10 Top Misconceptions About Genealogy

Family Tree Symbol in Rainbow Colors
February 13, 2023

Genealogy is only for people with royal or noble ancestry: This is one of the top misconceptions about genealogy. It can be pursued by anyone, regardless of background or social status. People find it fascinating to learn about their family history and heritage, even if their ancestors were not famous or wealthy. Genealogy is easy: Genealogy can be a time-consuming and complex process that requires a lot of research and patience….

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New Genealogy Website Template

January 6, 2022

I found this cool new template (#255) for my genealogy website (kldewitt.com/genealogy) and have started to update all my settings to make use of its features.  It’s got some really nice picture handling, especially for the front page, and is super fast/responsive. Check it out if you haven’t already visited the KL DeWitt Family Research Project and let me know what you think of the new layout/color scheme. BTW, if…

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That Was Easier Than I Thought

July 2, 2021

This evening, I decided to see if I could find out more about one set of my Danish 4x great-grandparents by looking at their kids’ records.  I figured I could maybe back into some of their facts that way.  It’s worked before, finding a nugget or two in the next generation’s info… First, I tried to find marriage records for their son, Anders Peter Nicolaisen.  I know he was married…

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Another Family Tree Breakthrough!

May 13, 2021

Yippee!  Not only did I figure out who Hans Peder Nielsen’s parents were finally, but today I figured out his wife’s lineage after close to 8 long years!!  That gives me 29 out of my 32 2x great-grandparents’ info…  Just 3 left to figure out to have my first 62 direct ancestors or 4 generations nailed down. My 2x great-grandma’s American records list her as Maren Sophie Jensen in almost…

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Family Tree Breakthrough!

Sankt Peders Church, Slagelse, Denmark
May 5, 2021

Yay!  After almost 8 years, I was finally able to break through a genealogical wall on my mother’s mother’s line. I know they were from Denmark.  However, that side of the family has last names like Nielsen/Nelson and Jensen (think Smith and Jones in America). Trying to figure out which Hans Nielsen and which Maren Jensen are “mine” has been looking for a needle in a Danish haystack (country-sized).  Their…

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Are You Related to a Missing Buffalo Soldier?

March 24, 2021

The 92nd Infantry Division aka “Buffalo Soldiers,” the only African American infantry unit to operate in Europe during World War II, still has 53 men missing/unaccounted for since the war.  The DPAA (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency) would like help identifying them, if possible. In 2014, they created the 92 Infantry Project, but were only able to identify 3 of the men at that time.  The main issue is having reference…

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The Six (Cousin) Wives of Henry VIII

The Six (Cousin) Wives Of Henry VIII
March 10, 2021

A while back, I was researching my father’s line and tentatively discovered one of his ancestors is a “gateway” ancestor: a person with proven Royal ancestry.  In my case, this person is also one of my “immigrant” ancestors. Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, for whom Delaware is named, is in theory, my 10th great-grandfather.  This “link” is based on distant DNA matches to the West family and inferences…

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MyHeritage Deep Nostalgia™ Photo Animator

Dad, Cricket, and Me
March 9, 2021

So, this weekend, I discovered MyHeritage.com’s Deep Nostalgia™ photo animator.  (There went many, many hours playing with that tool.)  It’s fantastic and creepy all at once. I took some old photos of my dad and animated them out of curiosity.  It cleaned them up really nicely – sharpening the focus and making colors more clean/vivid – then made his face come alive.  Certain angles were a bit off, but the…

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