The following is a list of the blog posts that have been written to tell our family stories. You can browse through the posts below or use the search function at the top of the screen to search for a specific topic or for someone in particular.
An Icy Family Legacy
A guest post by Joel. leg·a·cy/ˈleɡəsē/ nounnoun: legacy; plural noun: legacies the long-lasting impact of…
New Old Media
Convert your old media to digital… Before it is too late! Restoring old media may…
Genealogy Book Award
I am quite humbled to have been nominated and beyond thrilled to have been selected…
Quick break with Jonas Weed
Jonas Weed (1610-1676) Jonas Weed came to America as part of the Great Migration. He…
Hello world! – Again!
We are back! If anyone happened to notice, we were offline for a while. After…
Quick break with Ebenezer Billings Jr.
Ebenezer Billings Jr. (1683/84-1760) Lieutenant Ebenezer Billings Jr. lived in Colonial America. During his 76-years…
The Miller book is here!
It is another happy day for me – another project is completed! I received my…
The Aschbrenner Family book is finished!
It is an exciting day when the mailman brings me a box containing books that…
Welcoming Johann Gottlieb Krüger and Anna Luise Zastrow to our family tree
I get pretty excited these days when I find a new branch on the family…
Sally’s Photos – Page #47 – People and Indian School
People and Indian School The 47th and final page of Sally’s photo album featured many…
Sally’s Photos – Page #46 – Farewell to Washington and Back to Wisconsin
Farewell to Washington and Back to Wisconsin The 46th page of Sally’s photo album includes…
Sally’s Photos – Page #45 – Mostly Washington
Mostly Washington The 45th page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection of photos mostly…
Sally’s Photos – Page #44 – Wisconsin, Arlington, and Atlantic City
Wisconsin, Arlington, and Atlantic City The 44th page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection…
Sally’s Photos – Page #43 – DC and a Trip Home
DC and a Trip Home The 43rd page of Sally’s photo album featured pictures taken…
Sally’s Photos – Page #42 – Washington D.C.
Washington D.C. The 42nd page of Sally’s photo album takes us back to Washington D.C….
Sally’s Photos – Page #41 – The Lodge
The Lodge The 41st page of Sally’s photo album contained photos of Sally at a…
Sally’s Photos – Page #40 – Scenes and People
Scenes and People The 40th page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection of photos…
Sally’s Photos – Page #39 – Washington and Niagara Falls
Washington and Niagara Falls The 39th page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection of…
Sally’s Photos – Page #38 – New friends and new sights in Washington
New friends and new sights in Washington The 38th page of Sally’s photo album featured…
Sally’s Photos – Page #37 – People and Camp
People and camp The 37th page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection of photos…
Sally’s Photos – Page #36 – Marian in California and Miscellaneous Shots
Marian in California and Miscellaneous Shots The 36th page of Sally’s photo album included many…
Sally’s Photos – Page #35 – An Assortment
An Assortment Ice. Sally. Elizabeth Lemke and Sally Aschbrenner. Aschbrenner swimming, from left, Elsie, Fred,…
Sally’s Photos – Page #34 – Gals and Farm and Family
Gals and Farm and Family Sally Aschbrenner is in back row, third from left. Elizabeth…
Sally’s Photos – Page #33 – Snow and Golf
Snow and Golf Sally (second from right) and friends enjoying winter. Sally (back, far left)…
Sally’s Photos – Page #32 – Family Woods and Water
Family, Woods, and Water Elizabeth Lemke, front and center, and friends. Selma Cornelia Aschbrenner. Philip…
Sally’s Photos – Page #31 – Eau Claire Dells and Parade
Eau Claire Dells and parade The 31st page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection…
Sally’s Photos – Page #30 – Boating and Iowa
Boating and Iowa The 30th page of Sally’s photo album included pictures of boating and…
Sally’s Photos – Page #29 – Coolidge Comes to Town
Coolidge comes to town The 29th page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection of…
Sally’s Photos – Page #28 – Sally and Friends
Sally and friends The 28th page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection of photos…
Sally’s Photos – Page #27 – Live Y’ers
Live Y’ers The 27th page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection of photos taken…
Sally’s Photos – Page #26 – Aschbrenners and Water
Aschbrenners and Water The 26th page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection of photos…
Sally’s Photos – Page #25 – Ervin Anklam Wedding plus
Ervin Anklam Wedding plus The 25th page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection of…
Anklam – Dern Wedding, 1926
Can you identify the guests at the wedding of Florence Dern and Ervin Anklam on…
Sally’s Photos – Page #24 – Hollywood and Family
Hollywood and Family The 24th page of Sally’s photo album featured photos that were sent…
Sally’s Photos – Page #23 – Camp and Damsels in Distress
Camp and Damsels in Distress The 23rd page of Sally’s photo album continues to show…
Sally’s Photos – Page #22 – Spider Lake and Camp Wakanda
Spider Lake and Camp Wakanda The 22nd page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection…
Sally’s Photos – Page #21 – Madison Dells Kids
Madison, Dells, Kids The 21st page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection of photos…
Sally’s Photos – Page #20 Hiking, Kids, and Madison
Hiking, Kids, and Madison The 20th page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection of…
Sally’s Photos – Page #19 Costumed, Water, and Winter Hiking
Costumed, Water, and Winter Hiking The 19th page of Sally’s photo album featured photos of…
Sally’s Photos – Page #18 – Scenery, Family, and a Wedding
Scenery, Family, and a Wedding The 18th page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection…
Sally’s Photos – Page #17 – Farm, Home, and Service
Farm, Home, and Service The 17th page of Sally’s photo album featured a random collection…
Sally’s Photos – Page #16 – Winter in Marathon Park
Winter in Marathon Park The 16th page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection of…
Plum Pudding
February 12th is National Plum Pudding Day! Happy National Plum Pudding Day! Plum pudding with…
Sally’s Photos – Page #15 – Wood for Breakfast
Wood for breakfast The 15th page of Sally’s photo album featured photos of family and…
Sally’s Photos – Page #14 – Camp Wakanda and More
Camp Wakanda and more The 14th page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection of…
Sally’s Photos – Page #13 – Farm and Falls
Farm and Falls The thirteenth page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection of photos…
Sally’s Photos – Page #12 – Cars and Farm
Cars and Farm The 12th page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection of photos…
Sally’s Photos – Page #11 – Curtis and Yale Friends
Curtis & Yale Friends The eleventh page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection of…
Sally’s Photos – Page #10 – Picnic and Party
Picnic and Party The tenth page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection of photos…
Sally’s Photos – Page #09 – Friends and Animals
Friends and Animals The ninth page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection of photos…
The Aldahl Family book is now available!
My latest book, “The Aldahl Family,” is now available. Nearly all my time in 2020…
Sally’s Photos – Page #08 – Trees and Friends and Friends in Trees
Trees and Friends and Friends in Trees The eighth page of Sally’s photo album featured…
Sally’s Photos – Page #07 – Loved Ones and Friends
Loved Ones and Friends The seven page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection of…
Sally’s Photos – Page #06 – Gals and Kids and Relatives
Gals and Kids and Relatives The sixth page of Sally’s photo album featured a collection…
Sally’s Photos – Page #05 – Girls and Relatives
Girls and Relatives The fifth page of Sally’s photo album contained shots with friends and…
Sally’s Photos – Page #04 – Trip to Laona
Glimpses of Our Trip to Laona, 1920 The fourth page of Sally’s photograph album was…
Sally’s Photos – Page #03 – Old Folks, Relatives, Soldiers, and the Clover Dairy Farm
Old Folks, Relatives, Soldiers, and the Clover Dairy Farm “Meditating” “First Lesson” “Prairie Schooner” “Old…
Sally’s Photos – Page #02 – Transportation, Scenery, Extended Family, and School
Transportation, Scenery, Extended Family, and School The second page of Sally’s photo album featured a…
Sally’s Photos – Page #01 – Farm and Family
Farm and Family Sally’s album starts in about 1920 when she was a teenager. Her…
Suffrage: 1951
As we have seen in earlier posts, women fought to gain full voting rights, missed…
Suffrage – Mother’s Legacy
This is the sixth installment of the series on the 19th amendment. Thus far, we’ve…
Suffrage – The 1920 Election
This is the fifth segment in our series about women’s suffrage. In the first, you…
Suffrage – Missed Elections Part 2 -1896 through 1916
This is the fourth post in our series on women’s suffrage. In the first post…
Suffrage – Missed Elections Part 1 – 1868 through 1892
This is the third post in our series on women’s suffrage. In the first post…
Suffrage – The Path to Voting Rights
This is the second post in our series on Women’s Suffrage. The first post introduced…
Suffrage – Our Female Voters
This first post in the series introduces you to our sixteen female ancestors who were…
18 July 1919 Honorable Discharge
We have come to the end of the WWI journey for Floyd Boyce Phillips. After…
Why would you hire Family Past Expert?
Let me help! Whether you want a quick look at your family tree or you…
3-13 July 1919 Finally a Ride Home
Though the actual fighting stopped in November 1918, it took another six months of negotiations…
29 May 1919 A Year Since You Left
Gertrude wrote a letter to Floyd on the 1st anniversary of his departure for service…
Marta Knudsdtr Horvei (1789- )
Marta Knudsdtr Horvei was born in about July 1789 on the Horvei farm in Voss,…
16 May 1919 In a Shell Hole
A rare photograph from Friday, 16 May 1919, shows Floyd posing with a colleague named…
Friedericke Stroede
Friedericke Stroede is largely a mystery. We know her name but little else. Even so,…
Elizabeth Baldwin (1771-1810)
Elizabeth Baldwin was born on 11 Apr 1771 in Stonington, New London, Connecticut as the…
Fawcett Family History
It’s done! It’s done! It’s finally done! I’m happy to announce that I have completed…
25 March 1919 A Letter from Arthur that actually got put in the mail
Remember that letter that Arthur wrote to his brother Floyd back in late January? The…
15 March 1919 A Letter from Balsy
One of Floyd’s brothers wrote him a letter and signed it “Balsy.” Comparing handwriting and…
Asle Embrickson Torset (1775-1852)
Asle Embrickson Torset was born in 1775 in Hemsedal, Buskerud, Norway (Nørde Torset) as the…
20 January 1919 A Letter from Arthur
Still excited from his wedding on Wednesday, 8 January 1919, Arthur wrote a lengthy and…
Johannes Freese (1830-1898)
Our German ancestors are challenging. The language barrier, changing political boundaries, and lack of records,…
5 January 1919 News from a Friend
Peace talks were just beginning in Paris and people back home were thinking about Floyd…
2 January 1919 A Wedding for Arthur and Florence
Not only did Floyd have to miss celebrating his birthday and Christmas with his family,…
15 December 1918 A Letter From Roy
Roy, the oldest of the Phillips brothers, penned a letter to his brother Floyd who…
7 December 1918 A Birthday Abroad
The War was over and Floyd was back in Illinois, right? WRONG! He celebrated his…
11 November 1918 Armistice Day
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the armistice was…
10 November 1918 Letter from Albert
Some letters are more entertaining than others. This one is a gem. Albert Harold Phillips…
24 October 1918 Arthur was not enjoying Canada
Arthur Guy Phillips was 24-years old, love-sick for his gal Florence, and perhaps feeling unappreciated…
23 October 1918 Inquisitive Letter from Uncle Clarence
Floyd’s uncle Clarence Arthur Phillips wrote to Floyd who was still in France. Clarence was…
22 October 1918 Another Letter from Florence
Florence Estelle Manning, the fiance of Floyd’s brother Arthur Guy Phillips, wrote another friendly letter…
21 October 1918 Letter from Grandma Phillips
In response to a card from him, Grandma Amelia “Millie” Phillips wrote to Floyd. Addressing…
12 October 1918 Albert to Floyd
Albert Phillips wrote a long overdue but very lengthy letter to his brother Floyd, who…
30 September 1918 A Letter from Father
In this seemingly obligatory letter, Guy Phillips wrote from Canada to his son Floyd who…
Birgit Tolleivsdatter Uppsata
Birgit Tolleivsdatter Uppsata was born on 29 Sep 1760 in Ål, Buskerud, Norway. Uppsala has…
28 September 1918 Florence to Floyd
From her hospital room in Aurora, Florence Manning wrote to Floyd. Florence was the fiance…
15 September 1918 Communing with Floyd
Gertrude spent time thinking about her faraway son, Floyd. He was missing the Sandwich Fair,…
Kristi Knudsdr
Kristi Knudsdr (1807-1884) Knudsdr, Knudsdtr, and Knudsdatter are three ways that her name was written….
22 August 1918 Wonder Where You Are
Can you imagine not knowing where your son was or whether he was safe? Gertrude…
18 August 1918 From Charles in Canada
Floyd’s youngest brother, Charles, then age 20, was working on the farm in Canada when…
13 August 1918 Letter from Cousin Donald
Floyd’s 11-year old cousin Donald James Phillips wrote a very newsy article. His account of…
