It's the big "D" word that most of us don't acknowledge or talk about it. Sure, we see divorces in our research and we see court records of what happened between two people, but it's still treated as a hushed subject. It's never pretty, it isn't easy and it certainly isn't something we ever think... Continue Reading →
As much talk as I give to clients and those interested in genealogical and family history research about ancestral DNA tests, up until a few months ago, I had never taken one myself. I figured since my mother, father, and three siblings (two brothers and a sister) had taken it, I knew my ancestry quite... Continue Reading →
Earlier this year I launched the start of my business, Life Stories Transcription Services. It has been a labor of love putting this endeavor together and I have stayed up some late hours deciding if I really wanted to do this. When push comes to shove, it is what I want to do because genealogy... Continue Reading →
Every time I start a new family tree for a client, I marvel at the variety of names and dates before me. Each one of those individuals was an actual person and lived a life. Some of the names are familiar, and others are a bit more unique (like Seattleton). In this post series, I'd... Continue Reading →
This past weekend I had the lucky fortune of attending Death Salon: Seattle put on by the Order of the Good Death. If that name sounds familiar, I've mentioned it before. This event was put on for all of those individuals and organizations that are involved in the #deathpositive movement -- including (but not limited)... Continue Reading →
In our particular field of talking about the dead (genealogy), we have very few conversations about the act of death itself. We tend to wax on about the causes of death, and how long someone lived, but straight talk about death doesn't come easily to many of us. And why would it? In our Western... Continue Reading →
I've always wondered what happened to old and unclaimed photos -- this past weekend I found out. As I was perusing through an adorable little vintage shop in Olympia, Wash., I saw some old photos for sale. Being the genealogist that I am, I couldn't just walk away and I picked the one I felt had... Continue Reading →
Memorial Day is a day of remembrance and I wanted to pay tribute to the men and women who have served our country. I couldn't think of a proper way to do so until I ran across an old posting about pennies on gravestones. It may seem like an odd idea, but leaving pennies on the... Continue Reading →
After moving to Bellingham almost a 10-years ago, this little slice of the Pacific Northwest has become my home away from home. I now consider it my hometown, even though I was born in Utah. It has become my part of paradise and I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. As a genealogist, one of the... Continue Reading →
Happy International Joke Day! As a long time writer, journalist and record keeper, I often come across old entries and rough drafts of online posts or stories that I've written. This particular one holds significance to me as it includes a personal story from when my husband and I first started dating. This prompt came from... Continue Reading →
The Hipster Historian 