Felicianno de Mello was almost a lost ancestor. I knew he was my Great Great Great Grandfather from my Great Great Grandmother’s baptismal record. Though I knew that he was born and married in the town of Maia on Sao Miguel Island, I could not find any record of his birth or marriage. I had…
San Francisco Reburial Mysteries Part One
I am not sure why but on October 21st, 1890, my Gr Gr Gr Gr Uncle, Patrick Dolan, paid to have several of his sister’s Kelly kin reburied. They were originally buried at Calvary Cemetery (I am assuming this was Calvary Cross?) and reburied at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma, CA. The cemetery sent me…
Meet My New Ancestor, Michael Dolan
Finally! At long last I get to add a generation to my Dolan family tree. I found a possible entry for my ancestor’s brother, Patrick Dolan, in the Massachusetts Vital Records index at Footnote.com. The date, 1855, seemed a little late. Patrick would be in his 30s by the time he was married, but the…
Blogging will be light
I must apologize for the lack of blog post the last few days. My Dad was hospitalized on Thursday and they still don’t know what is wrong with him. He has COPD which he has been receiving treatment for. But suddenly, he has no breathing capacity when he stands up. Tuesday he will be transferred…
Problem with Names Part 3: Well, We Never Called Her That
Researchers usually don’t get very far before they find an ancestor who seems impossible to find. Many times this is because they are used to calling their ancestor by a certain name when, in fact, they were named something else. Names evolve, shorten, and modernize over time. Taking an ancestor from what everyone called them…