paternal history
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It’s a Small World After All: When Two Family Trees Intertwine
Sometimes a genealogical discovery begins with something as simple as a familiar surname. A name you haven’t thought about in years suddenly resurfaces, sending you digging through old research, following branches, and uncovering a connection you never imagined existed. That’s exactly what happened to me this past weekend. My youngest son’s girlfriend, Kailey, who has… Continue reading
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Before Our Family Trees Met: A Connection in 1850’s Clarkson, New York
Sometimes while analyzing my genealogy research I discover unexpected family connections hiding among the records. Generally these discoveries involve families whose paths crossed within the small communities of my own ancestral lines. However, I was surprised and delighted to discover that at least two of my family lines intersected geographically with one of my husband’s… Continue reading
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From Bloodletting to Cholera: Dr. Anson Colman and Early Medicine in Rochester
In 1824, Dr. Anson Colman (1795-1837) was 29 years old, practicing medicine in the Rochester, New York area during a time when American medicine was only beginning to become more organized and formerly taught. Wanting to expand his knowledge, he traveled east to attend lectures and demonstrations at the Boston Medical School – an impressive… Continue reading
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Two Sisters, Two Very Different Civil War Stories
Yesterday I wrote about my distant cousin, Sophia Colman, who married Dr. John H. Van Evrie, one of the most outspoken racist and pro-slavery writers of the 19th century. Her sister, Cornelia Colman (1830-1914), found herself connected to the Civil War in an entirely different way. Cornelia married Edward Stuyvesant Bragg, a Wisconsin lawyer who… Continue reading
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Orphaned at Eight: Another Chapter in Edward Colman’s Story
Just yesterday, I wrote about my distant cousin ancestor, Edward Colman and the terrible wound he suffered during the Battle of Shiloh. While revisiting his family records afterward, I discovered something about Edward’s childhood that I had somehow overlooked. Long before Edward survived a gunshot wound to the face, he had already experienced tremendous loss.… Continue reading
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Shot in the Face at Shiloh: The Story of Edward Colman (1828-1898)
Some family stories leap off the page. This is one of them. My first cousin, four times removed, Edward Colman, was born in 1828, the son of Dr. Anson Colman and Catherine (Rochester) Colman. Edward was also the nephew of my 3X great grandmother, Caroline (Colman) Maynard. There is another interesting piece of history tucked… Continue reading
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A Boy Named George: Slavery in My Manley Family
Genealogy has a way of taking us places we never expected to go. I’ve spent years researching my Manley ancestors, tracing them from the early Massachusetts colonies through their migrations to New York and eventually, Lenawee County, Michigan. Along the way I’ve uncovered the details that bring a family history to life – where they… Continue reading
