Modern communication…

For confused family members….this blog was started because the MyFamily site I was using previously began to request money to continue my account. No one visiting replied, or commented, or added anything to the discussion. So all-in-all it wasn’t worth my time or effort.

I tried Geni.com, but really did not like the set-up, so I cancelled that account.

After much thought I felt the easiest way to share was to blog. Everyone was doing it. The process will be much easier to deal with and anyone interested can keep up with my new finds easily. So hopefully folks will find this helpful and occasionally interesting.

DNA news…

I finally heard back from Dr. Shepherd, the gentleman who matches Grandfathers yDNA. He sent me a small packet of the research that had been done on his family, all of it by paid researchers. I sent him a couple of questions that he has done his best to answer, now I can start digging deeper into my own research on this line.

All we know right now, is that his ancestor John Shepherd was born in New Jersey about 1783ish. No parents are known and no idea where in New Jersey. We might just have to wait for a few years for more Shepards to have their DNA tested before we can continue the quest. At this time we still don’t know where in Europe the surname originated for this line. It could very well be English. Only time will tell.

Gone cross-eyed…

Last month I ordered a few reels of microfilm for newspapers from the Wabeno and White Lake area of Wisconsin to try and find Victor and Gert or any of their boys in the local papers.

It took me 3 weeks to get through 1898-1910 and 1922-1925. One reel of which was completely out of focus and barely readable. But I found out lots of interesting little tidbits about the family dynamics.

In fact one great find I already mentioned on the old family site – Clarence’s first marriage.

Other things of interest include the fact that while Victor was station agent in Wabeno, Gert went home to Oconto and Gillett visiting family and friends at least twice a month. Johanna only came to visit once as did Gert parents, while F. W. came to visit quite often. Victor was musically inclined and very popular in town as the funny man. Linc came to visit several times after he moved out west to work on the railroad in Wyoming. Clarence is hardly mentioned at all in the paper.

So while my eyes recover from this batch of microfilm I am already looking forward to the next.