Family constellations, of all kinds, continue to evolve and change. Our genealogical software options have not kept up with these changes. One of the simplest changes would be allowing for the documentation of same-sex relationships. Yet some programs still do not have functionality for this simplest […]
I am grateful to Jen Baldwin and Eleanor Overthrow-Jones of FindMyPast for the interest in LGBTQ Genealogy. I also thank all the listeners who logged into the live interview on 25 February 2021 or are now watching it on YouTube. On the day of the interview, […]
Last month I wrote about my family constellation. It is unique and complex, but I am not the only one with a unique and complex mix of people I consider family by DNA, by adoption, by step, by fostering, or by choice. To tell a […]
This blog series on LBGTQ Genealogy will now shift focus to genealogical software, both online and offline. Often, for our families, available software doesn’t fit. Software is written hetero-centrically, for a cis male / cis female coupling that have biological children. To demonstrate, I will tell […]
At the 2017 FGS Conference, I was inspired by Judy Russell and her presentation entitled “Rainbows and Kaleidoscopes: Inclusion as a Society and Corporate Genealogical Standard.” Judy, The Legal Genealogist, a well-respected professional holding significant community status, was telling her own industry to become more inclusive of diversity. All our […]
Write your own obituary, because who can do it better than you? Who amongst your surviving relatives will know why you took the life paths you did? Who will have the insight and writing skills to convey to generations to come who you were in life?
As genealogists, we are happy […]
Throughout this blog series, I’ve written about finding clues in the genealogical record that might raise a rainbow flag. Remember the confirmed bachelor or spinster aunt was not by default unlucky in finding a spouse. Perhaps they did have long-term partners but there was no legal record […]
Perhaps an LGBTQ ancestor left behind a collection of love letters like Willa Cather or Charity Bryant. Or maybe there is an existing dairy confessing details of their love life. An ancestor may have been mentioned in a queer organization’s newsletter. […]
I love cemeteries.
I am a taphophile. And maybe you are too.
Taphophilia is “a love of funerals, cemeteries and the rituals of death.” [1] You might also call me a Tombstone Tourist but I like the term taphophile best.
Cemeteries are art, history, genealogy, class, religion all rolled into one. A grave allows a tangible […]
