Category Archives: United States

Understanding Passenger Lists

Genealogy can provide us a lot more than a mere list of names and dates plunging back endlessly into History. In an interview I recently read, a professional genealogist expressed her opinion that she prefers to investigate personal details about … Continue reading

Posted in 1910 US Census, Death, Emigration, Engagement, Genealogy, Italy, Marriage, Ships, United States | Leave a comment

Tracing your ancestors… on the RMS Titanic

100 years ago today, the RMS Titanic set sail from the English port of Southampton, completing the first leg of a journey which would never be completed. Less than five days later, the largest ship in the world at the … Continue reading

Posted in Argentina, Death, Emigration, England, Famous Genealogy, France, Genealogy, Ships, Spain, United States | 6 Comments

The Best Father’s Day Gift Ever: Seeing Your Father For The First Time

You will all remember the exciting piece of news last Christmas when, thanks to my distant cousin Anne, in England, and her cousin Michele in America, we discovered my grandfather had a younger half-sister who still lives in New York … Continue reading

Posted in Emigration, Genealogy, Illegitimacy, Italy, Spain, United States, War | 1 Comment

Going up the female line

Tracing one’s paternal line in history is generally among the main goals of any genealogist, or indeed anyone who feels a certain twinge of curiosity from within to know more about one’s origins. This is in no way surprising, as … Continue reading

Posted in Birth, Death, England, Spain, United States, Women | 1 Comment

You’re A Lady, Not Toad Of Toad Hall!

Some months before ITV’s Downton Abbey was first released to the general public in Britain last year, I had already become fascinated by American heiresses who one way or other managed to become the wives of some of the wealthiest … Continue reading

Posted in Cuba, Emigration, Engagement, England, Famous Genealogy, Genealogy, Louisiana, Marriage, Property, United States, Women | 6 Comments

Mombaruzzo, where it all started

The small, provincial town of Mombaruzzo lies quietly on a small hilltop at the foot of the Italian Alps, and is surrounded by dense forests and seemingly endless fields of vineyards. Once a part of the old Duchy of Monferrato, … Continue reading

Posted in Emigration, Genealogy, Italy, United States | 2 Comments

Ships in my family history

Ships are an essential part of any family who was compelled to emigrate before the dawn of the age of aeroplanes. Coming from a seaside town, I have always felt a close affinity with the sea, a deep-rooted feeling of … Continue reading

Posted in Death, Emigration, England, Galicia, Genealogy, Germany, Italy, Killed In Action, Ships, Spain, United States, War | 11 Comments

A national hero in the family tree

After encountering only peasants and servants in the family tree, you can imagine how pleasant it is to find a genealogical link with a man who could well be considered a national hero. The courage and patriotism that he, Luis … Continue reading

Posted in Death, Famous Genealogy, Galicia, Genealogy, Ships, Spain, United States, War | 4 Comments

The legend (and family) of Lizzie Borden

“Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother forty whacks; when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.” The gruesome lyrics of a children’s song about one of the most infamous murders which took place in … Continue reading

Posted in Death, England, Famous Genealogy, Genealogy, Murder, United States | 29 Comments

Titanic victim’s niece survives Concordia disaster

Like many of you out there, I am utterly stunned by the amazingly horrific images of the recent Costa Concordia disaster off the Island of Giglio, on the western coast of Italy. The footage showing the ship gradually listing to … Continue reading

Posted in Death, England, Genealogy, Italy, Ships, United States | 2 Comments