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The Perils of Norway Research

I made an error in my last post.  It's the statement that Laura Olsdatter Bohn (1853-1923) immigrated to the United States in 1887, arriving in New York City on the S.S. Island on 8 July. After I posted, one of my SLIG instructors, Finn…

Bønsmoen It Is!

One of the mysteries of my Norwegian ancestry has been the question of the Bonn surname: how did it originate and from where exactly?  In Norway, the family name and location often go together, based on the old tradition of giving every farm…

Deconstructing the Tabele Family

This discovery is actually a couple years old, but I wanted to document it here.  I also have an important new lead to discuss.  It is a nice example of discovering new ancestors whom you never knew about before.  For our family, that's pretty…
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MyHeritage DNA Results Are In

I won a door prize!  It was a DNA test kit from MyHeritage DNA, which I received while attending the Association of Professional Genealogists conference in Kansas City last month.  It was funny because all four of the men at the conference…
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Projects, Plans, & Accomplishments: 2018 – 2019

Every genealogist's path to becoming professional is different.  Like many others, it began for me as a hobby.  But once I retired in 2016, I got more passionate about it - and more serious.  My first year of operation as a professional has…

Who Were the Parents of Stephen W. King (1824-1865)?

  In 2016, I wrote a series of three articles published in the Minnesota Genealogist regarding my 2GG Fred A. King (1857-1920).((Steven Nelson Jonnes, “Searching for the Parents of Fred A. King of Saginaw, Michigan,” Minnesota Genealogist,…
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New Jean Manco Book is Out

I just found out that author Jean Manco passed away earlier this year, so I thought I would due her some credit by blogging about her books. Manco is a British building historian with a background in architectural preservation.  In later…
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Y-Chromosome Adam and Mitochondrial Eve

Although Autosomal DNA is beginning to become better known as more and more people test their DNA, Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) probably still dominate the popular imagination. The reason is because of Adam and Eve.  No, I don't…

It’s Official – We’re Going to Norway Next Year!

In 2019, my wife and I are planning to realize a long-held dream - to visit Norway, one of my ancestral homelands. The entire trip will span about three weeks, beginning with a week touring Britain with another couple who are good friends. …
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Are You Sure That’s How You Spell Your Name?

The Minnesota Genealogist just published a short item in their Autumn 2018 issue about the spelling of my surname: Jonnes.  We were always one-N Joneses going back to the 17th century.  Indeed, our original patrilineal immigrant ancestor was…