Archives for TOPICS - Page 5
John Wagner and the Texas Widow
My 2x great uncle John Wagner served alongside his two brothers, Henry and my 2x great grandfather William Wagner, in the Civil War. After the war he moved to Texas, and all I knew was that he had "married a Texas widow." I finally found his obituary, and it lead me on an amazing saga that could have been a movie. I'm still researching a few things, but I wanted to get this posted. Download…
Interview with Louise Weiler
Back in the 1970s (I think) I interviewed my grandmother, Louise Adelaide Weiler about her childhood. I had caught the genealogy bug, and she and I were going through old photos and I was filling in the tree. I made this tape, which I have drawn from for various biographical information, especially in the epilog I compiled of the Autobiography of her father Rev. William Weiler. Here is the unedited recording (it's in two parts).…
Lois Ann Wagner singing 1964
Here are some tapes of my mom, Lois, singing some folksongs back in 1964. She still has her guitar that she is playing, a 1930s Gibson she got in a pawn shop. Inside of houseboat, 1964. Lois Wagner
Baby Diana Tapes
I (Diana Vida Thornton) was born in January 1964. My parents, Charles Paul Thornton and Lois Wagner lived on a houseboat on the Allegheny River on the North Side, Pittsburgh, PA. Houseboat where Paul, Lois and Diana Thornton lived. ca April 1964 My mom Lois recorded several tapes of me, probably about the same time the photo above was taken. Two are just me making baby noises but one is of my mom talking and…
Old Pittsburgh Maps
1910 map of the Point "The Pittsburgh Mapping and Historical Site Viewer provides a window into the past, allowing anyone to see how the city took shape over time. It shows how the city of 22,433 people in 1835 changes over time: how neighborhoods grow and expand, while others were planned but never built. Street names change over time, empty lots become buildings, and schools and churches open and close. The maps were made by…
I’m my own grandpa [video]
This is often how I feel when I'm researching my father's side of the family. Lyrics: Many, many years ago when I was 23 I was married to a widow who was pretty as can be This widow had a grown-up daughter who had hair of red My father fell in love with her and soon they too were wed This made my dad my son-in-law and really changed my life For now my daughter…
S.S. Columbia sailing [video]
A short video of the Columbia, the ship Rev. William Weiler came to the in May 1891 on, filmed only 3 years later in June 1902. It shows the ship as it gets under way in Hoboken, with waving passengers. I suspect the scene would have been similar when it left Hamburg. Bonine, R. Camera, American Mutoscope And Biograph Company, Paper Print Collection, and Niver. "Columbia" sailing. United States: American Mutoscope & Biograph, 1902. Video.…
Using DNA matches to confirm distant ancestors
Several years ago I took the DNA test and attached it to my tree there. I have two separate trees - one for my father's side and one for my mom's. My mom also took the test, and I attached it to her tree. Ancestry then matches our DNA to the thousands of other testers and then shows me how it thinks we are related. They recently rolled out a new visualization tool called "Thrulines"…
23 and Me DNA results
I just got my DNA results from 23 and Me. I already took the test, which is usually what I use to connect to cousins since that's where my tree is. But the 23 and Me test looks at the MtDNA which is the direct Maternal line. The test just shows cousins, whereas the MtDNA (or Y-DNA if you're male) is much more accurate since the Y or Mtdna gets passed to son/daughter almost intact…
