nathaniel rochester

September 17, 2026

The Racist in the Family Tree: John H. Van Evrie and Sophia Colman

Every once in a while genealogy hands me a discovery that makes me stop and say “What the heck did I just find?” This was definitely one of those times. Dr. John H. Van Evrie (1814-1896) married my 4X cousin Sophia Elizabeth Colman (1821-1845) in 1842. Van Evrie would later become a physician, writer, newspaper… Continue reading

paternal history, stories of america

civil war, colman, maynard, nathaniel rochester, rochester new york, slavery, van evrie
September 11, 2026

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

paternal history

colman, nathaniel rochester, rochester new york

“The creation of a thousand forests is one acorn.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

Welcome! My name is Lisa, and I’m a family historian, storyteller, and unapologetic history nerd with a deep love for discovering the ordinary people, places, and stories that came before us.

What began as curiosity about my own ancestors has grown into a passion for researching, preserving, and sharing the stories, photographs, documents, and places that connect generations across time. Along the way, I’ve discovered that some of the best stories aren’t necessarily found on my family tree. Sometimes they’re hiding in an old newspaper, a forgotten recipe, a historic place – or some random bit of history I simply can’t resist sharing.

I believe every ancestor – whether they left behind a diary or only a name on a census record – deserves to be remembered. My hope is that this site not only preserves my family’s history for future generations, but also celebrates the fascinating, surprising, and sometimes wonderfully everyday stories of the past.

Because history is everywhere. You just have to be curious enough to look.

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nathaniel rochester

The Racist in the Family Tree: John H. Van Evrie and Sophia Colman

Orphaned at Eight: Another Chapter in Edward Colman’s Story