Who do you think you are?
It never fails. The minute I write something to the effect that I don’t have the time or temperament to keep blogging, along comes something that I just have to share.
In this case, it’s an upcoming NBC TV show called Who Do You Think You Are?. And no, I’m not being paid in any way shape or form to promote it.
I truly think this show is going to hit the genealogy world as hard or harder than the 70s mini-series Roots.
[continue reading...]Recent Posts
For your enjoyment and edification... here are seven previous posts.
About this Site
This site grew out of my life-long curiosity about my great-great-grandfather Daniel "Uncle Dan" Leonard. To hear the family tell it, he was a legend in his own time, an Iowa pioneer, a bear of a man who arrived by covered wagon and rose to fame and fortune. He told tales of his encounter with Frank and Jesse James, of the Indians who used to hunt these very lands, of the men and women who built communities where there were none before.
For a young man raised on black-and-white westerns, John Wayne movies, and Little House on the Prairie... the stories were irresistible. But were they true? Surely there must be some exaggeration? Initially, decent documentation was a little hard to come by. Then, little by little, bits and scraps of information began to turn up.
First, it was an 1881 county history. Then, the original land grant, dated 1855 and signed by President James Buchanan. Buchanan preceded Abraham Lincoln, which raised questions about the Civil War. And what of the rest of Uncle Dan's family? Brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents... little did I realize it would take me all the way back to the Mayflower...
Contact me!
Those of us who've been doing this family history thing for a while have come to realize the rest of the world thinks we're just a little, uh, "off." Their eyes glaze over as we launch into what we think is a fascinating family story about someone long dead a buried.
So it's especially exciting when a new cousin steps forward and admits their interest. There aren't enough of us and we need new recruits to keep the memories alive, to dig and scratch and uncover the truths about our common past.
So, if any of this sounds like something more than incoherent rambling, drop me a line and I'll see if we don't have something in common. ;-)
All the news that’s fit to print…
NOTE: Technical difficulties have forced me to discontinue the syndicated feeds mentioned in this article. First off, my apologies for any ...
Writing your own obituary…
C'mon now, have you really read all those obituaries and not given any thought to your own? How do you ...
Yes, Virginia, there WAS a Santa Claus
Spoiler alert! If you are now or ever were a believer in Santa Claus, this post may disrupt your space-time ...
Welcome to the Family!
Thanks for stopping by… And welcome, again, my friends… to the show that never ends… and the newly re-designed Leonard Family History Web site. If you’re new here, feel free to poke around. If you’re an old friend, uh, feel free to poke around….
Legends & Legacies
Pass the gravy… Pilgrim What kind of Mayflower descendant would I be if I let a Thanksgiving holiday pass without a few notes on our Pilgrim progenitors?
Questions & Ancestors
Solomon Decoded Let’s face it, most of us are in this genealogy game for the intrigue. Why did so-and-so disappear? Why did he/she change his/her name? And who did Solomon Leonard really marry?
Inlaws & Outlaws
Skeletons in the closet In all the years I’ve been doing family history, I can honestly say that I’ve never come across that truly deranged ancestor that everyone seems to think we all have…. until now.
