Tag: genealogy

Thomas Lewis Leonard (1781-1870), Son of Thomas Leonard and Hannah James: Early Years in Maryland, South Carolina, and Tennessee

February 14, 2026

Or, Subtitled: “He was one of Limestone’s best citizens, no man stood higher as a good man than Thomas Leonard. His wife was his equal in all duties of a companion.” Thomas Lewis Leonard, son of Thomas Leonard and Hannah James, was born in 1781 in Washington County, Maryland. This date of birth is based … More Thomas Lewis Leonard (1781-1870), Son of Thomas Leonard and Hannah James: Early Years in Maryland, South Carolina, and Tennessee

Pat Ryan: Family Stories and Our Obligation to Share Them

February 6, 2026

Or, Subtitled: “Everywhere in the world people led their lives unrecorded”~ Elizabeth Strout, Tell Me Everything (NY: Random House, 2024), p. 79 Stories; stories handed down in families; family stories: these are precious gifts that demand to be shared, if not in our family circles, then more widely, since stories told within a family circle … More Pat Ryan: Family Stories and Our Obligation to Share Them

Aletha R. Leonard (abt. 1803 – abt. 1845), Wife of James G. Birdwell

February 5, 2026

Or, Subtitled: “That James Birdwell and Lethe Birdwell his wife have both departed this life” With my last posting about James Lauderdale (abt. 1707 – 1796/7), I’ve drawn to a close, for now at least, my series of postings on my Lauderdale family line. With this posting, I’m inaugurating a new series about another of … More Aletha R. Leonard (abt. 1803 – abt. 1845), Wife of James G. Birdwell

James Lauderdale (abt. 1707 – 1796/7): Will and Children

January 31, 2026

Or, Subtitled: “James Lauderdale his mark wafer seal” In my previous two postings (here and here), I shared the subtance of what I know about my earliest proven ancestor in the Lauderdale line, James Lauderdale, who died at an advanced age between 24 September 1796, when he made a codicil to his will in Botetourt … More James Lauderdale (abt. 1707 – 1796/7): Will and Children

James Lauderdale (abt. 1707 – 1796/7): The Virginia Years, 1744/5 – 1796

January 28, 2026

Or, Subtitled: “Run away from the ſubſcriber, near Buchanan’s ferry, the 5th inſtant” In my preceding posting I focused on establishing when James Lauderdale (abt. 1707? – 1796/7) arrived in Virginia, and, insofar as this can be documented, where he was living prior to his arrival in Virginia. That posting showed that there’s sound documentation … More James Lauderdale (abt. 1707 – 1796/7): The Virginia Years, 1744/5 – 1796

Patrick Joyce on Why We Should Remember Peasants: Reflections on Our Obligation to Our Forebears

October 22, 2025

Or, Subtitled: “In putting away the dead we also put ourselves away” This posting is not precisely a genealogical posting. It’s a genealogy-adjacent posting, however. It is, in some ways, a gloss on my previous posting reporting on my research several weeks ago in the National Library of Ireland in Dublin, and the information I … More Patrick Joyce on Why We Should Remember Peasants: Reflections on Our Obligation to Our Forebears

John Ryan (Bef. 1785) and Wife Margaret Oates of County Kilkenny, Ireland: A Report on Research at National Library of Ireland

October 14, 2025

Or, Subtitled: Payments to Flax Spinners and Rent Rolls: Filling in the Blanks re: Early 19th-Century Irish Ancestors My last posting noted that I was preparing for a trip to Ireland on which I intended to do genealogical research. I said that I’d be doing research at the local history center of County Clare in … More John Ryan (Bef. 1785) and Wife Margaret Oates of County Kilkenny, Ireland: A Report on Research at National Library of Ireland

Dennis Linchy/Linchey/Lindsey (abt. 1700 – August 1762): The Irish Connection

September 13, 2025

Or, Subtitled: Gossamer Web of Connections Back from USA to Ireland Centuries in the Past I’ve been “away” from this blog for a number of reasons, and am sorry for my absence. One reason for it is that I’ve been busy planning a trip to Ireland that will include research in the archives of County … More Dennis Linchy/Linchey/Lindsey (abt. 1700 – August 1762): The Irish Connection

Joseph Pryor of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama (1767-1851): Notes to Clarify His Pre-Alabama Roots

August 21, 2025

Or, Subtitled: “PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED WITH AT LEAST ONE PREVIOUSLY VERIFIED PAPER” At the start of this month, I posted an article here that had been published by Roots and Branches, a publication of the Tuscaloosa County Alabama Genealogical Society. As I did so, I noted that the Tuscaloosa Genealogical Society had kindly given … More Joseph Pryor of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama (1767-1851): Notes to Clarify His Pre-Alabama Roots