This and That

I backposted an advent memory, "The Christmas Tree," as I start catching up on some of the posts I missed.

Did you know that T.K. of Before My Time was a cousin of mine? Neither did I, until I read this. She's my 10th cousin, twice removed (she and my maternal grandmother are the same generation!). Randy is also my cousin; I discovered this last September when he was posting his ahnentafel reports. I suppose if you have any roots that go back to Massachusetts in the 1640s, we could figure out that you're my cousin, too!

The grandmother of Tim of Genealogy Reviews Online recalled seeing the Statue of Liberty when she arrived in America, yet her ship landed in Philadelphia. Go here to find out how Tim's amazing discovery at Google Book Search helped him confirm his family's oral history.

Kevin explains how mold has destroyed the entire contents of a Michigan library in the small community where my 3rd-great-grandparents, Sylvester Fredenburg and Cornelia McClellan, were married. How tragic!

What genealogist doesn't love books? Kimbooktu shares a video on an exhibit of some of the world's tiniest tomes.

Want to know the latest news in your ancestral locations? Go here to locate a newspaper from your ancestor's residence, then check out the paper's website to see if they have a blog you can add to your newsreader. I've been keeping an eye on the blogs of The Grand Rapids Press and The Muskegon Chronicle of Western Michigan. That's how I discovered this story. Refdesk is also how I look for obituaries for recently deceased relatives from out of state.