ABOUT DR. B. GENEALOGIST

Welcome to my genealogy blog. I am an amateur genealogist, but I have extensive experience in family research. My mom was a passionate genealogist. Long before the days of the Internet, she was able to gather census records, birth records, death records, marriage records, divorce records, burial records, wills, land patents, family stories, and family photographs. I assisted at times, but when her health limited her ability to research, I became an active genealogy researcher. I have the advantage of internet resources and DNA. My mom has passed, but I have boxes of documents, pictures, and stories to aid in my research. Even though most of the documents are available online, I still find valuable information in those boxes. The pictures from the 1800’s have been particularly beneficial in finding and/or validating relationships of distant relatives.

My goals for this blog include sharing my experience with a focus on techniques I use, tips for research, and links to online resources. These techniques, hints, and resources may be particularly beneficial for those less experienced in family research, but experienced researchers may find something helpful or of interest as well. Watch for the tagline Research Techniques.

My mom shared stories passed down through the family. Some were written and others just shared orally. I find these stories to hold “nuggets” of information that are helpful in my family research and in validating family relationships. In my blog, I will share how some of these stories became “ah-ha” moments in my research. Watch for the tagline Family Stories.

About seven years ago, I began researching family for a friend. She was adopted in Alaska, but grew up in the mid-west. She had been told that one of her grandparents was Native Alaskan. The search for her family history has been an incredible journey. Some of the “nuggets” needed to connect members of her family have come from unexpected sources. The journey has not only led to finding family, but as importantly, it has provided at least a small degree of understanding of her ancestors’ experiences and culture. In future blogs, I will share some of the journey, including tips for research and her family’s history. Watch for the tagline Alaska.

Burial records and cemetery gravestones are also valuable sources in genealogy research. I research the burial and family relationships for Find a Grave memorials. I research death records, cemetery records, cemetery gravestones, and other records to create and/or contribute to existing Find a Grave memorials. Recently my daughter and I searched an abandoned cemetery for gravestones. Most of the stones are missing, but we have found some that had not been recorded and/or photographed. I say gravestones because the cemetery has footstones, with initials, as well as headstones. My daughter photographed the gravestones, which I post on Find a Grave and share with the local historical society. My daughter also videoed the experience. In my blog, I will share our experience, including the video. We have identified some additional abandoned cemeteries in the area, which we plan to search next winter (to avoid snakes, bees, and poison ivies, etc.). Look for the tagline Cemeteries to learn about our search and tips for family cemetery memorials in your research.

As stated in my blog header, genealogy is more than family trees and DNA. Researching the history of the communities provides a greater appreciation of our ancestors’ experiences and more understanding of their journeys. I grew up in a region in which the removal of Native Americans, the Pre-Civil war conflict over slavery, the conflicts during the Civil War, and the local resources played important roles in the movement of persons into the region and out of the region. In my blog, I will share some of the region’s history of particular interest, such as the first Civil War skirmish in which Black soldiers engaged and gave their lives, and the impact this skirmish had on the future of Black soldiers in the Civil War efforts. Watch for the tagline History.

The picture included in this post is a house on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. My daughter took this picture during our visit in 2017. This trip was particularly significant for us because we are direct descendants of four of the eight original European settlers on Nantucket in the 1600’s. Keep in mind that the island was inhabited by indigenous people at the time of European settlement. I will share some of the history of Nantucket in future posts.

Finally, you may be wondering about my blog name. Some of my friends call me “B”. When I completed by doctorate degree, I became “Dr. B”. I am now retired and am using my research skills for genealogy, thus, Dr. B genealogist. A nod to my daughter for the name. I want to thank my daughter for her continued support, for her patience with my stories and excitement about genealogy, for her help with documenting gravestones, and for managing the Dr. B Genealogy Instagram and Facebook accounts. She tells her friends that “my moms retirement is wearing me out”, but I think she really is enjoying the experience.