#genealogy #familyhistory #podcasts

52 Ancestors – Week 22- At the cemetery

/ Chiara / Leave a comment

So it seems like when life gets busy the blog is the first thing I let go. Oh well I am only behind 8 weeks or so.

I had my first taste of researching in cemeteries back in my preteen years, I was probably 11 or 12. I spent summers with my grandparents in Clinton County and my grandma was bit by the genealogy bug. We would spend a lot of time going to different cemeteries in Clinton and Essex Counties. I remember vividly even heading down to Rensselaer County and Valley Falls. My grandparents had a great way about them of getting people to tell them stories.

Until this day I still find outdoor cemeteries to be insanely peaceful. One of my favorite cemeteries is the Baker Burying Ground in Clinton County, NY. One of my Revolutionary War Patriots is buried there. Bezaleel Wood.

Cemetery stones and plots tell so much about families and can give you hints into their life and status. I have recently started visiting cemeteries here in NYC. I do not have huge amounts of Family buried here but my husband does and I have started researching his family in the past few years. I also took pictures of my Sister-in-laws family and boy that stone shocked me. I am excited to visit a couple cemeteries in Brooklyn and find the various relatives of my husband.

52 Ancestors – Week 18 – Road Trip

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So I have decided my goal by the end of July is to be caught up on the 52 ancestors challenge. I am about 8 weeks behind which isn’t too bad. Especially since June is such a blur.

Week 18’s prompt was all about a Road Trip. While I am sure my ancestors traveled. I recently went on a road trip to Clinton and Essex Counties in upstate New York. This trip was primarily to say goodbye to my Aunt Sheila but did also involve some genealogy.

I visited the Central Cemetery in Jay, NY where I was looking for my Sarah Knowlton Coolidge and the skies opened up on me so I did not find her, sadly.

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I also visited an old favorite of mine Gilliland Cemetery on the Lake Shore Road and I finally was able to visit with my Beloved 2X great grandmother – Sarah Larkin Beardsley.

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The other place I visited was the Clinton County Surrogate’s Court. What a fun trip that was and I have so many documents to transcribe. I haven’t even started but I have also started using Family Search to get the wills that go with the probate packets I have so I can better interpret the data.

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This is going to be a long process to get all the facts together but I know in the end I will be a better genealogist for it.

Sadly I did not hit the Essex County Surrogates Court so there may be another Road Trip in my future as I have a few probate records from there I am looking for.

New Podcasts..

/ Chiara / Leave a comment

I want to post about a couple of new podcasts I have stumbled upon as they have made a huge impact on me.

Number 1 has to be Spit from I Heart Radio and 23 and me. It explores identity with experts and celebrities.

Number 2 is from Amy Johnson Crow called Generations Cafe there are 3 episodes out there. I love Amy’s 52 Ancestors project even though I am woefully behind but I love what she is trying to do.

Number 3 is A Journey Through the Generations, I stumbled upon this one and it is a husband and wife team sharing tips and tricks.

I am a huge proponent of personal development so a lot of my car time is listening to podcasts. I believe we should always keep learning.

Hope to post here a little more often than I have now that school is back in session.