• Jane Lewis Hunter Portrait

    By Published On: May 18th, 2010Categories: Found Treasures, Surname: Lewis

    I was recently contacted by Peter Aubrey-Smith.  He is my third cousin, once removed on the Lewis branch of my family tree.  He had seen my research on ancestry.com and decided to contact me.  We have since been sharing information back and forth, but the grand prize came the other day when he shared with

  • Harry McNeill & Jane Josephine Hayes Marriage Certificate

    By Published On: May 18th, 2010Categories: Found Documents, Surname: Hayes, Surname: McNeill

    This the the marraige certificate for Harry McNeill & Jane Josephine Hayes.  They were married at St Patricks Roman Catholic Church in Manchester, New Hampshire on September 27th, 1920.

  • The Hayes Family Of Bruree, Ireland Found!

    By Published On: May 14th, 2010Categories: Found Documents, Surname: Hayes (on Lewis Side)

    Late Thursday night I was doing some casual genealogy surfing at the pilot.familysearch.org web site when I came across a record that caught my eye.  It was an Irish Birth and Baptism Record for a Patrick Hanly in Bruree, Limerick, Ireland.   The spelling of the last name was different than what I had been

  • Naturalization Papers for Thomas Kelty

    By Published On: May 3rd, 2010Categories: Found Documents, Surname: Kelty

    I recently acquired naturalization papers for a Thomas Kelty, who I believe to be my great great grandfather.  They were executed in Exeter, New Hampshire on 28 February 1859 with an inital application date of 3 March 1859.  While these papers don’t positively identify this Thomas Kelty as my great great grandfather, I have concluded

  • Obituary For Bert Palmer Record, 84

    By Published On: April 21st, 2010Categories: Obituaries, Surname: Smith

    Bert P Record is the husband of Leta Ethel Smith, sister of Frank Edward Smith,  Bert was born March 8, 1878 near Dewitt Iowa.  He married Leta Smith on July 3, 1905.  Bert died in his home in Rock Island after a 10 year battle with an illness.

  • Obituary For Leta Smith Record, 79, of Rock Island, Illinois

    By Published On: April 21st, 2010Categories: Obituaries, Surname: Smith

    Leta Ethel Smith Record is the sister of Colleen’s great grandfather, Frank Edward Smith.  After much research, some genealogists from the Rock Island area of Illinois found her obituary for me.  Leta was born May 30, 1887 on a farm in Homboldt, Iowa.  She married Bert Record on July 3, 1905 in Sioux Falls, South

  • The Elusive Smith Cousin May Finally be Found!

    By Published On: April 11th, 2010Categories: On The Genealogy Trail, Surname: Smith

    I’ve been at a stand-still with the Leta Smith branch of the family tree since December 2009. I’ve been looking for Shawn Butler since July 2009. Now, thanks to the folks at the Rock Island County illinois Genealogical Society, I have made a major breakthrough tracking down Shawn Butler, the great grandson of Leta Smith. 

  • Obituary: Muyrll Record Turner, Wife Of Roy Turner Died At Age 21

    By Published On: April 11th, 2010Categories: Obituaries, Surname: Smith

    Muyrll Turner was born Muyrll Record on August 25, 1909 in Rock Island, Illinois.  She died at the age of 21 following two operations for an intestinal ailment.  She was survived by her husband, Roy Turner, her son; Clarence and her daughter; Leta Ellen.

  • Obituary: Leta E Butler, 61, New Boston, Illinois

    By Published On: April 11th, 2010Categories: Obituaries, Surname: Smith

    A special thanks to the folks at the Rock Island County illinois Genealogical Society for finding the obituary for Leta Ellen Butler for me. Born Leta Ellen Turner on 9 Aug 1929 in Moline, she married William Butler on November 19, 1965 in Rock Island.

  • Leta Smith’s Family Tree Branch Has Been Found!

    By Published On: December 20th, 2009Categories: Found Documents, On The Genealogy Trail, Surname: Smith

    Leta Ethel Smith, sister of Frank Edward Smith (my wife’s great grandfather) was born in Iowa on May 30, 1887.  The only thing we knew about her, until today, was that she had twins named Merle and Berle.  In fact we have pictures of Leta, Merle and Berle in our possession.  There is some recollection

  • Three Generations of Sheehans in The United States

    By Published On: December 7th, 2009Categories: On The Genealogy Trail, Surname: Sheehan

    THE FIRST US GENERATION OF SHEEHANS Jeremiah D Sheehan was born circa 1826 in Ireland.  He arrived in the US sometime around 1845, although no concrete details about his immigration have been found yet.  He was married to Mary Sullivan, who was born circa 1829 in Ireland. Together they had six children. • Jeremiah Sheehan,

  • Questioning Ancestry.com’s DNA Results

    By Published On: December 7th, 2009Categories: DNA Testing

    Today, I fired off an email to Ancestry.com’s Customer Support to let them know that I had my DNA re-tested with Family Tree DNA after my initial disappointment with the service there.  Results are due back in January.