Geraldine, Who are You? – Part 1
[This article was originally published in The California Nugget, Spring 2018 edition.]
Part 1 of 2
Eighteen years ago, my husband and I adopted a baby boy at birth. He has brought much joy into our lives, including the joy of doing his birth family’s genealogy. My son is a Mayflower descendant […]
LGBTQ Genealogy – Part 3
Presentism
I first encountered the term “Present-ism” while reading Thomas MacEntee’s blog. Presentism is the awareness of being cautious not to apply today’s cultural norms to past societies. This principle is relevant to all genealogy subjects and particularly crucial when exploring the lives of LGBTQ ancestors.
Our ancestors did […]
The Apple Tree – A Genealogy Parable
Walking with my husband one evening, we noticed that our neighbors had planted a new tree in their yard. We stopped to admire the trellis and pinned branches. I thought from the leaf shape that it may be an apple tree. I could have continued our walk, but curiosity said […]
LGBTQ Genealogy – Part 2
Speaking Truth
When chronicling the stories of our ancestors, we aim to present the most authentic account of their lives. However, when it comes to LGBTQ ancestors, some family historians express reservations, hesitant to “out” their ancestors or arguing that their forebears chose to keep this aspect of their lives private […]
LGBTQ Genealogy – Part 1
As genealogists, our task involves reconstructing family histories from genealogical records, striving to uncover the identities and life experiences of our ancestors. Marriage and birth records play a crucial role in confirming relationships, essentially revealing the individuals with whom our ancestors shared intimate connections. We are often asking if a […]
Why Six Generations?
When I discovered my son’s biological paternal line connected to Mayflower passengers Francis Cooke and Samuel Warren, I was thrilled and overwhelmed at the same time. I was happy to have made the connection to a seminal historic event while also thinking this was an awful lot of people to […]