One thing that’s often lost in genealogy research is why families move. It’s relatively easy to find out where they moved using the Census or City Directories. Using Google maps, you may even be able to quickly find that the houses where your family once lived still stand. What you can rarely figure out, unless […]
Was King Tut’s Curse the Real Cause of W.B. Thompson’s Demise?
It’s been established that an early visit to Kit Tut’s tomb wasn’t good for your health. A long list of famous people was presumably laid low for disturbing the pharaoh’s 3,000-year repose. Maybe it’s time to add the name of William Boyce Thompson to the list. According to a letter written to an associate, Thompson […]
No Surprise: Isaie Gingras Was Buried in a Catholic Cemetery
It’s getting easier to figure out where a relative who died in the last 150 years is buried. The larger cemeteries often publish Internet lists of who was interred there, and they may even post a map to help you find a grave when you visit. But sometimes, if you are fortunate, a volunteer has […]
Discovered: The Gingras Ancestral Lands
Luck was certainly on my side when I searched for the mercurial Gingras ancestral lands. I had all but given up the search when I caught a glimpse of the marker on the left. Background is undoubtedly in order. All Gingras (pronounced Gin-Gra) in North America descend from my eighth great-grandparents Charles Gingras (1641-1710) and […]
Hugh Simmers: Walking in his Cinematic Footsteps
In the summer of 2017, I had the distinct pleasure of visiting the Cameo Cinema in Edinburgh, Scotland, where my grandfather Hugh Simmers worked as a projectionist from 1916 to 1917 before he emigrated to the United States. Originally called the King Cinema, it’s the oldest continuously operated movie theater in Scotland, dating back to […]
Discovered: Gingras Home in St. Johnsbury
It was no easy find. First, there was the hassle of getting there — to St. Johnsbury, Vermont, in the northern part of the state, a mere 49 miles from Canada. Then there was the matter of trying to find the home where the family had lived in 1880. The Census provided an address, the […]
J.E. Thompson Jr. Tells a Few Tales About His Storied Life
It’s good to catch up with a relative, even if they are long gone. I never met my great uncle J.E. (Joe) Thompson, Jr., but thankfully he left behind hand-written notes that chronicled some important, and some not so important, events in his life, including a few details about his legendary trip around the world. […]
Anyone for Polo? J.E. Thompson Wanted Phoenicians To Have a Place to Play
Who builds a polo field in Phoenix? It’s so hot you can fry an egg on the sidewalk and bake cookies on a car dashboard. Sometimes airplanes can’t fly. Answer: My great grandfather J.E. Thompson. Though J.E.’s gesture seems foolhardy, it may may have actually paid financial dividends. That sly fox! Joseph Edward, who belonged […]