Do you double-date your ancestors? Wait. It’s not as icky as it sounds. What I mean to say is… have you ever run across an ancestor who’s double-dated? Uh, let me start over.
This particular brand of double-dating presented itself in my family history software when it refused to accept a date of 15 Feb 1733. The software kept insisting the date should be 15 Feb 1732/33.
Wuzzup wit dat?
When it comes to family history, I’m a firm believer in good ol’ fashioned legwork. I’ve done my time behind the microfilm and microfiche readers, gotten my hands dirty in some musty old archives, scratched around in boxes and boxes of old photos and documents. But I won’t look a gift Web site in the mouth.
Do you get that reference? Do you know what it means to look a gift horse in the mouth? There’s a Web site for that… called The Phrase Finder. It can come in handy when you’re trying to decipher a 19th century letter.
Wow! That’s all I can say about William C. “Bill” Mitchell’s research. It spanned several decades, dozens of families, and he was meticulous about citing his sources. There is some evidence he may have even corresponded with Jennie Leonard Hutchinson before her death.
Among the new leads I picked up for future followup… 1) Caleb Jr. left a will in Washington County Orphan’s Court (none of us had ever thought to look there), 2) Luzanna left a will in Uniontown, Fayette County (who would expect a will, let alone in the “wrong” county?), and 3) Caleb Jr., Silas, and Abner all signed a petition seeking an independent state of Westsylvania.
An old family legend said Daniel “Uncle Dan” Leonard opened his own post office because was tired of walking fifteen miles to town only to find the weekly stagecoach delayed. Think about that for a second. 1) Mail delivery via stagecoach. 2) No home delivery at all. 3) No phone or phone number to call. [...]
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your help in compiling a list of Who’s Who among Leonard researchers! You’re forever immortalized in the article over there on the right… called, uh, “Who’s Who.” If you’re not there, it’s because you didn’t speak up! Drop me a line and I’ll add you to the list. [...]
