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Celebrating America 250: Declaring Independence (May 20, 1775 or July 4, 1776?) - Part 2

#Declaration of Independence #John Davidson #John McKnitt Alexander #July 4 1776 #May 20 1775 #Mecklenburg County North Carolina #Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence

Celebrating America 250: Declaring Independence (May 20, 1775 or July 4, 1776?) - Part 2

If you missed it, here’s Part 1 of this thought-provoking article, part of a series leading up to the celebration of America’s 250th birthday. By the time of John McKnitt Alexander’s death in 1817 historians were busy ensuring New England and the middle colonies received prominence when documenting Revolutionary War history. As Syfert pointed out: . . . the American Revolution began at the battle…

#Declaration of Independence #John Davidson #John McKnitt Alexander #July 4 1776 #May 20 1775 #Mecklenburg County North Carolina #Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence

Celebrating America 250: Declaring Independence (May 20, 1775 or July 4, 1776?) - Part 1

In honor of the celebration of America’s 250th birthday, this is the first in a series of articles in the coming weeks which are related to this momentous occasion. First up is a two-part article, a thought-provoking one, regarding our founding document, The Declaration of Independence. May 20, 1775 or July 4, 1776? Does that seem an odd question to put forth as America prepares to celebrate the…

#Declaration of Independence #John Davidson #John McKnitt Alexander #July 4 1776 #May 20 1775 #Mecklenburg County North Carolina #Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence

What's In a Name: Wartime Baby Names

American humorist Evan Esar once said, “a signature always reveals a man’s character – and sometimes even his name”. In the case of those highlighted in this article, their names more likely spoke volumes about the political leanings of the family they were born into. I came across these years ago when I was writing “Tombstone Tuesday” articles for the Digging History blog. The more I researched…

#States Rights Aycock #States Rights Compere Fowler #States Rights Crawford #States Rights Gist #States Rights Gist Finley #States Rights Gregory #States Rights Sartor

Pedigree Collapse: Are We All Cousins?

Have you ever thought about how many ancestors one person could possibly have? Mathematically speaking, taking one’s family tree out thirty generations would result in about a BILLION ancestors. Taking it out forty to fifty generations would result in approximately a TRILLION ancestors — more people than have EVER lived on the earth! Of course, that has never happened (or ever will), but why is…

#are we all cousins #cousins #crazy ancestors #John Wesley Brummett #Pedigree collapse

Obsolete Occupations: Getting Knocked Up (a queer English custom)

If you regularly research family history, you’ve probably come across occupations which you don’t recognize. Technology has steadily replaced, and made obsolete, many common jobs our ancestors performed. Even things which we find quite common today, weren’t at all common back then (if they even existed at all). For instance, not everyone in eighteenth century England had a clock or watch. This…

#England #Getting Knocked Up #Industrial Revolution #knockers-up #obsolete occupations

Digging History Magazine: Volume 2026: Issue 2

The second issue of 2026 features articles on Iowa, “The Hawkeye State”. This issue, like all issues in this continuing series (Illinois is next), will feature the state’s history, including how to find great historical and genealogical records and more: ● Mining Genealogical Gold: Finding Historical Iowa Records (and the stories behind them). The land we now call Iowa stands as a testament to…

#Amana Colonies #Black Hawk #effigy mounds #Fox #Hawkeye State #Iowa #Iowa disasters #Iowa history #Iowa in the Civil War #Iowa Territory #Ioway #Mormon handcarts #Mormon migration #Mormon winter quarters #Sauk #Spirit Lake Massacre #The Honey War #Vida Moreland Wade #Winnebago

History Twisters: (Naming Our Fair City: Lubbock . . . . or Willis?)

A Genealogical "Head-Scratcher": Stumbling Across Hidden Cousins

After years of learning the ins-and-outs of family history research (and still learning!), I’ve come to the conclusion that “genealogy is not for the faint-of-heart.” Just when you think you’ve busted through one “brick wall”, yet another one pops up. Genealogical research is fraught with pitfalls – from “brick walls” to missing records, mysterious disappearances and more. Then, there’s the…

#Elizabeth Rentfrow #Genealogy #Hickman Hensley #hidden cousins #Thomas Jefferson Rentfrow

Don't Be Duped: The King of Genealogical Fraud

Being Aware of Past Incidences of Genealogical Fraud Not intending to throw a “monkey wrench” into anyone’s long and relentless pursuit of family history, but I draw attention to another important thing to be aware of: blatant genealogical fraud which occurred in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Believe it or not, it is in fact still possible these genealogical hoaxes have…

#Anjou&039;s List #genealogical fraud #Gustave Anjou #Harriet de Salis #the king of genealogical fraud

Genealogical Fraud: Don't Be Duped

If you have been researching your family history for any length of time, you very well may have spent time in what I call the “rabbit hole”, à la Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. “Going down the rabbit hole” is, unfortunately, not uncommon, given what we sometimes rely on to document our research. I see it all the time when I review family trees on sites like Ancestry and FamilySearch. Many…

Genealogically Speaking: Bigger Head

Bigger Head (1812-1912) I came across this most unusual family name while researching a friend’s Head family line. I found multiple instances of a “Bigger” forename or middle name. First of all, I’ve never heard of anyone with the first name of “Bigger” (have you?) so that alone was intriguing (and near giggle-worthy). Where did that come from? This particular Bigger Head was born in Highland…

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Genealogically Speaking: Curious Kin (Thomas Jefferson Roach and His “Sister Wives”)

Thomas Jefferson Roach and His “Sister Wives” I don’t mean to imply “Sister Wives” (as in the TLC reality show of the same name) meant Thomas Jefferson (“T.J.”) Roach was a polygamist. Quite the contrary, since according to family history Thomas was of the Baptist faith. He does, however, have a unique story. Thomas Jefferson Roach was born on August 25, 1825 in Orange County, Virginia to parents…

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Genealogy by Subscription

Do you want to learn more about your family history and need to budget the cost of research (or a custom-designed family history chart)? Digging History offers a unique way to do just that with a month-to-month genealogical research subscription. For one hour per month, the subscription is $35 (plus tax for Texas residents), billed monthly to your credit card until you tell me you want to…

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#affordable genealogy #Affordable month-to-month subscription #budget #custom-designed family history chart #genealogical research

Genealogically Speaking: Curious Kin (The “Ocean Sisters” of Johnson County, Tennessee)

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Genealogically Speaking: Curious Kin (Part 1)

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#curious kin #curious names #genealogical research #unusual names

Ways to Go In Days of Old (Death by Pimple)

I ran across this particular “way to go in days of old” while researching a Surname Saturday blog article several years ago about the Pimple surname (after seeing the name in a list of Revolutionary War veterans). As I researched the unusual surname, I came across several references to “death by pimple” – and, of course, I was intrigued. As is usually the case, these are the best kinds of stories…

#ways to go in days of old; death by pimple; Pimple surname; blood poisoning

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