Tag Archives: British Colonies

My Dutch/German Ancestor Stubble Stubbleson, His Origins, and His Cows 🐄 

This week’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing prompt is free space, meaning we can write about anything we want to! I choose to write about my ancestor Stubble Stubbleson in general, and how cool it is that we know … Continue reading

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Halloween Surnames. My Crackbone Ancestors from In and Around White Notley, Essex, England. Bones, Brooks, Ravens, and Crows. A Side Connection to Edgar Allan Poe.

I wrote this blog entry five days early, knowing the 52 Ancestors writing prompt coming up was going to be Spirits. To me, Crackbone is a perfect surname to write about at Halloween. It conjures up thoughts about cracking bones, … Continue reading

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My Ancestor Phebe Fed Prindle and Her Correct Maiden Name. Colonial Records in Connecticut, the Various Ways the Capital Letters F, J, and T were Written in Colonial American Handwriting. Transcription Errors. Records Destroyed by the British. DNA. Surnames in Colonial America. 52 Ancestors, Week 49: Written.

This week’s 52 Ancestors writing prompt is Written. Suggestions for the prompt were writing about someone in my family that is a writer (besides me!), someone who had a habit of sending letters to the editor of newspapers, those that … Continue reading

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Rest in Peace Cousin Tony Dow

I used to watch Leave it to Beaver in syndication when I was a kid. I was quite saddened to learn of Tony Dow’s death at the age of 77 this past Wednesday. So, I thought I’d post my genealogical … Continue reading

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52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Week 7: Landed. February Theme: Branching Out. My Contentious and Quarrelsome Mayflower Pilgrim Ancestor Edward Doty.

When I received the writing prompt for this week, Landed, I considered taking it in several various directions, I do have some British ancestors that were considered Landed Gentry, as well as owners of large amounts of land in early … Continue reading

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My Greatsinger (Gretzinger) and Bonnett ancestors of Berlin, Germany and Related Lines.

Update of 29 August 2025: I spent a significant amount of time painstakingly going through many additional German church records, and as well as records found in Colonial America in the 1700s. My sixth great-grandfather’s surname is listed many various … Continue reading

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52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 17: War. My 3rd cousin the Treasonous Benedict Arnold

I original wrote this regarding a different writing prompt, that didn’t fit too well, but I reconsidered it this week, for it fits perfectly with this week’s writing prompt war and one of my more infamous cousins Benedict Arnold. He … Continue reading

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52 Ancestors: Week 35: Disaster. My ancestors John Cogswell / Elizabeth Thompson – The Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635 – The Ship Angel Gabriel

The ship Angel Gabriel was a 240-ton English passenger galleon. They journeyed from England to Massachusetts in a fleet of five ships, the Angel Gabriel joined by the James, the Elizabeth (Bess), the Mary and the Diligence. They left Bristol England on 4 June 1635. The Angel Gabriel was captained by Robert Andrews of Norwich, Norfolk, England. … Continue reading

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My Ancestor William Durkee – First Irish Catholic to settle in Massachusetts

My more recent immigrant ancestors were from in and around Gort and Peterswell Parish in Galway, Ireland, and from Klingenmünster in the Südliche Weinstraße (Southwest Wine Route) district in Germany. I have to go back an additional eighty-five years to find … Continue reading

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