Month: August 2012

Cemeteries4 Comments

All Saints Church and Churchyard, Ripley, North Yorkshire, England

mblauss

While visiting my brother-in-law in Yorkshire, we made a day trip to the town of Ripley in North Yorkshire. We wandered around the castle for a bit, grabbed a delicious ice cream cone, and afterwards made our way to the All Saints Church and its surrounding graveyard. The church dates to the 14th century, and features a very old “weeping cross” where pilgrims and penitents kneeled in prayer. The cross has been lost to time, replaced by stones at the base of the cross. There are only two weeping crosses known in Britain, it is believed that this cross was … Continue reading All Saints Church and Churchyard, Ripley, North Yorkshire, England

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Orcas Island Historical Museum and Woodlawn Cemetery, Eastsound, Washington

mblauss

For our fifth wedding anniversary, we went to a B&B on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands. We practically had the islands to ourselves, since it was the Thanksgiving weekend – and pouring! The inn where we stayed was also a working farm with a lovely view of Turtleback Mountain, and was located along the historic Crow Valley. As we drove to the inn, we passed a tiny old schoolhouse called the Crow Valley School with a sign for the Orcas Island Historical Museum. My wonderful husband, who had a list of some must-dos for the trip such as … Continue reading Orcas Island Historical Museum and Woodlawn Cemetery, Eastsound, Washington

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Old City Cemetery, Raleigh, North Carolina

mblauss

Back in 2009, I worked a booth at NGS, which was held in Raleigh and was a fantastic conference. After helping to set up the booth the day before the conference officially began, I attended the wonderful African-American Genealogy Forum, which was held at the North Carolina Museum of History, and then wandered around the city with a colleague, searching for historical sites.   We made our way to the City Cemetery of Raleigh, aka Old City Cemetery, which was recognized in 1798 as Raleigh’s first cemetery. Originally 4 acres, it was laid out into quarters, “with the northern two … Continue reading Old City Cemetery, Raleigh, North Carolina

DNA2 Comments

Weekend Surprise: Unraveling Royal Descent

mblauss

I  received my eagerly-anticipated copy of Martin Hollick’s revised edition of New Englanders in the 1600s. It now sits beside its well-used predecessor, and contains even more families, detailing all modern scholarship which has been performed on a given individual or family from 1980-2010. I use it constantly for work, but rarely ever sat down with it to review my own early New England lines, and became inspired to do so this weekend. I’m always touting the significance of using current, scholarly research, since so many early genealogical works contained errors, small or large, which were then repeated ad nauseum … Continue reading Weekend Surprise: Unraveling Royal Descent

Mysteries3 Comments

Mystery Monday: Origins of Mary (Miller) Munroe of Pembroke, Mass.

mblauss

    Nathan Munroe Family Bible, Courtesy of Jane Kent Henry Munroe [variously spelled Munro, Monroe, etc.] Jr. married “Mary Millar” at Pembroke, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, 12 September 1771. Vital Records of Pembrokenotes that no intention was recorded for this couple at Pembroke churches or the Pembroke town clerk. Their marriage was a double wedding, with Henry’s older sister Mary Munroe marrying Jacob Bearce on the same day. Henry and his sister Mary were the children of Henry Munroe Sr. and Hannah Josselyn, who lived at present-day Main Street in Hanson. Both the families of Henry Munroe Sr. and Jr. … Continue reading Mystery Monday: Origins of Mary (Miller) Munroe of Pembroke, Mass.