Small World...

I am just home from the New York State Family History Conference, and I did meet or renew acquaintances with a lot of people from the area or who I have crossed paths with in the genealogical field.  It was a great networking event! 

However, there were a few instances where I just scratched my head and thought, "small world".  I met a family with my mother's maiden name, and they lived in Rochester at a point, so surely we are distant cousins, possibly going back to Germany.  I have to check my notes and get back to them!  I met a woman who had an aunt who lived on my street, and the funny thing is that my street is a dead end in a village that is one square mile, and there are only about 20 houses on the street.  As we are having our annual street party this weekend, I will ask if anyone remembers her!  Then I met a very kind woman who diligently tracked down someone who could help me with some Swiss research.  She used to live in this area, went to the church I was baptized in, had sisters who went to the college I went to, and her aunt lived on the street that was around the corner from a house my aunt used to live in. 

New York State Family History Conference

Next week, yours truly will be an exhibitor at the New York State Family History Conference in Liverpool (Syracuse), New York.  This means I will have a table set up in the Vendor Hall, where I can talk with other attendees and potential clients, and I will also be able to attend workshops and lectures.  If you are in the area stop by- the Vendor Hall is open to the public!

Dear Brother: The Civil War Letters of William A. Harding to his brother Palmer

I have published the transcribed Civil War letters from William A. Harding to his brother (and my great-great-great grandfather) Palmer Harding.  The book is available on Amazon; the paperback edition for $5 at www.amazon.com/dp/1481915045 and the Kindle edition for $1.50 at www.amazon.com/dp/B013HBLI68.  I have blogged about these letters, and transcribing them has been a work in progress for years.  I am happy to finally have them out there for others to read!

The 150th Anniversary of William A. Harding's Death

One hundred and fifty years ago today, William A. Harding, my 4x-great-uncle, was killed in the Civil War, at the Battle of Hatcher's Run in Virginia.  He was a Union soldier, 23 years old, and had no wife or children.  But he did leave a legacy of sorts.  During the war, he wrote letters to his oldest brother, Palmer Harding, who was my 3x-great-grandfather.  We still have those letters; I was given some of them as a graduation gift from my cousin, and my grandma had others.  These letters, and the family history that was likely written by Palmer, are what started my interest in genealogy as a child.  I am annotating the letters which I have transcribed, and I plan on publishing them.  Thank you William, not only for your service to our country for a righteous cause, but for making my ancestors "human" rather than just statistics.  Thank you for telling part of their story.

Sneem, Ireland - It's a Small World

In October at The Genealogy Event, a lady, Patricia, came up to my exhibit table.  After hearing that I was located in Rochester, NY, she told me her ancestor lived in Rochester briefly before going back home to Ireland, and that he worked on the trolleys.  My great-grandfather also worked on the trolleys, and we both followed up with details to see if they might have been colleagues.  Unfortunately, her ancestor was there while mine were still in Amsterdam, NY.  But I did mention to her that my great-great grandmother was Irish and born in Sneem.  Although I had been in Kerry and on the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland, I did not know I had roots there at that time, and I was not in Sneem.  Patricia was, and she sent me this picture:

The boxer is not John L. Sullivan, but it does reinforce the legacy of the sport in Ireland.  Patricia also told me that Charles de Gaulle's wife's governess was from Sneem and was a McCarthy, as was my great-great-grandmother.  I have to do further research to see if they are indeed related.  And to see if Patricia and I are related...