Reflections and Resolutions
2022
Ah, 2022 is morphing into 2023. I once again completed the Ancestry challenge through Generations Cafe. This year I accomplished the 12 month challenge (actually writing 14 blog posts) instead of the 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks. With us learning to live with COVID instead of spending our lives isolated at home, life got busier (Gary and I went on two cruises; joined the frivolity at two renaissance faires; traveled to Washington D.C., Boston, Billings, Napa, Palm Springs; spent three weeks at our timeshares; and saw nine concerts or Vegas shows. Then of course there was golf for Gary, genealogy and photo projects for me, our Ardiente activities, and dinners with friends.)
As I continue my research, it’s been interesting to see how the world has changed. My first known ancestor to arrive in the New World was Anthony Colby who was part of the Great Puritan Migration of 1630. At that point the population of Colonial America was 4,646 (this is an estimate as the U.S. census was not established until 1790 (Colonial). My great grandmother, Gertrude Schmidt Anthony, was born in 1867 in Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1869 when she was two. In 1870, the population of the United States was 38,558,371. My grandfather, Malcolm Bruce McLeod also immigrated to the United States when he was two. He was born in Canada in 1900 and when he immigrated in 1902 the population of the United States was 79,163,000. When I was born in 1955 the population was 161,136,449. Today as we enter 2023, the United States population has exploded to 333,287,557 (Growth).
As I research the stories of my ancestors, I see not only the immense struggles and hardships they encountered but also the idealism and hope that allowed them to endure. I’ve explored some of the circumstances they found themselves in and identified some family traditions.
This year I finally started my online tree at Ancestry.com. Before this, all my research was completed on paper ancestor charts, information stored in files on my computer, and names and dates added on a color-coded Grandparents Chart. Adding this information with sources to Ancestry.com allows others to see what I have discovered and gives me additional hints to explore. I still have lots of ancestors to add because I am trying to be as accurate as possible (and there are people with the same name that complicates matters as well as incomplete or missing records).
One of my main goals was to make sure that the correct information can be located regarding my grandmother, Fannie Vandyke Watkins aka Delores Frances Russell. She would definitely be a brick wall for people who only know one of names. (I’ve included documentation including her marriage license to my grandfather, her marriage license to Elmer which shows the date of her divorce, and her Delayed Birth Certificate.) I am probably the only person who knows most of the story because I met her and my step-grandfather and was close to her first husband, my father’s father. She and my mother corresponded some. This information is now available to future researchers.
This year I also purchased Family Tree Maker to add backup to my research. Furthermore, this program has great options for reports and charts which is a definite plus. I’ve made a chart showing the direct lineage of my grand niece Magnolia to Henry Howland which I will give her when I give her the book, The Boy Who Fell Off the Mayflower, which is the story of John Howland, Henry’s brother. Henry is mentioned in the book.
As we head into 2023, I have several goals. I want to continue working on my online tree. I’ve also started a tree for Gary and I want to expand this tree as well. Gary’s mother was recently going through some things and came across some family genealogy books that she is going to send me. I’m really excited to see what treasures are included in this wonderful find.
I would like to explore more about how DNA works and delve into my DNA results and explore what insights I can glean from them. On Ancestry.com I currently have 47,849 matches.
The truth about genealogy is that the more you discover, the more there is to ferret out. As 2023 looms ahead, I hope to have lots of new discoveries.
Sources
“Colonial Population Estimates.” Infoplease, Infoplease, https://www.infoplease.com/us/population/colonial-population-estimates.
“Growth in U.S. Population Shows Early Indication of Recovery amid Covid-19 Pandemic.” Census.gov, 27 Dec. 2022, https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/2022-population-estimates.html.