The things we love most about Thanksgiving— the family gathered from far and near, the dining table overflowing with favorite foods, and the cherished, passed-down traditions—create a lovely backdrop for a day spent reveling in family history. …
Tag: family
The Scrapbook
My latest sleuthing adventure has sent me on quite an interesting and thought-provoking journey. It all began with an early morning email message on a Wednesday in July. “I have something I want to run by you,” …
How will you Celebrate National Cousins Day?
There may forever remain multiple who, when, and where questions about the origins of the lesser-known July holiday celebrated on the 24th—National Cousins Day. While some admit the history of this commemoration is “shrouded in mystery,” others …
Bargain Hunting at Its Finest
I am admittedly a thrifty person. Cost-conscious. Quick to reuse or repurpose. Economically careful. Penny-wise. Even frugal. While I prefer the term thrifty, on occasion, similar yet less kind adjectives such as tight or cheap may apply. …
Two Family Mysteries and their Journeys Toward the Truth
The search for a grandfather Mike Holloway, of Willshire, Ohio, is a man on a mission—a genealogical mission, that is. In recent years, his interest in a long-time family mystery found him taking up the search …
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Lessons Learned . . . And the moral of the story
(DNA Sleuth column - March 2025) For the past month, I’ve been neck-deep in a writing project that has claimed much of the time I usually spend burrowed deep in search angel mode. I’m still popping into …
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“What? Mom’s adopted?!”
In my pursuit to share the wonderful world of DNA with folks far and near, I’m always looking for opportunities to present DNA-themed programs. The Heritage Room at the Berne Public Library has hosted several such presentations, …
The Mystery of the Abandoned Hotel Baby
Thursday, March 16, 1918 . . . Richmond, Indiana. A weeks-old baby boy found alone and crying in a room at the Kelly Hotel. Hotel employees cannot locate parents who may have used a fictious name at …
The Case of the “Maybe Brother”
Audrey (Bleeck) Steury grew up in the Salem Children's Home in Flanagan, Illinois. Audrey’s mother Ida, as she faced end stage tuberculosis, placed eighteen-month-old Audrey in the orphanage with instructions that she be raised in the home …
A Tribute to my “Real” Parents
My mom used to get miffed when people would say how wonderful she and dad were to adopt four children. “We weren’t wonderful,” she’d insist, no attempt to disguise the irritation in her voice. “We were selfish. …
Beth Steury, Author 