Court Records and my $59.50 Adoption Revealed!

Learning about one’s family history is full of ups and downs and usually full of a lot of fascinating discoveries. During the past two years of research, I have focused my family history and genealogy research on near and distant ancestors with a primarily interest on the dearly departed. Recently, however, my focus has been drawn to a curious and nagging subject that I vaguely remember, but one that has had a profound impact on my life—my adoption. I finally took a little time to research the court records that quite literally changed my name.

Col. Harry E. Wright, M.D.: From Chasing Bandits on the Border to Finding a New Cousin!

I received a very welcomed email several weeks back from a person who, while conducting a Google search, came upon my blog post of June 7, 2010 titled: “Harry E. Wright – Chasing Bandits on the Border!” The person indicated that we may be related and introduced himself as Dick Wright of Falls Church, Virginia. It turns out he is the last son of Harry E. Wright’s second marriage to Alice Irene Heidland (b. 13 Jul 1914 d. 6 Aug 2006), making him my first cousin once removed! What a pleasant surprise! Dick, on the other hand, knew very little about his father’s youth and first marriage. Needless to say, we have been helping each other fill in the missing pieces of the fascinating life of Col. Harry Elbert Wright, M.D.

Rosa E. Morgan: Another Cousin and Rare Photo Discovered!

A few weeks back I was doing one of many Google searches examining my “Morgan” family line looking for anything I might have missed in a previous search. The connection I share to that branch of the family tree is through Rosa Emma Morgan, my great grandmother on my mother’s (Slack) side of the family. My search yielded a twelve year old post on a website from a person looking for information on some of the same ancestors I was searching for. Whenever I see something like that, I can’t help but wonder if I’m on the trail of an undiscovered relative.

The Daisy Mine and a Connection to John W. Slack Discovered

A few days back I received a surprising email from Leslie Bergen of Thorold, Ontario, Canada. Leslie is located just outside St. Catherines about 15 minutes from Niagara Falls, New York. Leslie had been doing a Google search on John W. Slack and landed on my blog. Why she was searching for my great great grandfather completely floored me. Leslie had John W’s business stamp (shown above) in a small 1909 diary she purchased for $1 from an antiques store in Naples, New York about 30 years ago. She had been wondering for decades who the diary belonged to.

Deer Hunting in the Missouri Ozarks—A Slack Family Tradition

As far back as I can remember deer hunting has been a major part of the Slack family tradition in Southwest Missouri. The patriarch of the maternal side of my family, Ellsworth Woodrow Slack (b. 16 March 1914, d. 4 March 1996) shown above with a trophy buck taken in the late 1940’s or early 1950’s, was the undisputed pack leader when it came to the annual hunt based out of his humble little cabin in Taney County, Missouri. While my grandfather is no longer with us, the changing of the leaves and the first crisp breeze of fall still reminds me of his favorite time of the year, and the many deer hunting stories he loved telling anyone who would listen. Ellsworth loved fishing, but he lived for deer hunting.

John Wesley Slack: The "W" Mystery Solved and a New Cousin Found!

Once in a while my enthusiasm for family history collides with a limited amount of research time.  That occasionally results in an unfortunate error or two.  So it goes with my great grandfather on my mother's side of the family--John W. Slack.  In a blog post a few months ago, I erroneously listed his middle given name as “William” thinking I had figured out what the “W” stood for.  A few weeks afterwards, I found his correct middle name.  How did I manage that?  As luck would have it, his death certificate was recently published on-line on a new website I happened to be searching one day.  While I have been a little slow to post this discovery (blame it on work), allow me to set the record straight.

Jose Luis Sanchez - Chicano Stories: From the Heart of El Paso and Juarez

I am fortunate to have a father-in-law who not only loves to tell stories, but is equally interested in writing them down. For many years now, Jose Luis Sanchez of El Paso, Texas has been putting pen to paper recording the stories of his youth, family, history, politics and generally musing about anything that grabs his attention. He has a very unique way of presenting the nuances of everyday life in short essays that make for light-hearted and downright fun reading.


His latest work, Chicano Stories: From the Heart of El Paso and Juarez, is a collection of his distinctive essays that are definitely worth checking out. Currently, the book is in digital download form on the self-publishing Web site, Lulu. The web address to the book is: http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/chicano-stories/12482643?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1