Memory Tree Genealogy Journal

Last week, I shared my findings from a new (to me!) website called Elephind. Fellow genealogists will not their heads in agreement...sometimes, after hitting brick-wall after brick-wall, discovering an obituary, story, or social pages snippet mentioning a particular ancestor can be a genealogical gift.  Wrapped in a bow.  Sealed with a kiss! Context to add a little something-something to the names, dates, and places of birth on a paper tree. Likewise, when I've taken a break from serious document searching, and I need a little inspiration, newspaper snippets are just the thing to get creativity flowing again.  Have you ever heard of FultonHistory.com ?  If not - CHECK IT OUT.  That's an order.  Fulton History has been on my radar...but I admittedly haven't spent time searching its archives.  Working completely from home, website founder Tom Tryniski has scanned over 22 million historic newspaper pages!  THIS ARTICLE was shared today via one...

Glad to be back in the swing of things after the break!  One of the easiest ways for me to resume writing is to follow the daily prompts from Geneabloggers ...and start off with "Tombstone Tuesday".   Nels Nelson Melvey (1867-1942) and Ingeborg (Johannesdatter Winger) Melvey (1864-1952).  Buried at Riverside Cemetery, Moorhead, Clay County, Minnesota.  *Photo credit: Suzanne McConn (Hi Suzanne!!  You're awesome!) You'll notice the discrepancy between the birth date listed on the grave stone for Ingeborg (1865) and the one I have listed in my records (7 February 1864).  The birth date I have in my database is directly from her birth record from her home church - Vinger Church - in Norway.  Source HERE .  I have no great explanation for the error, other than that it was probably misinformation transferred from parent to child.  Her death record from Seattle, King County, Washington indicates "about 1865".  I'll stick ...

These days, I'm thoroughly enjoying digging into the searchable databases of archived newspapers online - whether it's GenealogyBank , Newspaper Archive , or Google News.  I've read about a 2nd great-grandfather's antique collection, lively city council meetings, legal proceedings, advertisements, marriages, baptisms, burials.  The details found in historic newspaper articles breathe new life into the two-dimensional names and dates filling my tree.  A little snapshot of life as our relatives knew it! Here's one such clip - one of many, many social snippets I've found while researching both of our families.  On November 13, 1930, the Moorhead Daily News published the following comments in the social section: IMAGE SOURCE "...Mrs. O. E. Olson of Laurel and Joe Nelson of Pelican Rapids motored to Barnesville Monday.  They are visiting Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Morben and Miss Esther Olson on Sunday.  Mrs. Olson will return to her home accompanied by Ralph...

(Pelican Rapids Baseball Team, Ralph B. Morben, 4th from left; photo held by family) Ralph B. Morben (1896-1980) - my husband Paul's maternal grandfather. (Image Source)

Today's blogging prompt...Shopping Saturday!  Share advertising or information about an ancestor's business. One of my favorite websites for research as of late is Genealogy Bank ...a database of historical newspapers, obituaries, advertisements, and just about everything.  I've had great success finding stories that add context to our family history research.  Found this advertisement a few weeks back - an entry from the Moorhead Daily News in December 1941: (Jay N. Melvey Contractors.  "Home Building Advertisement".  Moorhead Daily News , 12 December 1941.  http://www.genealogybank.com; accessed February 2013.) Jay N. Melvey, listed above, is my husband Paul's paternal grandfather Jalmer Melvey.  He continued the family business (originally started by father Nels N. Melvey in Moorhead, MN).  In my own "past life" - as in, life before children! - I enjoyed working in the print media industry.  Specifically, newspaper advertising....

Following today's GeneaBloggers writing prompt, Tuesday's Remember Me post presents the memorial grave marker of Reinhardt Christian Morben of Barnesville, Minnesota.  Mr. Morben is my husband Paul's maternal great-grandfather. Reinhardt Christian Morben was born "Reinhardt Christiansen" in the former township of Norderhov (currently Ringerike) in Buskerud, Norway on 20 December 1857 to parents Christian Torbjornsen and Olea Paulsdatter.  In 1880 (article indicates 1879...census reports indicate 1880), Mr. Morben arrived in the United States with his parents and siblings and settled in Minnesota.  In 1898, R.C. Morben officially became a naturalized United States citizen. An interesting tidbit...we can't seem to determine exactly how the name "Morben" came to be used upon arrival in the United States.  It doesn't seem to be a place name from Norway or any sort of family name.  Any long-lost Morben relatives out there have an idea?  Would love...