Newspapers in New Orleans and other cities carried breathless accounts Rebecca Kruttschnitt (1889-1975) wedding in 1911 to English suitor Henry C. Woodhouse. The reports focused on the resplendent venue, the glamorous dresses worn by the bride and her maids, and the bountiful flowers that adorned the scene. They missed the most interesting event. “The wedding […]
Separating fact from folklore
Growing up I never knew whether to believe the stories grown-ups told about my near and distant relatives. The stories seemed too fantastic to be true. This website is dedicated to separating fact from fiction. But the truth, I've found, can be equally hard to believe.
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Roadblock Ahead: Tracing the Boyce Line Back to West Virginia
This amateur genealogists has spent many frustrating years trying to trace his Boyce line back to Hardy County, West Virginia, and its beginnings in North America. This dogged pursuit took me to the home of the genealogical society in Logan County Kentucky, where my third great-grandfather, J.R. Boyce, was born. When I showed the eminently […]

Charting My Jewish Roots Along a Misleading Path
I got woefully lost tracing my family’s Jewish roots. I fell into a familiar trap. Like many family history researchers on the Internet, I wanted to believe that I was related to the great Moses Levy, a New York merchant who commissioned portraits for most members of his family. My fifth grandmother was a Levy, […]

Little to Nothing Remains of Philip Benjamin’s Time in Charleston
Nothing is worse than the crushing blow of dashed expectations, especially when it comes to genealogy research. I had high hopes that a recent visit to Charleston, S.C., would turn up something — a gravestone, a house, a place of business, anything — related to my fourth great grandfather, Philip Benjamin (1779-1852). My spirits rose […]
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Starting with me, this website goes back in every direction, exploring every curve along the way, then doubling back in different directions. I wish my parents were around to see what I've discovered.
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“If you go to New Orleans to investigate the roots of Judah P. Benjamin, you may wind up disappointed.”
»» Read Judah P. Benjamin's Homes Largely Forgotten In New Orleans
“Hatevil Nutter was by no means alone in his hatred of Quakers.”