4th Birthday

GROWING TREES

January, 2015, I published a chart of how many direct ancestors one can have–total 8,191 through 12 generations. Back then,  I had discovered 133 of my direct ancestors.

In April, 2017, a year and a quarter later, I have entered in my pedigree tree a total of –drum roll–206 direct ancestors in 12 generations.  In this chart, copied from my page at Ancestry.com, you can see the many ancestors in my first 5 generations for whom I do not have photos. I have dropped me (first generation) and my family off the left side, so you see my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and great-great grandparents. The arrows on the right point to more information about earlier generations. A light gray box means no more information.

pedigree tree

Vera Marie Badertscher pedigree famly tree from Ancestry.com April 2017

How many of these people have I written about at Ancestors in Aprons?

I will admit that when you get past this chart,there are plenty of lines that I have not even begun to trace. Although I try to stay focused on direct ancestors, sometimes a grandmother or grandfather (however many x removed) has such interesting brothers and sisters that I simply must tell their stories.  The Bent family I have been talking about recently are a good example of good stories lying to either side of my direct ancestors.

However, the pedigree chart is a good tool to get me back on track. Many of those names to the right of this have the Ancestry “shaking leaves” which mean there’s some information to be had (maybe). So have no worries that I will be idle in the coming year(s).

I hate admitting lack of progress, but just like last year, my father’s paternal line (Kaser) still refuses to budge beyond his great-grandfather, and my mother’s father’s paternal line (Anderson) halts at my mother’s great-grandfather. I have been able to trace the females of the Anderson lines farther than the males, but I surely would like to trace my own maiden name and my mother’s.

Posts

In our first 3 years, we published 347 posts and a total of 90 recipes.  In the last year, we have added 91 posts (a slightly slower pace) and 28 additional recipes or food articles.

Your Favorites

True to form, How to Make Perfect Pie Crust stands at the top of the Most Read posts this year once again. You had “corny tastes” in older recipes you liked–corn pone, polenta, hominy grits, Indian pudding. But let’s take a look at what posts between  April 2016 and this April (2017) were your favorites.

The new food articles and recipes that caught your eye:

Welsh Skillet Cakes

Oliebolen, the Dutch Donut Holes explained by Jane Eppinga

Colonial Election Cake (Did anyone actually MAKE that cake, or, like me, did you just marvel at the quanitities?)

Grandma Vera’s Lemon Sponge Pie

Buttermilk Biscuits

The ancestor stories you liked:

Jesse's letter form Palmyra

Jesse’s signature on letter August 1847

You discovered the story of my adventurous great-great grandfather, Jesse Morgan last year through his letters to his wife as he wandered the midwest selling horses.  Six of those stories made it into the top 50 posts of the year. Why Chautauqua?, Letter Home, Charles Morgan in the Civil War, Wooster, Doc Woods, a Character in Jesse’s Story and Horse TraderI encourage you to find the Jesse Morgan series through the search box, because if I put too many links here, the Google gods will get mad at me.

The very most popular ancestor story was the slide show story about Jedidiah Brink’s home.

Next came an “insider” article called Why Genealogical Resarch is Never Done.

Besides Jesse, you liked my heirloom articles about the Propelling Pencil , and the Oldest Heirloom and Christmas Gift Books.

I tried something new this year, called Slice of My Life. Stories from my own life. Good reactions encourage me to continue.  You particularly liked Special Christmas Gift about my visit to the White House at Christmas time, and Home Sewn about my hobby sewing.

Onward

I don’t anticipate any great changes in the way we do business around here in the next year, so hope to see you back many times between now and April 2018.  Meanwhile, thanks so much for reading, supporting me with your comments and tips and encouragement.

You might also like to read:

 

3rd Year Birthday

 

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8 thoughts on “4th Birthday

    1. Avatar photoVera Marie Badertscher Post author

      Thanks, Cathy. I blogged for ten years before Ancestors at my travel/book blog, A Traveler’s Library, so I wasn’t a beginner to blogging, but definitely a newcomer to Genealogy, so there’s been a lot to learn.

      Reply
  1. amy

    Happy birthday! I am a relative newcomer to your blog, but enjoying it! I will celebrate my 4th anniversary in October (blogging, that is, not marriage!).

    Reply

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