Contagious Genealogy: A Pandemic

I think it's possible that without my 5th great grandfather, Isaac Wilcox, I may never have become as infatuated with genealogy as I am. He was supposed to be my ticket into the lineage society, Daughters of the American Revolution. My great grandmother, Ethel (Hinman) Eggenberger, and her daughter, Vera, had become members based on his alleged participation as a patriot in the war for independence. However, when his records didn't hold up under the scrutiny of modern day genealogical standards, he became that enigma for me that has held my interest ever since. While I did, eventually, gain admittance into the DAR (via another ancestor's service), Isaac has remained a constant question mark for me. Upon submitting my original application to DAR's offices in D.C., the genealogist assigned to verify my case, wrote me a kind rejection letter explaining why Isaac Wilcox was no longer considered a "valid" patriot. It turned out that when this registrar did their d...

  AUGUST 08, 2021 I’m always interested in hearing the backstory of one’s name. Nowadays, parents tend to spend a good chunk of energy in determining the names of their offspring, and I question if the trend was as big an ordeal in the past as it is the present. Week 31: Favorite Name On my father’s line of the family tree, we have very deep roots in America, stretching all the way back to the first few decades of the original colonies. The Crandall line can be traced back to Elder John Crandall who was born in England in the early 1600s and traveled to Salem, Massachusetts in the year 1635. John’s great granddaughter is my 5th great grandmother. She was born 28 January 1743 in Stonington, New London, Connecticut. Her parents, who had rather normal names of Samuel and Sarah, granted her the special name of Desire Crandall. The name Desire calls to me, because it stands apart from most other common names in my family tree. And because I consider myself a dreamer, it really tugs on m...