Drowned Sisters

Tags

1850s, Cabarrus, Drowning, Family history, genealogy, LITTLE, North Carolina, Rocky River

So a while back, while digging through some records and inputting in some names into my ancestry.com tree, I found something that caught my attention. There were two family members that had the same date of death.  This caused me to focus on figuring out what happened with them. They were sisters.  And I’m very dear to my sister, so it just urged me to know more.

A Personal Saint

Tags

big finds, genealogy, LDS, manifests, records, research

Alright, so maybe “saint” isn’t appropriate, but that’s what it feels like.  As anyone who’s read this blog or knows me personally, my family’s side of the family is a bit vague and completely complicated to research. Not only are they from Eastern Europe which has seen a fair share of government changes, the documents don’t always exist.

From WordPress.com – 2012 in Review

Below are stats and info I get every year from WordPress.com showing me various bits of information about my blog. I’m always fascinated by some of the things it shows… so I figured I’d share with you, also!  Thanks for making 2012 an amazing year and can’t wait to dive into 2013!

T.J. the 3rd

Tags

Cousin, facebook, Family, family tree, Famous Family, genealogy, Monticello, Presidents, Thomas Jefferson, United States

In a recent post, I asked about how other genealogist and family ancestral diggers talk about anyone prominent or even famous without sounding like your bragging. I got back great responses that really helped me approach this subject.  It boils down to the reason and the way you approach the discussing the relative.

I only care to discuss some of the prominent figures in my tree for the sheer purpose of connecting with others.  So I’m going to start off with one everyone knows.  

Ancestry Inspired Poetry

Tags

ancestry, Carpathian Mountain, Русин, Русини, Русинка, Руснаци, genealogy, Poetry, Rusyn, Slavic, Ukraine

I’m not really big on writing poetry anymore. Not like I used to at least.  However, when the mood strikes I take advantage of it.  Here are two pieces I wrote a few months back that I placed over images of the Carpathian Mountains.

I chose the Ukrainian portion of the Carpathian Mountains because this is where my Rusyn blood originates which is the inspiration of these two pieces. The Carpathian Mountains hold deep history for all Slavs. I’ll post more on this later, though. It needs a full post to itself to do justice.  

Embroideries from Sambir Raion

Tags

Galicia, Lviv Oblast, Oblast, Pohirtsi, Rudky, Sambir, Sambir Raion, Ukraine, Western Ukraine, Zadnistryany

As I’ve mentioned in a couple of earlier posts, my father’s family originated from today’s Western Ukraine from the villages of Pohirtsi and Zadnistryany. These villages are nestled in the Sambir Raion of the L’viv Oblast. Now I found these villages by fluke actually. And here is how…  

Finding Famous People

Tags

colonial America, Family, Family history, founding families, founding fathers, genealogy, Scotland

Anyone doing serious genealogy will always find at least one famous or semi-famous person. How distantly related to them you are is a different story.  I have my own share of famous and prominent persons in my family tree. But how do you go about researching or discussing with other genealogist without sounding like your bragging or just throwing names out there?  

Pohirtsi: Small, Old, Important

Tags

Погорцы, Погірці, Lviv Oblast, Pohirtsi, Pohorce, Red Army, Sambir Raion, Ukraine, Ukrainian Rebellions, UPA, Western Ukraine, Zadnistryany

Well, the other day I gave some bits of information on Zadnistryany, my great grandfather’s village. Pohirtsi is a neighboring village about 3km (1.8mi) to the West of Zadnistryany. Pohirtsi is where my great-grandmother (Ukrainian: прабабусею, Russian: прабабушкой) is from. Pohirtsi has had it’s a few name changes, too. Here are some basic facts I’ve come to learn about Pohirtsi:

Jan 27th: A Day of Personal History

Tags

1912, Ellis Island, Galicia, Germany, Hamburg, Immigrants, January 27, New World, Old World, Serbia, Slavs in America, Ukraine, United States, USA, Western Ukraine

I have no fun rhyme like “Remember, remember the 5th of November,” but to me this date is one of the most important in my life. This date gained an even greater importance when I found some documents on my great grandparents.

See, the first reason Jan 27th is an important date for me is it is the date I left the USA to move to Serbia. But it’s not just a date I moved. My mother and I had dreams months before I left that this would be the date I left on. I just then randomly bought a ticket a week before and the best price and deal was for Jan 27th. I arrived in Serbia on the 28th of January. So when I celebrate my “anniversary” of being in Serbia, I actually celebrate on the 28th. However, my life changed permanently on the 27th when I took that step onto the airplane and flew out of Memphis bound for the Old World.

A Little About Zadnistryany

Tags

Galicia, Lviv Oblast, Pohirtsi, Russian language, Sambir Raion, Serbia, Susoliv, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Ukrainian villages, Western Ukraine, Zadnistryany

Okay… you might be looking at the title, attempting to figure out how to pronounce that Z word. Just so you know, I’m still not 100% since I’ve never heard a native say it. No matter how you pronounce it, this is where my great-grandfather (прадід in Ukrainian, прадед in Russian) is from. This tiny village is just that – tiny. So tiny, there really is no information on it. Not in English (definitely not), nor Ukrainian or Russian.