She was a beautiful, young Irish maid, working in a wealthy English household. Her employer’s oldest son fell in love with her. When he announced intentions to marry her, his parents said they would disown him. He married her anyway. Then, bride and groom ran away to live happily ever after. “Her name was Mary Cordial,” my maternal grandmother Marilyn Matilda Dietz told me, that distinct glimmer of pleasure in her eyes—the one she always had when she retold this story. “And you are her legacy.”

This blog is a resource for those who want to--have to--find out more about who they came from.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

The Post Card

Check out this video about the The Post Card, where genealogical researchers can get free access to a multitude of old newspapers courtesy of the hard work and dedication of the web site's owner, Tom Tryniski:



I have used this site several times for my research, and it has yielded some real gems about my family tree. One thing I discovered there is that my great-great grandmother Vermilyea Krismeyer's older brother, Mettis, was married to a woman named Nettie who apparently went "mad" after finding his stashed trunk full of gold. Upon discovering it, she told a neighbor that she "had to go" and took the booty down to New York City for a spending spree. Crazy? Like a fox, I'd say! You go, girl.

May you find a story as interesting as that in your own research. Happy hunting!