Family History

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Dear Helen

Dear Helen, I am writing to you today to introduce myself as one of your great-great-granddaughters. I have been studying our family’s h...

My Grandfather's Military Service

This spring, I sent a request to the national military archives for the records of my grandfather and my great- grandfather- both of whom...

Dear Morris

Dear Morris, This letter is part of an ongoing project. I have been researching our family’s history for many years now and have really ...

Dear Hilma

This letter is part of an ongoing project. I’ve been researching our family’s history for many years now and have really enjoyed all of ...

What's in a name?

As a family historian, I have spent a huge amount of time searching for names. Names are the keys to unlocking the vast treasures of sto...

Dear Theobold

Dear Theobold, I wonder sometimes what you would think if you knew that your life and the lives of your wives and children have been a la...

Dear Anna

Dear Anna, This letter is part of a new project I’m starting. You see, over the last five or six years, I’ve been fascinated by our fami...

#ThrowbackThursday

Do you ever think about the decisions, promises, friendships, and relationships that have shaped who you are and who your family is? I am...

Genealogy as Time Travel

My deep and abiding fascination with my family's history is a subject that demands far more than one blog entry. So for now, I'll just s...

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Rabbi Rachel Bearman

"True service to God is service to one

another." - Lily Montagu