This just in: It unlikely that “my” John Clark built this beautiful grain mill along Yellow Breeches Creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna River. It sure would have been nice to say someone in my family was responsible — it was the first grist mill in Cumberland County, Pa. I thought for about a year […]
Five Bad Pieces of Genealogy Advice
I’ve been at this family history business long enough, six years (the equivalent of 56 years in Internet terms), to be considered an expert. So I thought I’d jot down some of the worst advice I received during my quest, for the benefit of neophytes who want to embark on a family history project in […]
Boner House Still Stands Tall in Milan, Missouri
John Quincy Boner (1830-1908) and his wife Sarah Ann Clark had already lost three children to illness by 1876, when they built this home in Milan, Mo. Thankfully, the stately home with its inviting, wraparound porch, is still standing, as I discovered on a visit there last summer. Two children — Minnie (12) and Charles […]
John Quincy Boner’s Death Came as Surprise to Milan, Mo.
In October 1908, John Quincy Boner returned home to Milan, Missouri, from a trip to Kansas City. For several days my great, great grandfather had been complaining of a pain in his side. The pain wasn’t bad enough, though, to keep the 78-year-old from going uptown on the 27th. Downtown Milan probably didn’t look a […]
Elizabeth Boner’s Close Cousin Went Down With the Titanic
Going through some old family photographs, I stumbled on the one to the left–a picture of a young Elizabeth Boner, my great grandmother, posing with her cousin, Walter Clark. My mother always said that Bessie Boner (1878-1954), whose mother died when she was seven, was raised by “the Clarks,” and by that she probably meant […]
Getting On Anna Wilson’s Good Side: A Children’s Tale
It’s story time, children. Gather round and let uncle Boyce tell you a captivating tale about personal hygiene, courtship, frontier values, and addiction–all among your ancestors in the early 1800s.