Nels and Anna Anderson’s Farm
November 10, 2023 No Comments
The first image is a photograph, from my great-grandmotherโs photo album, taken in 1926 at Nels and Anna Andersonโs farm, located in section 14 of Bertha township, one mile southeast of Bertha, Minnesota. My great-grandaunt Anna (fourth from the left) was the second of five children, born to Carl and Mathilda Swenson on April 29, […]
Keith Papke, World War II Veteran
November 8, 2023 No Comments
In honor of ๐ฉ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฎ๐, Iโm sharing these photographs of a cousin, ๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ธ๐ฒ who served in the U.S. Third Army under General George Patton during World War II. He was a decorated soldier who was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and Combat Infantry badge, among other medals. He fought in the ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ […]
Bonney Lake’s Plateau
October 31, 2023 No Comments
While researching my great-grandaunt, Sadie Crider, I came across a book, published in 2011, titled ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐บ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ’๐ด ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ถ. I found a used copy at a bookstore and purchased it for two dollars. The book mentions Sadie and her maternal grandfather, Reverend William Maynard, his son, Mark Maynard, and granddaughter, Evelyn Maynard. Reverend William Maynard moved […]
Mark John Maynard
October 29, 2023 No Comments
I had a big breakthrough recently and can now trace my Maynard line back one more generation to my 5th great-grandfather with the help of DNA testing. All thanks to this man! If you have an elderly parent or grandparent, this is exactly why a DNA test is just as important as documenting their oral […]
P.J. Swenson
October 27, 2023 No Comments
My great-grandmother Clara wrote in her journal about her uncle ๐๐ผ๐ต๐ป ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ผ๐ป who lived in Carver, Minnesota. The first image is an old photograph she had of him seated next to my great-great-grandfather dated โMarch 20, 1904.โ On the back is written โCarl Gรถran Swenson and his brother John Swenson of Carver.โ She called him […]
Daniel Boone
October 26, 2023 No Comments
My fifth great-granduncle married the grand-niece of legendary frontiersman ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ฒ๐น ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ on October 4, 1810. A decade later, Boone sat for his first ever portrait at the age of 85. He had to be steadied by a friend while famed American portraitist Chester Harding painted him in June 1820. The original oil sketch on canvas […]
Carl Gรถran Svensson
October 25, 2023 No Comments
This is a portrait of my great-great-grandfather ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น ๐๐ผฬ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐๐ผ๐ป. He was born to Sara Greta Jรถnsdotter and Sven Persson on December 18, 1831 in Hรถgstad, Mjรถlby, รstergรถtland, Sweden. He immigrated to America in 1883. He was an expert carpenter, cabinetmaker, and furniture maker. His son Carl Erick, known by his nickname โCharlie,โ was a […]
Lubbert Lubbertsen van Westervelt
October 23, 2023 No Comments
Never knew until recently that I have a sixth great-grandparent of Dutch descent. The problem with the ethnicity estimate from Ancestry is they group Netherlands under ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ & ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ฉ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฏ ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ. Yet even if Netherlands was separated from the 5% ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ & ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ฉ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฏ ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ in my admixture, it might only be half a percent anyway. Nevertheless, […]
James Maynard (1750-1852) of Virginia and Descendants
October 21, 2023 No Comments
I’ve been searching for this rare, out-of-print book for a long time! It contains information about ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ, my 6th great-granduncle. He served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War under Captain Jesse Franklin and Colonel Benjamin Cleveland. Finally found a copy for sale on eBay. Months ago, I had set up an alert to […]
William Riley Maynard, WWI Veteran
October 20, 2023 No Comments
These are photographs of my 1st cousin (three generations removed), ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ (๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ). He was among the first combat aviators in American history during the earliest days of aerial warfare. He flew with the ๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ต ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ ๐ฆ๐พ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป as a captain and was involved in many dogfights with German aces during the ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ […]