Category Archives: family histories

Knowing your grandparents.

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Randy Seaver is an American genealogist and prolific writer on his blog, Genea-Musings. Each week he poses a “Saturday Night Genealogy Fun” question. A while back I was inspired by his question which sent me down some rabbit holes. His question: Did your grandparents know their maternal and paternal grandparents? This is my response to the question as posed. My paternal grandparents were Denis Kunkel and Catherine Kunkel nee McCorkindale, while my maternal grandparents were James McSherry and Laura McSherry … Continue reading

The Musings of a Family Historian.

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How difficult it is sometimes to write in great detail about my ancestors! I wrote my paternal family history with relative ease, so why am I struggling with my maternal family history? I have researched them reasonably thoroughly and there’s plenty of data to work with. There may be many explanations for this apparent literary lassitude. My ancestors were average people and very few of them had extraordinary lives. I am older, elderly in fact and the creative juices appear … Continue reading

Walking in ancestral footsteps

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In May this year I went to Ireland to walk in my paternal ancestors’ footsteps. This was something I had wanted to do for years. With only four nights in Dublin and three nights in Belfast, it was a whirlwind trip. I am hoping to do it again but that depends on health and mobility issues. You do need to do a bit of planning before making a big trip. I used the Ireland Reaching Out website and managed to … Continue reading

Metaphors We Live By: Phrases That Capture the Genealogical Journey.

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Family history isn’t just about names carefully plotted on a chart—it’s a lived experience, rich with mystery, challenge, and moments of delight. It’s the thrill of uncovering a long-forgotten story, the frustration of chasing a record that seems to vanish into thin air, the quiet satisfaction of piecing a life together from scattered fragments. Along the way, family historians—whether seasoned researchers or curious beginners—adopt a unique language. We find ourselves speaking in phrases steeped in metaphor and meaning, a kind … Continue reading

More about Mary

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Last month I wrote about Thomas Neville, the second child born to James and Elizabeth and baptised at St Lawrence, Reading in Berkshire. This was also the church where his elder sister Mary Neville was baptised on 24 October 1783, Mary is my 3rd Great Grandmother, and this story follows her life.[1]   When about five years old her family moved to Henley-on-Thames and it appears likely Mary would have gone out to work in her early teens to help … Continue reading