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 […]
The Work of Joseph Ough: Not Entirely Gone, But Largely Forgotten
Dear Long-Lost Uncle Ough, I know that you are dead—in fact, you died more than 130 years ago—but that’s no excuse for not writing to you about my recent fact-finding trip to your old hometown of Sacramento. Things have certainly changed since you lived there, and not all for the better. But I think you […]
Joseph Ough Made a Big Impression on Great Grandfather Thompson
My great-grandfather, J.E. Thompson, really admired his uncle, architect and builder Joseph Ough. The respect didn’t stem from Ough’s financial success. It was due to the man’s artistic and spiritual achievements. “In your mother’s family, and mine, there were those that were stars in a financial way,” wrote J.E. Thompson in a letter to his son, “but the man […]
Thompson Line Seems to End at William Thompson, Sr.
Like most amateur genealogists, I have reached a maddening dead-end in the quest to trace my family roots. The end of the line is William Thompson, Sr., who appears to have lived most his life in Ontario, Canada, but was probably born in Scotland. Thompson’s very common name, which shows up often in Census counts, church […]