Chris Dawson
@whimsicalcynic.bsky.social
I’ve been a museum curator and historian, published author, grant-writer and fundraiser, and lately a prospect researcher. My hobby is family history; I’ve spent years researching other people, so why not do mine?
latebloominggenealogist.blogspot.com
latebloominggenealogist.blogspot.com
Decided to splurge and subscribed to NewspaperArchive to see if I could extend my luck at finding news stories about ancestors, and quickly found an article that mentioned my great-grandfather while he was an oil driller in Japan for Standard Oil. Not bad!
December 3, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Decided to splurge and subscribed to NewspaperArchive to see if I could extend my luck at finding news stories about ancestors, and quickly found an article that mentioned my great-grandfather while he was an oil driller in Japan for Standard Oil. Not bad!
I see MyHeritage has their own transcriptions for Irish birth records … and their transcriptions have three entirely new and unusual versions of my GG-grandmother’s last name, adding to the nine other ones I’ve come across so far. No wonder I can’t find a birth or marriage record for her!!
October 27, 2025 at 6:02 PM
I see MyHeritage has their own transcriptions for Irish birth records … and their transcriptions have three entirely new and unusual versions of my GG-grandmother’s last name, adding to the nine other ones I’ve come across so far. No wonder I can’t find a birth or marriage record for her!!
Still having trouble getting through some major brick walls, so I tackled a very minor one, solving the identity of “Uncle Jablonski,” whose house my great-grandmother moved into … and soon married my great-grandfather, one of the boarders. Turns out “Uncle Jablonski” actually WAS her uncle!
September 11, 2025 at 2:27 AM
Still having trouble getting through some major brick walls, so I tackled a very minor one, solving the identity of “Uncle Jablonski,” whose house my great-grandmother moved into … and soon married my great-grandfather, one of the boarders. Turns out “Uncle Jablonski” actually WAS her uncle!
Happy 198th Birthday to my great-great-grandfather, John Dawson, an iron screw maker from Bolton, England. Born Sept. 1, 1827.
September 1, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Happy 198th Birthday to my great-great-grandfather, John Dawson, an iron screw maker from Bolton, England. Born Sept. 1, 1827.
My great-grandmother must’ve had a good sense of humor; on my grandfather’s birth certificate, where it asks how many children are still living, she wrote in 5, but then afterwards in bold and underlined, “ALL BOYS!” They must’ve been a handful! #genealogy
June 27, 2025 at 12:15 AM
My great-grandmother must’ve had a good sense of humor; on my grandfather’s birth certificate, where it asks how many children are still living, she wrote in 5, but then afterwards in bold and underlined, “ALL BOYS!” They must’ve been a handful! #genealogy
As much as breaking through a brick wall is satisfying, it is such a great feeling (maybe even better!) to actually prove an old family story with actual documentation! #genealogy
June 24, 2025 at 5:59 PM
As much as breaking through a brick wall is satisfying, it is such a great feeling (maybe even better!) to actually prove an old family story with actual documentation! #genealogy
Finally the weather is nice enough to venture out in shorts and t-shirt … and the resulting blindingly paleness of my skin is yet another reminder of my English-Irish heritage
June 4, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Finally the weather is nice enough to venture out in shorts and t-shirt … and the resulting blindingly paleness of my skin is yet another reminder of my English-Irish heritage
I wish Findagrave would let you directly link siblings to each other without doing it via parents, because sometimes the parents aren’t on Findagrave! #genealogy
June 3, 2025 at 3:12 AM
I wish Findagrave would let you directly link siblings to each other without doing it via parents, because sometimes the parents aren’t on Findagrave! #genealogy
Saw a hint on Ancestry today for someone who is the “wife of sibling of husband of sister-in-law of grand uncle of wife” … I know some people like to have their trees as full as possible, but that’s really far out there. I think I can ignore that one. #genealogy
May 30, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Saw a hint on Ancestry today for someone who is the “wife of sibling of husband of sister-in-law of grand uncle of wife” … I know some people like to have their trees as full as possible, but that’s really far out there. I think I can ignore that one. #genealogy
Happy 158th birthday to my great-grandfather, Benjamin Dawson … born in 1867 in Bolton, England and died in Cleveland, OH in 1922
May 29, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Happy 158th birthday to my great-grandfather, Benjamin Dawson … born in 1867 in Bolton, England and died in Cleveland, OH in 1922
I dunno why, but I just want to spend all my free time researching and going down ancestral rabbit holes. I actually get frustrated when the researching slows, though there’s always more background context I can dig up! #genealogy
May 22, 2025 at 6:50 PM
I dunno why, but I just want to spend all my free time researching and going down ancestral rabbit holes. I actually get frustrated when the researching slows, though there’s always more background context I can dig up! #genealogy
Ugh, the repetition in Irish first names in the past … I pull up a birth registry from 1867 and the names are all Thomas, Bridget, John, Elizabeth, Catherine, and Mary for page after page … And the parents have the same names thanks to naming tradition. This is a great frustration in researching!
May 20, 2025 at 12:06 AM
Ugh, the repetition in Irish first names in the past … I pull up a birth registry from 1867 and the names are all Thomas, Bridget, John, Elizabeth, Catherine, and Mary for page after page … And the parents have the same names thanks to naming tradition. This is a great frustration in researching!
Ah, Ancestry and MyHeritage, suggesting as “hints” other peoples’ trees, too many of which are wildly inaccurate with false-positive mistakes I’ve already identified and avoided … thanks, but no thanks!
May 17, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Ah, Ancestry and MyHeritage, suggesting as “hints” other peoples’ trees, too many of which are wildly inaccurate with false-positive mistakes I’ve already identified and avoided … thanks, but no thanks!
It’s always interesting to get birth, marriage, and death certificates from the GRO in England, though also sad to find that my great-great-grandmother died at age 46 of a stroke, leaving behind a husband and six kids. But it’s another mystery story on the family tree I can solve. #geneaology
May 11, 2025 at 9:19 PM
It’s always interesting to get birth, marriage, and death certificates from the GRO in England, though also sad to find that my great-great-grandmother died at age 46 of a stroke, leaving behind a husband and six kids. But it’s another mystery story on the family tree I can solve. #geneaology
Ah, the joy of ever-changing names … so my gg-grandfather’s wife passes away, and he remarried. According to the marriage certificate, his new wife’s name was Elizabeth Byrne. However, she shows up in census documents as “Elizabeth Burns” and in baptismal documents as “Elizabeth Byrnes.” UGH!!
May 7, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Ah, the joy of ever-changing names … so my gg-grandfather’s wife passes away, and he remarried. According to the marriage certificate, his new wife’s name was Elizabeth Byrne. However, she shows up in census documents as “Elizabeth Burns” and in baptismal documents as “Elizabeth Byrnes.” UGH!!
A genealogical confession to make: I’m not a terribly well-organized researcher. I keep seeing blogs and articles about how to be hyper-organized with spreadsheets and plans … and that just doesn’t work for my ADHD mind. It never has, in all my years as a museum professional, either. Sorry!
May 4, 2025 at 2:37 PM
A genealogical confession to make: I’m not a terribly well-organized researcher. I keep seeing blogs and articles about how to be hyper-organized with spreadsheets and plans … and that just doesn’t work for my ADHD mind. It never has, in all my years as a museum professional, either. Sorry!
MyHeritage keeps sending me matches for people on my tree, but it’s all from other trees, rather from actual biographical sources … and mostly it’s things I’ve already found to be incorrect. But I suppose Ancestry does the same thing in many of their hints. It’s a bit annoying!
May 3, 2025 at 2:56 PM
MyHeritage keeps sending me matches for people on my tree, but it’s all from other trees, rather from actual biographical sources … and mostly it’s things I’ve already found to be incorrect. But I suppose Ancestry does the same thing in many of their hints. It’s a bit annoying!
My English GG-grandfather is buried in a gravesite with three other people. They appear to be all related to each other … but none are related to him. I know that’s not unusual in England, but I do find it a bit odd. Who paid for the grave? Why weren’t any other of my family buried in that plot?
April 19, 2025 at 3:01 AM
My English GG-grandfather is buried in a gravesite with three other people. They appear to be all related to each other … but none are related to him. I know that’s not unusual in England, but I do find it a bit odd. Who paid for the grave? Why weren’t any other of my family buried in that plot?
While trying to find a death date for my great-great-grandmother, Betsy Topp Dawson, I just found that she actually died DECADES earlier than I thought … but my gg-grandfather remarried to a widow who had the same first name! Just goes to show that double-checking everything is key! #geneaology
April 16, 2025 at 6:38 PM
While trying to find a death date for my great-great-grandmother, Betsy Topp Dawson, I just found that she actually died DECADES earlier than I thought … but my gg-grandfather remarried to a widow who had the same first name! Just goes to show that double-checking everything is key! #geneaology
Apparently it’s my great-grandfather’s birthday today … so happy birthday John William Grace, born this day in 1879 in New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland. Came over to the US in 1881, and built himself a career as an oil driller, until he dropped dead of a heart attack on an oil rig in 1923!
April 15, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Apparently it’s my great-grandfather’s birthday today … so happy birthday John William Grace, born this day in 1879 in New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland. Came over to the US in 1881, and built himself a career as an oil driller, until he dropped dead of a heart attack on an oil rig in 1923!
The trouble with researching family history in old newspapers is that I frequently fall down wonderful rabbit holes that have no association with my family! #geneaology
April 12, 2025 at 5:49 PM
The trouble with researching family history in old newspapers is that I frequently fall down wonderful rabbit holes that have no association with my family! #geneaology
For some reason, of all my family lines, it’s the Irish line that I keep coming back to research … but yet it’s the toughest one to research, because of the common names and the paucity of records. Maybe the challenge and frustration drives me to keep digging, even when I seem to make no progress!
April 2, 2025 at 3:00 AM
For some reason, of all my family lines, it’s the Irish line that I keep coming back to research … but yet it’s the toughest one to research, because of the common names and the paucity of records. Maybe the challenge and frustration drives me to keep digging, even when I seem to make no progress!
I dunno if it counts as quality family history research time, but lately I’ve been digging up my ancestors’ records on Findagrave, linking the family members, and updating their entries with correct DOB/DOD, bios, photos, etc. it’s a nice way to pass the time as I try to whittle away brick walls
March 31, 2025 at 2:39 AM
I dunno if it counts as quality family history research time, but lately I’ve been digging up my ancestors’ records on Findagrave, linking the family members, and updating their entries with correct DOB/DOD, bios, photos, etc. it’s a nice way to pass the time as I try to whittle away brick walls
Saw something online saying start writing your family history once you’ve done your research; I disagree, I started writing it as I started the research, because as I write, I see holes that the research can fill, and the writing inspires the research further.
March 31, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Saw something online saying start writing your family history once you’ve done your research; I disagree, I started writing it as I started the research, because as I write, I see holes that the research can fill, and the writing inspires the research further.
On one hand, as a researcher I appreciate old newspapers reporting who all the town visitors are, and what hotels they’re staying at. On the other hand, it’s also a little creepy! Anyone else think that? #Genealogy
March 24, 2025 at 12:51 AM
On one hand, as a researcher I appreciate old newspapers reporting who all the town visitors are, and what hotels they’re staying at. On the other hand, it’s also a little creepy! Anyone else think that? #Genealogy