Over this past weekend (October 17, 2020), my brother was watching Captain America with my five-year old nephew, Jack. Apparently, Jack became curious about World War II and eventually our grandfather, Edgar R. Krueger, who served in World War II in North Africa and Italy. So my brother made a logical move. Who better to … More Cpl. Edgar R. Krueger: World War II in North Africa and Italy
The election is upon us–less than one month until election day. On a national scale, much hangs in the balance. To say this election is a big one for our country is straight from the mouth of Captain Obvious. Candidates are getting in their last minute appearances and feverishly trying to convince their voters to actually cast … More A Mayor Is in the House: Reelection Bid
Although I write a lot about family history, I don’t want to omit the present. I know it’s a truism, but soon enough, the present will be the past. This weekend is a lax weekend. For my oldest daughter. Right now, I am sitting in a parking lot next to Stillwater High School. This is … More Here and Now: STX Weekend
“My Negro Wench Lydia” Not long ago, I learned an ugly truth about slavery in New Jersey and how it persisted so much longer than I ever knew. Unable to change the past, I volunteered to help in the present. I wrote about New Jersey’s slow road to abolition in “The Ugly Truth” — a June 2018 article … More Tracing the Dunham Slaves, Lydia–An Update to The Ugly Truth: Slavery in Hunterdon County, New Jersey
What is a “Negro Wench?” A “Negro Wench,” — to my 21st century ears, the phrase sounds derogatory and demeaning. Yet in 1801, my family ancestor Nehemiah Dunham used the phrase in a legal document to refer to one of his slaves. That made me curious. What exactly did he mean? Wench A wench generally … More “Negro Wench” Appendix: What is a “Negro Wench?”
For a descendant of post-Civil-War immigrants from Germany, finding slavery in your family tree is pretty shocking. Granted, this discovery came on my husband’s side of the family, but that makes it no less difficult to learn. Most of his relations were from the North, and the few relations from Virginia moved to the North … More The Ugly Truth: Examining Slavery in Hunterdon County, New Jersey
In 1765, a man named Adam Hope arrived in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Not much is known today about Adam Hope’s history or why he came to Hunterdon County. In fact, his parents remain a mystery. Slightly bit more is known about from where he came. A small grain of evidence suggests he may have come by way … More The Life of Revolutionary War Patriot, Captain Adam Hope
Not enough has been written about the Hope family of Hunterdon County, New Jersey. I know. I have looked. For my children, the Hopes (though Sarah Dunham Hope wife of Adam Hope) provide a gateway family to Mayflower ancestry. With the 400th year of the Mayflower’s arrival in Massachusetts rapidly approaching, my goal is to have fully documented ancestry … More Hopes of Hunterdon County, New Jersey
This post is a continuation of my research into the Marks family of Virginia. I conduct my genealogical research by circling. I research anyone and everyone connected to my subject. And my circles most often grow bigger, and sometimes much bigger, before they zero in on what I really want to know–in this case, how … More Circling Back to those Virginia Roots Washington and Elias Marks: Part 2 of Lost in Virginia
In my ongoing journey to discover Marks’ family roots, I have found myself lost somewhere in Virginia. So instead of just barreling forward as I have done for so long, I thought I would pause and ask for help. There is no way around it. The early 1800s are tough. There isn’t much in terms … More I have lost my way . . . in Virginia
ON THE MARKS 