Michael John Neill's Genealogy Website
After three decades of looking, I may have the name of the parents of my oft-married ancestor, Barbara (Siefert) Bieger Fennan Haase Haase. Barbara was born about 1825 in Germany and died in 1903 in Warsaw, Hancock County, Illinois. The name of her parents appear in a state copy of her marriage record from 1882 […]
[opinion alert] Legacy Software had the “World’s Largest Family Tree Chart” at Rootstech in Salt Lake City recently. I wish they’d find a different type of family group to display instead of printing a chart that extends “as far back as possible.” It tends to make some think that the goal of research is simply […]
On 1 December 1864 in Brunswick, Missouri, seventeen-year-old William Lake volunteered for a one year enlistment. He was assigned to the 49th Missouri Infantry. Being a minor, Lake was required to have permission to enlist. His mother, Sharlett[sic] Lake, made her mark on the permission form. Lake’s father was alive and well on 1 December […]
Sometimes when I share news of a family history discovery with someone, they will remark “Isn’t that exciting?” Most of the time I know how to respond to that if I get the feeling they think it is the document that is interesting. Other times I think their excitement is actually some romanticism about the event that generated […]
There’s a military service stone in the Elliott Grove Cemetery in Chariton County, Missouri, for an Elzy Lake. Based upon its appearance, it’s been in the cemetery for some time and has seen its fair share of exposure to the weather. The tombstone picture used in this post was not taken by me. It was […]
I’m pretty certain it indicates that Elzy Lake served in the “Forty-ninth Infantry, I-Mi.” And I’m not understanding why Ancestry.com in its “Union Soldier’s Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865” thought it necessary to truncate the name of the state from which the individual served. Because this makes it look like Elzy served from Michigan. I thought the days […]
Sometimes one record simply begs more questions. That’s the case with the application for a military service headstone for John Ehmen who served in an Illinois unit in the Civil War. There is a lot of information on this application for headstone for John Ehmen: Enlistment date: 12 August 1862 Discharge date: 12 November 1864 Birth […]
We’re reprinting this article I wrote for the former Ancestry Daily News in 2002. It’s still relevant today. Reprint requests should be sent to mjnrootdig@gmail.com. You are welcome to link directly to this article. Cleaning Mother’s House It has been nearly a year since fictional genealogist Barbara passed away. Her daughter Charlene reflects upon that year in […]
