christian Fruit"
The Inventor Who Almost Did Many immigrants came over to this land with nothing but the clothes on their backs, dreaming of wealth and freedom for themselves and their families. Many claimed that freedom but far fewer claimed the wealth. My own great-great-grandfather, Theodore Lolos, was no different from most others in this regard. He …
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My mother’s side of the family has had several soldiers fight in many different wars over the past 150 years, and their service is something of which I am very proud. Military servicemen have always been regarded as the most courageous and altruistic people in America. Soldiers give up years of their lives to serve …
Continue reading "Connor Woodall: Freedom Fighters"
Nestled at the base of the Appalachian Mountains sits a tiny liberal arts school, Union College. Up until a few weeks ago I had barely even heard of this college, let alone paid any attention to it or imagined its relevance to me. This apathetic feeling quickly subsided when my grandmother told me that we …
Continue reading "Brenna Barber: Leaving a Lasting Mark"
For generations, the Mims have been nothing but simple farmers. They did not move around too much, preferring to stay in the South. We tended small farms, not the stereotypical mega plantations, and led quiet, simple lives. My dad grew up in the small town of Clanton, in Chilton County, Alabama. He lived in a …
Continue reading "Samuel Mims: From Farmers to Engineers"
I have always been curious about my ancestry before this project, but I had never looked into it all that deeply. I was excited to maybe find that I was related to someone famous or had accomplished something great. But there was very little I could find on both sides of my family. There …
Continue reading "Hunter Pollok: Starting a New Life"
I have known for a long time that we Covingtons are a proud family of very creative people, but I did not know that we had a history of engineering. However, the Covington family traces its lineage to Martin van Buren who was a “weekend” engineer at his home in Kinderhook, New York and enjoyed …
Continue reading "Kevin Covington: Creativity in Engineering"
Our class was told we would be writing a genealogy paper, and I thought “great, time to show off how awesome my ancestry is!” My class downloaded ancestry.com to aid us in forming our family trees, and after a call with my mother, I was able to witness the magic of the website. Census reports …
Continue reading "Paul Brazie: From Rags to Opportunity"
As I read the clipping from an Akron, Colorado newspaper, I pictured the life of some “Paul Bunyan-esque” American hero or character in an old western: full of danger and adventure. The article followed the adventures of a man who was seemingly pursued by danger as he traveled across the country, and yet he was always one …
Continue reading "John Andrews: A True Fontiersman"
At the turn of the twentieth century, a Jewish family fled Poland in pursuit of change. The family wanted to take a new direction in life and sought the American Dream: the idea of freedom, equality, and opportunity for every American (“American…”). Along with millions of other Jews living in Russian ruled land, my great-great …
Continue reading "Sadie Pudles: A Jewish Family Changing Culture"
The U.S. Civil War is known as the single deadliest war in American history. More American soldiers died in this war than in all of the country’s previous conflicts combined, most likely because the soldiers on both sides were, in fact, American. The war pit state against state, town against town, neighbor against neighbor. For …
Continue reading "Lexa Rains: A House Divided"
It is common for a person’s last name to confuse others when it comes to pronunciation and spelling, as last names often illustrate a family’s original culture. I learned early on from my parents that my last name, Boucher is French. However, I did not learn until I was around twelve that my father had …
Continue reading "Meaghan Boucher: What’s In a Name?"
“Remember that your soldier still loves you,” wrote Ann Hollis’ husband from a training camp in North Carolina as he was preparing to travel overseas during World War II (the picture shown above is one of many letters written to his wife found in the W.S. Hoole Collection). Much like this solider who found himself …
Continue reading "Virginia Wilson: Unconditional Love"
Ever since I was a little girl, I have always been interested in history and learning about the twists and turns our nation took over the years. Living just minutes away from one of the nation’s most incredible museums, the Henry Ford Museum, there were many opportunities to learn about our country’s past. One of …
Continue reading "Stephanie Mitchell: The Police Chief Who Ordered Rosa Parks’ Arrest"
In Hempstead, Long Island sits a church. This church does not boast in size nor exhibit extraordinary beauty. In fact, there may be no reason for anyone outside the congregation to acknowledge its existence. Well, there is at least one other person who would notice the church—that person is me. Even though I have never …
Continue reading "Elizabeth Hymer: The Coming of the Presbyterians"
At the turn of the 20th century, hundreds of thousands “Poles”, more formally known Polish immigrants, flooded the gates of Ellis Island in search of a new dream. In 1910, a Polish man followed in the footsteps of his brother, John Talecki, by traveling to America. John Talecki had immigrated nearly 13 years before …
Continue reading "Jamie Talecki: A Lasting Effect"
As someone pursuing a career in engineering, it was interesting for me to find out when looking into my lineage that some of my ancestors pursued a career path similar to the one that I am currently on. My grandfather and first, second, and third great grandfathers all pursued careers very similar to mine, and they all …
Continue reading "Cameron Murphy: A Legacy of Engineering Entrepreneurs"
My mother’s ancestry traces back to a middle class family living in Paris, the Fremauxs. Following the French Revolution, the Fremauxs searched for refuge from the political turmoil and for an opportunity to build wealth. Napoleon Joseph Fremaux left France with his parents and immigrated to Louisiana between 1830 and 1840. Napoleon, or Leon for …
Continue reading "Josie Herumin: The Riches of Louisiana"
True Alabamians Being born and raised in Alabama, being an Alabamian is close to my heart. I was born in North Alabama before moving to Montgomery as a young child. I lived in Montgomery all my life, before deciding that I wanted to attend the University of Alabama. I have never lived anywhere other than …
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George Washington Truett was a very successful evangelist who preached in most major U.S. cities, went on preaching tours in South America and the Far East, and spoke to U.S. troops in Europe. In communicating his message, he achieved a reputation of a great preacher in the evangelical tradition. George was born on a farm …
Continue reading "Blake Hatchell: The Message and Works of George Washington Truett"
Before I began my research, I was hoping to discover that I was related to someone significant like George Washington, or at the very least, that one of my ancestors made a mark in history. However, I found the story of my ancestors to be very average. After tracing my family history back nearly three …
Continue reading "Rheagan Riggs: A Farmer Family"
Growing up in a Mexican-American family, I have been immersed in our cultural traditions such as visiting panaderías to buy sweet bread and building alters for Día de Los Muertos. I always wondered why my family left Mexico to come to America to be sharecroppers, and why they eventually settled in San Antonio. My great-great-grandfather, …
Continue reading "Elle Fricke: From Sharecroppers to City-Dwellers"
One fall afternoon in 1939, two special passengers climbed aboard The Doodlebug in Montgomery and set off for Tuscaloosa. James Shields Gaskell Jr. and Dorothy Dale, my grandfather and grandmother, happened to sit beside each other on their way back to school. Dot was beginning her freshman year at Alabama, while James was beginning his …
Continue reading "Virginia Jordan: My Love Story Legacy"
As a child I remember attending my mother’s family reunions in Greeneville, Tennessee, and wondering how so many family members lived in such a small town in a rural area. During my ancestral research it became clear that this phenomenon did not occur over night, but rather was the result of almost 300 years of …
Continue reading "Alex Seay: Pairing of Opposites"
My great grandfather, Bill Shaw, was born in 1918 into a poor family of farmers. The Shaw family lived on land they owned and did not have many luxuries in n life. As a result of their poor upbringing, the Shaw family knew the value of a dollar. Around ten years after Bill was born, …
Continue reading "Erin Grubb: World War II and Bill Shaw"
Though I have lived in New Mexico for the past eleven years, I was born in Florida. I spent the first six years of my life there, and I have returned to visit many times since leaving. Despite growing up surrounded by the juniper bushes and red rocks of the New Mexican high desert, I …
Continue reading "Annemarie Lisko: Citizens of the South"
Coming from an outdoorsy family with much interest in boating and engineering, I was pleasantly surprised when I found out who the Karas family really was and how they have influenced my family generations later. Joseph Karas and his entrepreneurial spirits came to America from Austria/Hungary in search of a higher quality life. Catherine, who …
Continue reading "Samuel Beutler: Sailing Through the Times"
Though my family is not particularly outstanding, its manual skill and commitment to “doing it right” make it valuable and unique. My family is originally from Hungary and Slovakia. Michael (from Slovakia) and Mary (from Hungary) Tancak immigrated to America around 1895 and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. Hungary and Slovakia were extremely poor at the …
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Embracing a New Life All of my life I have always believed that I had a unique last name. I understood that I have Italian roots, but was confused because Italian last names typically end in a vowel, such as Esposito or DeAngelo. I was eager to discover whether my family’s last name had …
Continue reading "Grant Julius: Embracing a New Life"
Since the early days of Colonial America, the Sutton family has been one dedicated to spiritual living, beginning with the practice of Quakerism. A Quaker is a member of the Religious Society of Friends, a Christian sect founded in 1650. The central belief of Quakers is the doctrine of the Inner Light. They reject formal …
Continue reading "Emily Sutton: A Spiritual Family"
Although I was only six years old at the time, I can still vividly recall the day my grandfather took me to see my ancestor’s statue in the pristine Statuary Hall of the United States Capitol Building. While at the time, I did not completely comprehend the significance of why my ancestor was honored with …
Continue reading "Caitlin Strohm: The Glick Migration – It’s in My Blood"
Both sides of my family have been in America since the settlement of the American colonies—my mother’s side seeking religious refuge in the Massachusetts Bay Colony circa 1575, and my father’s side embarking on the journey to find economic opportunity in the Carolina Colony. Because my family has been in our country since its birth, …
Continue reading "Eleanor Bowers: An Attitude Change"
In the same cemetery where my ancestors are buried in Heflin, Alabama, countless tombstones without names can be found scattered throughout the graveyard. These unmarked pieces of stone lay above the deceased bodies of Heflin’s black townspeople. While the graves and tombstones of white people were carefully planned, the black people were considered fortunate …
Continue reading "Miller Nelson: From Racism to Sanctification"
It’s always enjoyable to come back from time traveling. If we use our imagination to give life to the memories of our ancestors, we can go back and experience events that they lived, even if we can only experience them to a small degree. The power and abilities of the imagination is just one of …
Continue reading "Chandler Flurry: The Evolution of Familial Resourcefulness"
Often times families find themselves facing adversity, desiring change and a new direction to take their lives. This desire can lead them to all new places, with all new challenges, all new faces, and all new dreams. Sometimes the difficulties people face are unknown to the world, other times they are obvious. This evolution is …
Continue reading "Josh Burgin: Pursuing A New Direction"
America is a melting pot of cultures from German, to African, to Chinese. All Americans besides Natives can trace their lineage to some other country or homeland. Most American’s families arrived into this country during the latter part of the 19th century and faced the challenge of adapting to a foreign culture and finding their …
Continue reading "Carlo Rodriguez: Building a Culture in a New Land"
The Beginning of a Family My great grandfather, Mishell Nassif Milton, immigrated to America from Lebanon at the age of eleven years old in the hope that he could fulfill what he perceived to be the American dream. His version of the American dream was to find a good job and start a family that …
Continue reading "Nikolas Kassouf: The Beginning of a Family"
Samuel E. Littlefield, my great uncle, was born in Alabama in 1920. He was a respected member of his community and workplace. Even though he had no children of his own at the time, he put a poor teenager through college who would not have had the opportunity otherwise. He fought for miners’ rights and …
Continue reading "Blake Barrow: The Void He Left Behind"
Anna Zysblat was born on March 15, 1915 in Hanover, Germany. She had one brother, Morris. They led a comfortable middle class life in this small German town, which was very uneventful until Hitler came to power and virulent anti-semitism led them to want to leave Germany. Anna’s mother and father had siblings in France, …
Continue reading "Linnea Seibel: Escaping Germany"
This picture contains my grandmother, Nancy, the infant in the front row. Dorothy, her mother, is holding her. Sylvester Jr. is kneeling on the right with his father, Sylvester Sr. standing behind. John Zeller, Nancy’s great grandfather, is in the hat in the back. I have noticed that my mother’s side of the …
Continue reading "Tyler Lyons: Creating Success Through Hard Work and Education"
The lives of the Pipkin family have been filled with hard work and industry. They spent their lives working at the shipyard and steel mills. In the 1880s, Baltimore, Maryland was a city filled with immigrants; it was a thriving city thanks to the shipping port. My 2nd great grandfather, Adalbert Pepka, emigrated from Poland …
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“All gave some, some gave all.” Beckoned by Nazi machine gun fire, a Higgins boat haltingly approached the coast of France. Huddled around each other in the vehicle, platoon mates let out a collective nervous sigh. The average age between them is only twenty-six, yet the group of young men was tasked to do something …
Continue reading "Ben Michaels: Some Gave All"
My great grandpa, Leo J Miltner, was an esteemed international surgeon and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons—a professional association of surgeons who pass through rigorous qualifications. His story was very intriguing to me as I have a passion for science, and a great respect for his dedication. Leo was born in Solon, …
Continue reading "Elijah Kuhn: From the Midwest to the Far East"
My grandmother loves to reminisce on her childhood and endlessly tells the legends of the hardworking farmers of our past. Based on my research for this project, I realized the majority of my family tree on both sides had “farmer” listed as their occupation according to census records. My ancestors’ lives were centered on farming …
Continue reading "Breanna Haymon: On The Farm"
Most human beings have an innate urge to expand our horizons, to discover new worlds, and to ease curiosities about the mysterious universe in which we live. As I mature, I have found that this urge intensifies with age; more often than ever, I get caught wondering about new possibilities about where the human race will …
Continue reading "Christian Perkins: Exploring New Worlds"
Throughout my life, I have had a large interest in music. Many of my family members played instruments both before I was born and after. My grandfather on my father’s side of the family even owned a music store and instrument repair shop. The first time that I began playing an instrument was when I …
Continue reading "Tyler Long: A History of Music"
You can never truly discover who you are until you find out where you came from. I have never been very close to my family, and as I have researched my ancestry, I have discovered that I come from a very hardworking and love driven lineage. In 1737, the Walter and Huffman families fled Germany …
Continue reading "Elizabeth Thomas: Patriotism Through Generations"