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52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 2

The Wikitree 52 Ancestors challenge continues with week 2 theme of Generations. I have figured out how to add my photos to Wikitree profiles and to the challenge pages. Because not everyone in the photo below had a Wikitree profile, I had to add a couple: Heinrich Muhs and Johanna Cornilsen Muhs. They were the parents of Frieda Muhs Korn, who was the mother of Florence Korn Burrell, who was the mother of Janice Burrell Snyder, who was my mom. […]

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 1

I’m coming to this slightly late, but hope it still counts. The Wikitree 52 Ancestors challenge begins here. This is a photo of my mom, Janice Burrell Snyder, as a baby. I’m guessing she was about a year old in this photo, which would make it 1939.

The Case of the Missing Sister

Augusta Hermanie Meyn Burrell was my great-grandmother. I am descended from her son, Arthur Burrell, who married Florence Korn. My mother was their oldest daughter. (No, I don’t use mother’s maiden name for passwords or login information.) But there is a family story that she had a sister who disappeared under mysterious circumstances. And each branch of the family has a different version. I was told that the sister would spend the night with the childless neighbors and one night […]

Recollecting

I often use the phrase “a vague recollection” when describing a memory. When I’m remembering things, I’m not entirely sure that I’m describing an event accurately. Our memories can be tainted by time, or by discussing an event with someone. More than one event can be merged, so that you may describe something that happened as a single occasion, when in reality, some time had passed. As an example: I remember seeing a light between the baseboard and the wall […]