told for the future
I am honored to have received a personal invitation to participate in the inauguration of the museum exhibit in Austria. It is a wonderful opportunity not only to do personal family research, but to do the more important service of researching stories for Raising Voices in Europe. This is a very expensive venture, and my family simply cannot afford the trip at this time.
At the back door, the boys scanned the horizon, wondering how to come up with a suitable tree, and fast. It was at this point where one brother turned to the other and said, "What are we gonna do?
I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna get over that perfection paralysis.
Today marks the 32nd anniversary of the first official observance of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day as a national holiday in the United States, and on this day I felt it important to tell the stories of "othering" in our own personal family trees. Before I get started, let me make a disclaimer. In no … Continue reading Family Xenophobia
The hardest part of telling the stories of dead people is that it requires a living person to do it. But sometimes life gets in the way, and that is what is going on with me right now. In fact, I had a plan way back in November, and I was well on the way to … Continue reading Life Gets in the Way
Aloha, Olean Kwiatkowskis! This marks the last of the Kwiatkowski Cousin Connections for a while. Time to focus on other branches of the family tree, especially Rothsprack; I'm completely stumped on that one. But first, let me introduce you to my Hawaiian cousins. I've got plenty of them, thanks to a cousin named Leo (or Leon, … Continue reading Cousin Connection #6: Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou (Happy New Year!)
Most of my followers read my blog for just one reason: to find information regarding their own family history. This post is simply to update you on my situation and when you can expect to hear more about the family history interests that brought you to me in the first place. Since my post regarding … Continue reading Updates and Ready for the New Year
More Photos from Cousin Bernie. Since Bernie is the photographer, he naturally chose a cemetery with family in it. St. Bonaventure Cemetery in Allegany, New York is quite a large cemetery, and I found many family names among the Kwiatkowskis buried there, including my great grandfather and great-great grandmother (Bernie's great-uncle and great grandmother), . The … Continue reading St. Bonaventure Cemetery, Allegany, NY
The Duck, The Whole Duck, and Nothing but the Duck Quack. But seriously, my New York cousins from my dad's generation are very Polish. I mean, many of them speak the language, and even if they don't, they know a few words here and there and even understand much of the Polish dialogue. Even my father, who … Continue reading Cousin Connection #3: John Woodgie
A few days ago I decided to change my screensaver on my PC. I thought I'd look up places where my ancestors lived and fill my screensaver scroll with interesting photos of those places to provide inspiration for my family search and for blog posts. You wouldn't believe the stories I uncovered! Right here, in … Continue reading I went to the cemetery looking for my family. I think I found them.
STORIES FROM THE PAST 