Solving Your Mysteries

Genealogist for 13 years! BA in Art History from Temple University and MA in Ancient History from Newcastle University. Research Assistant at the British National Archives and the Greenwich Library. Commissions open! https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SolvingYourMysteries

[joytri]

In this city's barren cold, I still remember the first fall of snow...

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The photographs above are some of my favorite that I’ve come across. They are my 4th great grandparents, Esther Marcy Taylor and Frederick Allen Howell.

Esther was born March 28, 1844 in Pennsylvania. Her first marriage was to a man named Henry Patterson, sometime between 1860–1868. Henry Patterson served in the American Civil War from October of 1864 to March of 1865. Henry did not survive the war. In a U.S., Registers Deaths of Volunteers, 1861–1865, Henry died on March 16, 1865 on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina from “inflammation of the lungs.”

Widowed at 21, Esther went on to marry Frederick Howell in 1868 and together they had one son, Daniel Frederick Howell. Esther died in 1903 at the age of 59; her husband Frederick outlived for another 25 years before he died in 1928 from “heart trouble.”

These photographs of Esther and Frederick at two different periods in their lives are some of the best photography I have seen from the time. Do you have any family photographs that have become your favorites? You may have also noticed that Esther’s photograph is on my Etsy logo 😊

(Interesting fact about Esther — her grandfather, Amos Taylor, emigrated from England to fight for the Continental Army during the American Revolution.)

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Elias Howe (1819–1867) was an American inventor best known for his creation of the lockstitch sewing machine.

As I finished up the custom project from yesterday’s post, today’s new research is identifying a possible relation between a customer and Elias Howe. Family story goes that this customer is related to Elias, but nothing could be proven by their family. Taking a deeper look into records and documents as well as DNA, I hope to have a answer soon about the outcome of this project!

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My most recent custom project for a new customer!

The project was to find a connection between their family and that of a fiction writer who lived in the early 1900s: Clark Ashton Smith.

Smith’s mother’s maiden name was Gaylord, a prominent surname in colonial America. This customer was interested in knowing if there was any familial relation between their Gaylord family and that of Smith’s Gaylord family. After researching each Gaylord line, through generations of records such as baptisms and census records, the answer was found. Indeed there was a connection between Clark Ashton Smith and my customer, although their most recent common ancestor was born approx. 1585 in England.

Clark Ashton Smith was known as a well reviewed published poet from 1912–1925. From 1926 to 1935 he published about 100 weird fiction short stories in Weird Tales and other pulp magazines. He's best remembered for these stories today. He was a friend and correspondent of H. P. Lovecraft.

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Naval and military records can sometimes be challenging to find when doing family research. Not all databases such as ancestry or familysearch.org house the correct collections to view records. It can be worth reaching out to local archives and national archives — some countries or counties might even have specialized collections for navy and military records you can consult — for all the information regarding your ancestor.

In my own family, we have an ancestor who was part of the UK Royal Navy, having joined when he was only 15 years old. Over the course of decades, William Henry Pollard, travelled the world on numerous different vessels, having gone from England to the Straits of Gibraltar and Naples and more. Census records taken aboard the vessels list the exact location when the documents were filled out on — for example, on April 7th, 1861 the 1861 English census records William Pollard aboard the ship “Queen” off the coast of Beirut, Syria. At only 17 years old, William had explored more of the world than just his tiny town in Cornwall, England.

Being a part of the navy or military gave ancestors — as well as people today — opportunities they would not have had otherwise. William stayed in the UK Royal navy for over two decades, dying in 1915 at the age of 71, leaving behind a wife and five daughters — some of whom emigrant to the United States and some whom went to Australia.

Don’t forget tomorrow starts the 15% Holiday Sale! Ends 12/14.

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Valuable information can come from just one sheet of paper — a will. Names, dates, and locations along with inventories are all included in probate documents and wills, providing more information that you might not be able to find elsewhere.

Each country — and sometimes, regions, states, and counties within those countries — have their own ways of releasing wills. This image above is an English will that belonged to a man named John Browne, dated 1658. As I did research on John Browne, finding births for his children, his marriage record, and so on — it seems that this man was just someone from the past but upon reading the will, life is put into John Browne and it’s clear to see how he perceived life. What he chose — or chose not — to give to his surviving family says a lot about the man he was.

Wills provide details that sometimes cannot be found in other records and are important in the overall search of family history. Online databases hold these records as well as local archives and genealogical centers. You never know what you’ll find while reading a will — and what surprises it could hold.

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In honor of St. Andrew’s Day (yes, I know it was yesterday — please excuse this expat) I wanted to make a post exploring Scottish heritage and records.

Within my own family, our ancestors came from l Edinburgh to the colony of Delaware in the mid-1750s. Being so far removed from my Scottish ancestors, I only began to explore the culture once I moved to the United Kingdom. Conducting the research took time and effort as I sifted through the archives and collections, gathering the data as I went along and trying to put names to those who had been forgotten. I was lucky enough to have proven ancestors going back to the early-1600s, where their documents were recorded at St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh. Exploring the past can open new doors to those you never would have known about!

Scottish records can be found on sites such as ancestry and familysearch as well as scotlandspeople.gov.uk.

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Starting a family tree can be a tedious and daunting process, but once you get started — you’ll soon have an entire family tree! When I first started researching my own family years ago, I began with the basic steps I’ve listed out above. Asking my family for information about their ancestors and writing down every little piece of information I heard or could find out. Inputting what you have found into a family tree (by using any genealogical website or database — many allow for free tree building!), soon hints and records will become associated with your ancestor and you will be able to expand your tree! Birth, marriage, and death records are vital for sometimes listing parents names and possible ages; while census records also show names and ages, the documents can also lists address, occupations, and sometimes extended relatives!

Building the tree can uncover information you never would have known about your own family! Don’t forget to get in your orders by December 14th for Christmas and the holiday season!

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Don’t miss out on the Christmas Sale! Running from December 7-14th, 15% off all products! Get your orders in by the 14th in time for the holidays.

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Cyber Monday Sale! 20% off for 24 hours only — don’t miss out!

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“As someone with a keen interest in genealogy, prior to reaching out to Brittany I had already undertaken comprehensive research on the maternal side of my family. However, when it came to my paternal side I was at a complete loss. Despite my best efforts and many weeks searching archival records, I couldn’t seem to find any information regarding my great-grandfather and his ancestors. But within a matter of days Brittany had uncovered that he had changed his surname prior to meeting my grandmother, and from there, she also managed to find numerous census records from his childhood. Her services have been invaluable, and the information uncovered by her has greatly impacted not only myself, but also my family. I couldn’t be happier with her assistance and expertise, and I shall definitely be returning if I come across any other family mysteries that need solving.”

Discovering a family member has changed their first name or surname is not an usual discovery (as this happened three times within my own family on the same line), but understanding why they might have done so is not so easy. Reasons range from immigration to escaping from war to having illegitimate children and more. In @conchshell’s case, the records were entirely buried and no one in the family knew of this name change, meaning we had to turn to DNA and genetic matches to come to the conclusion. DNA testing is a valuable resource leading to the discovery of new family and solving mysteries.

Stay tuned for updated services specifically designed for analyzing DNA matches and genetics!

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Get to know me:

My name is Brittany, I’m 24 and recently completed an MA from Newcastle University in Classics and Ancient History. My undergraduate degree was in Art History from Temple University. I’ve had a passion for history for a sling as I can remember, always scouring sources for all the information I could possibly find.

My interest in genealogy started when I was young. As a child, I discovered a family history book written in the late '90s that traced my mother's lineage back to the American Revolution. Filled with names, dates, and unknown photos — I was immediately taken by the book and that very day had begun my own ancestry adventure. Thirteen years later and the obsession has not stopped! Researching and contacting archives, churches, cemeteries, and more, to find all the information about my family that I possibly could, and there is still so much to discover!

I’ve decided to turn my passion into a business to help others discover their own lineages and family origins. If you would like to know more, you can get in touch via tumblr, Instagram, Etsy, email, or Facebook! Or check out my Etsy link in the bio.

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Almost finished the newest commission I received via Etsy! Creating a family tree book is a great way to house all the information including lineages, documents, and photos, in one concise place. Emailed via Etsy as a PDF, this family tree book is a perfect gift for those who’ve always wanted a hard copy of their family history.

For more information feel free to get in touch!

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This is what a day in my life looks like when I'm researching and completing commissions for customers! Countless sources and documents are opened and being consulted to prove the family lines I'm researching. In this particular case, my current project has me creating a Digital Family Tree book. I begin with compiling the information of your family tree into a PDF, adding documents -- such as wills and marriage records, like the ones shown above -- as well as photographs, and all information I have discovered. Once the project has been completed, the PDF is sent to you via Etsy where you can print it or store it on your own devices! This is a great gift for yourself or someone you know; a way to conveniently have family history at your fingertips, neatly organized.

For more information check out the link in my bio or feel free to contact me via Etsy, Instagram, email, or Facebook.

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New 15% Off Sale! Select items including genealogy packages are now on sale through Black Friday. Click the link in the bio for more information. Sale ends 11/27.

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Stay tuned for an exciting announcement tomorrow! 👀🎉

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My most recent project happened when the customer contacted me via Instagram for a commission to research her family history! I eagerly got started on her project the very next day — and the amount of information I discovered was astounding! I came across photographs of her Puerto Rican ancestors and passenger lists from when her German family came to the United States. Marriage records opened gateways into maternal lines I would not have been able to find otherwise; and by using all these documents with the addition of birth, marriage, and death records — I could piece together the story of this customer’s family, providing her and her immediate family with answers they were looking for. Additionally, by analyzing her DNA results, to could confidently tell her that what I had discovered was back up by her genetic matches!

For information about your own family, please feel free to reach out via tumblr, email, Instagram, or Etsy!