52 Ancestors Challenge 2015: Week 9 Recap

Posted in 52 Ancestors Challenge on by .

52ancestors-2015-09The optional theme this week was “Close to home.” That seems appropriate considering many of us have had to stay close to home because of the weather. (Raise your hand if you’re as sick of winter as I am!)

Wanda at Footprints in Time shares the story of the house that was home to four generations of her family — and how she got answers about its history. Diane Tourville of Genealogy on My Mind wrote about a fight that broke out over cleaning a rug — it’s a great example of what you can find in newspapers! Michelle on Leaves and Nuts asked, “Where do the facts end and the story begin?” Her post shows how she broke down the elements of a family story and tried to prove (or disprove) them.

My post this past week was a tribute to Tommy Young, my first cousin once removed. I never had a chance to meet him. When I added “close to home” as this week’s theme, I knew I wanted to feature Tommy. He was killed close to his home and close to where I live now.

You know the drill: Add a link to your post in the comments below. Be sure to include the name of your ancestor and maybe a little bit of context (location, time period, etc.) While you’re here, take a look at the posts from Week 8. So many good posts to read!

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Upcoming Themes:

  • Week 10 (Mar 5 – 11) – Stormy Weather
  • Week 11 (Mar 12 – 18) – Luck of the Irish
  • Week 12 (Mar 19 – 25) – Same
  • Week 13 (Mar 26 – Apr 1) – Different

If you want some ideas for using these optional themes, check out the March theme post. (And remember — you don’t have to use them if you don’t want to!)

66 thoughts on “52 Ancestors Challenge 2015: Week 9 Recap”

  14. Jo Henn

    I’m not numbering them this year, just dropping them in where they fit. I’m putting my great grand-aunt Grace here, as she was always at home as long as she was with family it seemed. I can really relate to that given the number of times my family moved as I was growing up. Now I just refer to whereever my parents are living as “home” even though, as now, I’ve never lived there.

    GREGOR – Grace Gregor Bentley (1864 -1929) Home is Where Family Is http://jahcmft.blogspot.com/2015/03/52-ancestors-plus-grace-gregor-bentley.html
    (born in Puslinch Twp, Wellington County, Canada West, moved to Burnside Michigan, then to Larrabee KS, then to Big Piney, WY, then to Pinedale WY, then to Twin Falls, ID, and died in Sparks, NV)

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  16. labwriter

    Margarite Mae Witzke Denton Lovelace (1899-1966), my maternal grandmother. She is “close to home” in the sense that, of my four grandparents, I knew only two of them–my father’s father and my mother’s mother. She kept her stories to herself, and as I wrote this entry, I thought many times that “knowing” her probably got in the way of writing her story more than it helped me to see the real person.

    https://roordawrite.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/52-ancestors-9-of-52-margarite-mae-witzke-denton-lovelace-1899-1966/

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  21. pen4hire

    Joseph Kaser was the first of my father’s ancestors to be born in North America. But unlike the first ancestors in America on my mother’s side, who landed with the Pilgrims in New England (Bless those early New England Puritan villages for their record-keeping!), the wave of German who flowed into Pennsylvania left scant records.
    I can’t tell the story, when I don’t KNOW the story. I can only share the bare facts and hope a cousin will emerge who knows more.

    Kaser, Joseph, my 3 x great grandfather. http://ancestorsinaprons.com/2015/03/52-ancestors-9-joseph-kaser/

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  27. Jen

    My 3rd great grandfather was the first to come to the US, first to settle in Chicago (where we’ve been ever since), and and a first person view of a pivotal piece of Chicago history:

    Franz Jirsa: Close to Home (and History) – http://bit.ly/1NlsWuW

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  36. oldbonesgenealogy

    STRUASSER – 52 Ancestors 2015 Edition: #9 – Mary C. Strausser (1842 – 1897), Born in Norwegian Township or Not? by Eileen A. Souza at Old Bones Genealogy, LLC

    Last night I had a brainstorm. Like many genealogists I spend too many of my sleeping hours mulling over my current brick walls. I can’t remember what led me to begin thinking about the birth place of my 2nd great-grandmother, Mary Catherine Strausser, daughter of Peter Strausser and Sarah (Mumma) Strausser. I remembered that I estimated her birth date around 1843 based on the above 1850 US census. It suddenly struck me that I could track her birth against the tax assessment information that I have on her father, Peter Strausser [Strasser]. So this morning, I completed that task and here is what I found.

    http://www.oldbonesgenealogy.com/52-ancestors-2015-edition-9-mary-c-strausser-1842-1897-born-in-norwegian-township-or-not/

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  41. Wendy Negley

    My Grandmother’s brother, Clement Stefani, was the youngest of seven children and he lived next door to his parents. His house became the one the family would go to every weekend to “go home” and visit each other.

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    1. Amy Johnson Crow Post author

      Hi Melissa! Welcome! I’ve added your blog to the list. Each week, I do a “recap” post where participants can add a link to their post for the week. These are on Thursdays. Just add your link along with the name of your ancestor in the comments. I hope you enjoy the Challenge!

      Reply ↓

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