100 post! Over 2900 views! So proud of my blog!

In Febuary of last year, I had this crazy idea that I should start a blog.  I wanted to share all of the cool stories I had found about my family.  

I had no idea what I was getting into.

This blog has turned into my favorite (other) job.  I can't wait to come across something new in my family tree, so I can blog about it.

Here are some of my favorites.....(In no particular order)

1. My grandpa: This post is one of my favs because it's a cool picture & fun facts.
2. Siblings from the heart: I like this post because of the awesome baby picture of Aunt Pal & Uncle George.
3. What happened to Leslie Gatton?: I spent so much time looking at articles about this post.  It was sad & interesting.
4. Why did she raise her siblings?: This one is on the list mainly because it's one of my biggest research brickwalls.
5. Alfred & Bessie's boys: I love this post!
6. All about me:  It's about me.  Enough said.
7. Henry Wickliffe-insane or sick: I learned a lot writing this post.
8. 1790 mulatto 2014 biracial:  This post made me more aware of how to search genealogy with African American heritage.
9. It's my mom: I think this will always be my favorite post of all times.
10. The murder of Elliot Wickliffe: This is the first post researched over a long period of time.  It took awhile to put the story all together.  I hope I came close to what really happened.

I could go on & on about my favorites, but I would love to know which post you liked.

Leave a comment & keep reading about our family.

The second time was the charm: Aunt Pal & Uncle Eddie's anniversary article

I found another great article in the Indianapolis Recorder.

The picture isn't great, but the article was priceless.

My Uncle Eddie & Aunt Pal were a great couple.

I knew that they had been married for years, but until I read this article, I had no idea how many years.  (I know that it's tough to see, but this article is from April 1987.)  If they were still alive today, April 1st would have been their 68th wedding anniversary.

Both had children & were married previously, but I never knew anyone other than my aunt & uncle.

Gone, but not forgotten: Happy birthday great, great grandmother Lou

144 years ago today, my great-great mother Lou was born.  

She lived for over 100 years & at this point in my genealogy research, she lived longer than any other Wickliffe.

Although she is my mother's great grandmother, she refers to her as Grandma Lou.

Lou was born Louisa Williams.  

I'm not exactly sure when, but she was eventually adopted by the Dodd family.  

Henry & Mollie Dodd lived in Paducah, Kentucky, but would eventually move to & die in Louisville, Kentucky.  They would have 3 other biological children (or at least 3 other children lived in the home & shared their last name.

I've posted about finding her marriage record in a post called "my great, great grandmother Lou."  (It's a find I'm still extremely proud of.)  

  

My mom has told me about their farm in Central City.  It was on this farm, that she raised her 9 children & lived a long life.  In 1940, the farm was worth $200.  Today, the farm would be worth around $3300.

I don't know a lot of information about her childhood, other than she was adopted.  I can't find any info on her prior to 1880.  (Which makes sense if she really was born in 1871.)

I'm not sure if it was a happy marriage, but she was married to my two times great grandfather James 49 years & they did have all of those kids so......

I've had fun learning about her & look forward to finding out if I can find her biological parents or why she was given up for adoption.  

I also want to find out why she lived with James Walker Wickliffe in 1940.  (Saw him in the census, but never saw him before or after that.  He's listed as her grandson, but I don't know who he parents were.)

Who is he?

  

Once upon a time, I was organized

I've recently run into a major genealogy brickwall.

If I look at my notes, I'm lost.  Each of my lineages have stopped, including my Wickliffe tree.

I've started to create to-do list for myself because I feel like I'm looking for the same people in the same places.

What's step 2 in genealogy research?

I've started to repeat this question over & over.  So I search.......

I've went back through youtube videos & websites & I've come up with a few ideas........

How can a newspaper article from 100 years ago help with your family tree?

One of my favorite resources in Indianapolis Recorder.

I have been finding my ancestors in the Indianapolis Recorder for years & each time I find a new article with my ancestors name in it, I feel like it's Christmas.  

1915-03-13 Indianapolis Recorder

For almost 120 years, the Indianapolis Recorder has documented the history of not just Indianapolis' residence, but a few of the surrounding states, such as Kentucky.

The Recorder is not only full of stories regarding my family, I have gotten a sneak peak into what they were going through at that time.  

I have over 800 pictures & articles uploaded to my Ancestry.com tree.  Most of the articles, I have found on the IUPUI website.  The university's library has digitized this paper & a few other of my favorite research sites.

So far, I've been able to find both of my grandparents obituaries:

I've also found some cool birth records & some very interesting articles like the one at the top.

Were my grandparents cousins?

Kissing cousins from Kentucky

Isn't that what they call it?  

My grandfather is a Wickliffe from birth. My mother & her first cousin told me long ago, that somehow, my grandparents were cousins. Since I started working on my family tree, I've been trying to figure out how my grandparents were related.

I know that my great grandmother Odie's (Oddie)maiden name was Wickliffe.  Her grandfather was Alney Wickliffe, but I don't know much about him.  Alney & my three times great grandfather Yost may have been related, but for the life of me, I can't figure out how

Several possibilities are running through my mind.  First of all, it's possible that they aren't related at all.  The surname came from the original slaveholders family.  Which means Yost & Alney may have gotten the names from their original owners.  Which would mean they may not have even known each other, let alone have been related to one another.

Secondly, having the same last name, living in the same city/town doesn't make them related, but it's more that just a coincidence.  (If it were a name like Martin or Williams, maybe, but not Wickliffe.)

Lastly, how do you even figure out how one family is related to the other? I can't imagine how I would even begin to solve this mystery.

Can anyone help?

Familysearch vs Ancestry....Do you get what you pay for?