I’ve traced over 70,000 people in more than 30 years of research. To most folks they’d just be names and dates. To me, every one of them is a story.
So I’m starting something new: every afternoon, I’m going to introduce you to one ancestor. One person. One record — a census line, a will, a land deed, a newspaper clipping, a photograph. And the story behind it: who they were, what their life tells us, and sometimes what the record tried to hide.
Why daily? Because genealogy isn’t a once-a-year hobby. It’s a daily practice. I want this blog to feel like sitting down at the kitchen table with me every afternoon. (I’m a night person — mornings are for the roosters.)
Why me? Because these are my people, out of my own research. Nobody else can tell you these particular stories. And here’s what I’ve always believed: we are all related in one form or another, in an ever widening circle. So my ancestors’ stories have something to say to your family too.
And here’s my pledge: every story comes with its receipts. Each Ancestor of the Day names its record — the deed book and page, the census line, the newspaper — and links you to the source, so you can check my work yourself. No made-up stories. If I can’t prove it, I’ll tell you so.
Here’s how it works:
– Every afternoon, a new Ancestor of the Day right here on the blog — this is home base.
– I’ll share each one on Facebook and Instagram too, so you can follow along wherever you already are.
– Every story ends with a question, because I want to hear YOUR ancestor stories in the comments.
– And once a week, one of YOUR ancestors takes the spotlight. Got a brick wall, a family mystery, an ancestor with a story begging to be told? Send it through my contact form at https://conidubois.fyi/contact and I may feature them — with full credit to you.
And if reading these makes you think of your own brick wall — that one ancestor you just cannot find — that’s what I do. I opened Ever Widening Circle research for exactly that reason. More on that soon.
See you tomorrow afternoon. We’ve got 70,000 introductions to make.
— Coni
