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Probate Discovery: Mrs. Mabel Vermilyea (1885-1938)

This is my 100th post since the Jonnes Genealogy Blog began four years ago! For the second summer in a row, I took advantage of living in Minnesota to conduct genealogy research locally. In 2021, Lucia and I drove to Grand Rapids, Minnesota,…

Photo Discovery: 3GG Nancy Wood (1810-1886)

Acquiring images of ancestors is an integral aspect of genealogy research.  Seeing a face speaks volumes about the personalities of our progenitors. A Lukemire cousin recently forwarded an image of our mutual third great-grandmother (3GG)…

Wesley Blalock in the Civil War

Second great-grandfather (2GG) Wesley Blalock (1825-1895) joined the 31st Illinois Infantry Regiment, Company K, on 10 August 1861 in Centralia, Marion, Illinois.((Wesley named one of his daughters after the town in which he enlisted.))  The…
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My Civil War Ancestors

In recent posts, I've been in an analysis rather than research mode.  First came a summary of ten years of discoveries and breakthroughs.  (Read here.)  Then I posted a series of three articles about the occupations of my ancestors.  (Read…
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R.I.P. Joy M. Kiser (1947-2022)

Our family was stunned and heart-broken to hear of Joy Kiser's unexpected death a week ago at age 74.  She would have been 75 tomorrow. Joy was the Jones family historian.  Beginning in the 1990s, Joy spent many years researching the tragic…
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My Pilgrim Ancestors

My son Peter gave me a book for Christmas that I really enjoyed - They Knew They Were Pilgrims: Plymouth Colony and the Contest for American Liberty.  It's a new history of Plymouth Colony by John G. Turner, a professor of religion at George…

Origin of Hildeburn Name

In 1831, Robert McMullin Jr. (1787-1862) and wife Mary Tabele (1795-1869) of Philadelphia named their eldest son Samuel Hildeburn McMullin (1831-1892).  Samuel is my 2nd great-grandfather (2GG) and his parents Robert and Mary are 3GGs. Rev.…

Discovery: Wesley Blalock had Two Wives

Just not at the same time! In 2012, I obtained the Civil War pension file for 2GG Wesley Blalock (1825-1895) from the National Archives.((Wesley Blalock (Pvt., Co. K, 31st Ill. Inf., Civil War), pension no. Inv. 58388, Case Files of Approved…

The Lost Township of Northampton

Every genealogist encounters past jurisdictions that no longer exist.  Empires rise, empires fall, boundaries shift, names change.  Only 150 odd years ago, Germany was a patchwork of 39 kingdoms, duchies, and principalities.  As a result,…

Distant Cousins with Familiar Names, Part II

I had the good fortune of connecting this summer with two distant cousins who share very rare surnames from my family tree: Tabele Wührlin A previous post told the story of my new Tabele cousin.((See it here.))  This post discusses…