Lloyd pedigree screenshot

This is a quick screen capture of Lloyd Bliss Ashley pedigree chart on my computer (click to see larger). I do have more names beyond what's shown, but the software would only let me capture four generations.

Intro

Another blog? Yeah. I'd originally thought to incorporate some bits of my research into my personal blog, Will Write for Chocolate, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to create a repository of information, where cousins, aunts, uncles, etc., could find/share/and contribute. In this blog I'll focus mostly on my grandmother's side of the family, including but not limited to the above-mentioned Ethel.

My grandmother's death (and the 'Who Do You Think You Are?' show on television, I confess) rekindled my active interest in the detective work of seeking out ancestors. One of the interests my grandmother and I shared was family history. When she was still fairly sharp-minded and spent only her winters in Texas, we would compare notes on new things we'd learned over the summer. I had an Ancestry.com membership, so I was able to go searching for a paper trail when she brought me a new name.

And I am definitely a paper trail person. Hearsay and family stories are good as starting points, but I'm interested in the evidence, the documents, the photos. I have a huge folder on my hard drive full of census images, obituary clips, headstone photos, death certificates, etc.

Who is Ethel? (Title explained): Ethel is my great-great-great grandmother, or my grandmother's great-grandmother. She's the lady in the blog header. I believe her maiden name was Marvin (according to daughter Elizabeth's obituary), but I can find no record of her before she married Edward F. Connolly. She represents one of my numerous genealogical dead ends that I hope to one day get past.

I've got quite a bit of research compiled already, and I'll share what I have here. So if you're related to Lloyd Bliss Ashley or Clara Alice Tompkins (my grandmother's parents), give me a shout in the comments. If you're interested in my research (or would like to contribute/help), please give me a shout AND subscribe!