Most of my life, until I was a teenager, I hadn't heard anything about my biological great-grandparents. In fact, I assumed another couple (William Jesse Darby & Janet Elizabeth Solomon) were my great-grandparents for years, when in fact, they were the people lucky enough to raise my paternal grandfather (them below). It wasn't until my... Continue Reading →
I don't know if this happens to you, but every so often when I'm researching for myself (or clients), I come across something that makes me giggle and have to share with my followers. This one was too perfect not to. This is the story of Daniel Goodyear who lived in Cumberland County, Pa. during... Continue Reading →
With another Valentine's Day on its way (tomorrow!) and the idea of love, romance and relationships in the air, I've decided to share some of my favorite photos of couples that I've found in my research. This may surprise some folks as I've gone through a divorce in the last year and I've had people... Continue Reading →
As is the case in most history, the indentured, the women, and the minorities seemed to be all but forgotten. In many of these cases, I aim to bring their stories back to life, and today's story is no different. Just a few days ago, I received a package from my dear mama, containing some... Continue Reading →
It's that dreaded P-word, polygamy. A word that many genealogists groan at and those of particular persuasions try to pretend it didn't happen. But it did. Polygamy (in the United States) was practiced by early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) from 1852 to 1890 when it was officially discontinued... Continue Reading →
A couple of weeks ago, we bought Part 1 of the biography of Susan Elizabeth Bench. Today we are feature part two of her biography, written by her own hand. We last left off when Susan's mother, Maria Watson Kirby had passed away. In this section of her biography, we learn more about her father's... Continue Reading →
A couple of weeks ago, I shared the story of Susan Elizabeth Bench, the polygamist who escaped to Mexico after being arrested for the crime of bigamy. Today, we bring you more from Susan, but instead of a first-person narrative story written by myself, we bring you the words of Susan herself, taken from her... Continue Reading →
Author's Note: This is not an actual letter from Susan Elizabeth Bench to her grandchildren but a historical narrative based off facts from Susan's life as noted in her biography. My Dearest Grandchildren, I write you this letter to clarify some of my life as you have asked. The stories of my life I would... Continue Reading →
Note:Ruby Walker Smith did not actually write this letter, but I am presenting the information in a way that lends itself to storytelling. My Dear Readers, I wanted to take this precious time I have been given in my short life to tell you a little bit about what trials and tribulations I went through... Continue Reading →
The core of my genealogical research is transcription, and I've even built a business around it (Life Stories Transcription Services). So when I get to see images of original handwriting or journals my historian senses get to tingling and I just have to share with my readers. Today's images come from the statement of Hyrum... Continue Reading →
The Hipster Historian 