So when I started my genealogical research on my family, I really new very little about what countries my ancestors came from. I knew my father’s family came from Dresden, Germany. In addition, I knew my mother’s family came from England. As to where in England I had not a clue. After years of research here’s what I’ve discovered. I’ve divided it up by Maternal and Paternal Lines.
While most people are familiar with D-Day June 6,1944, many myself included, don’t know much about what happened next. From July 11th to July 18th the US and German forces fought for control over the city of St. Lô. St. Lô was key to the US Army’s breaking out of Normandy into the French hinterland. Because the US forces had to fight their way through fortified hedgerows that separated field, the battles became the Battle of the Hedgerows.
Whenever I watch “Finding Your Roots” with Henry Louis Gates I always start to think about my family tree. Tonight the show focused on immigrant ancestors.
One of Jeff Goldblum’s ancestors left Ukraine, traveled to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Then he sailed to Halifax Nova Scotia He finally entered the United States from Canada.
Genealogical research has never been easier. With the plethora of information available on-line at Ancestry.com and Familysearch.org, you can start to build a family tree in hours instead of years. Then, when you add in inexpensive DNA testing, you can uncover long-buried family secrets or answer family questions that cross generations.
When my wife and I first started doing serious research on our family trees, Ancestry was in it’s infancy. One of the best places to do research was through the Church of the Latter Day Saints (LDS). The nearest LDS Research Center was in Cherry Hill, so off we went.
So where should we start my tale about the Ashton family. How about with a quick story about the start of my genealogical research. My first experience with genealogy was when I went with my mother in law to the Trenton Archives for the first time. The only thing that I remember about that day is that I found the death certificate for my great-great grandfather. The second John. Sherrington Ashton.
So the name John Sherrington Ashton has a nice British ring to it, don’t you think! Well, it should my family immigrated from Lincolnshire, England in 1851. But how about the name John Sherrington Gottlieb!! Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it does it. But through the wonders of Ancestry and DNA testing. I have discovered that he does have a branch on my family tree!
(Featured Image: My 5th Great Grandmother Antje Anny Brower)
Yesterday, I decided to do a little work on my family tree.I realized that I had never put in the information that I had discovered about my 4th great-grandmother Eleanor Johnson Cliver. When I first researched Eleanor and found her death certificate it said that her father was Daniel Johnson of Monmouth County. I searched and searched for a Daniel who could be Eleanor’s father but never could find anyone. Then one day on Ancestry, I came across an abstract from a will that listed Eleanor Johnson, wife of Samuel Cliver! Eleanor is one of eight children of Samuel Johnson and Antje Anney Brower. Now what I hadn’t done until yesterday was enter all that information i.e. her parents and siblings.
Sometime last week my wife came across some of my old family pictures and gave them to me to put away One was a picture of my father’s mother Charlotte Frieda Meyer
. In the picture she is holding a cone that is almost as long as she is tall. So my wife set out to find out, what the cone was.
