I was working on OnLand this morning and was surprised to see an option on the Historical Books to browse through a will index. I am not sure if this is well known so I will go through how I discovered the wills on this site. Start at the OnLand website and select your County…
Yesterday traveled Toronto to Delhi 149 km Met mom’s third cousin for the first time and stayed in the McMahon home that is 118 years old. The famous Irish welcome we were granted was followed by quick-witted conversation, offers of food and a warm place to sit by the crackling fire. We were quickly at ease with…
I have already done DNA testing on my mother and her brother. Both tested at Family Tree DNA and I really have been one to ignore the Ethnicity reports. But read on as there are clues given in those reports that can be very telling. I recently asked my mother’s sister to also take a…
A DNA whirlwind of discoveries I am researching two very common names on my maternal side, McMahon and McNamara, the place, Clare, Ireland. After searching through wills, land records, civil war records, death, baptism, cemetery records, tombstones in Canada. I was no closer to where in Clare they were from. Once the Catholic records went…
Did your ancestor leave you a clue at the cemetery? Mine did. Sites like Find-A-Grave and Canadian Headstones are great tools to use in helping us research our family but a trip to your ancestors grave could lead to more discoveries. What you don’t see in the pictures posted on those sites is the headstones…
Today marks the 124th anniversary of the death of Cornelius McMahon my mother’s great-grandfather. Cornelius left Ireland with his parents and siblings when he was in his 20s, the family had lived through most of the famine but decided to leave. He settled in Ayton, Grey Co., Ontario, married and had seven children. I was…
I was lucky enough to attend the Ontario Genealogy Conference that was recently held in Ottawa. A few of the reasons I LOVE attending: Deals. The vendors are there in spades and they offer great deals, DNA kits at unheard of prices, renewing your subscription to sites again at reduced rates, books, scanners, and more.…
Can DNA break down my long-standing brick wall? Good question, and one of the reasons I started doing DNA testing. Last night I found new information that may yet hammer down another wall and it was uncovered due to DNA. I have been on the hunt for information on a maternal great, great, grandmother for ages.…
My Genealogy Life 