[I wrote this essay for my high school’s literary magazine this past spring, and it tells the story of my family’s escape from Vietnam on a tiny fishing boat. The essay was so long that I decided to divide it into two, and this is the second part.] In total, the boat held seven passengers, which included three family friends. My dad was ten years old. When the boat reached checkpoints along the river, my grandparents explained that they were taking the kids on a fishing trip and the men were my grandfather’s workers. If the guards questioned them further, my grandmother bribed them with sugar ..read more

[I wrote this essay for my high school’s literary magazine this past spring, and it tells the story of my family’s escape from Vietnam on a tiny fishing boat. The essay was so long that I decided to divide it into two parts; the second part of this essay will be published next week.] Anti-Asian American sentiment has been on the rise in the United States since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. A poll from the Pew Research Center conducted last year concluded that eight-in-ten Asian-Americans believed that violence and discrimination against them had increased. This violence is ha ..read more

Hello! My name is Tyler’s Lineage and it has been over a year since my last blog post for the Hidden Branch. I’m so glad to be back! To celebrate, I want to write about what originally sparked my interest in genealogy – when I met my great-great-grandmother (or my grandma’s grandma)! It comes as a surprise to most people and they wonder how that was possible. Well, I’ll explain and share my memories of this amazing woman. Mam during high school (circa. 1930). My great-great-grandmother, or as my family called her “Mam,” was born in 1914, three months and five days before the outbreak of World ..read more

So one way or another, you’ve probably heard about the MyHeritage photo tools. This started a whole episode of excitement to try these tools out. To this day, they are some of the most exciting things you can try out on old photos. I’m always (along with many others) are looking for new and exciting ways to get the next generation interested in genealogy. This can start up a whole whirl of emotions be it happiness or sadness. There’s one in particular that blended those two feelings together which I’ll talk about later. But where did all of this magic start? The date, February 11th 2020, I go ..read more

My family was quick to dismiss our German ancestors as “all just farmers.” It was not until after researching German church records that I found various roles that my ancestors played in their villages. You might be able to find the same for your ancestors and reveal a much richer story.   German churches kept meticulous records. These records mentioned the names and usually the occupations of those involved. Baptism records include the occupations of the fathers and sponsors. Marriage records typically include the occupations of the groom, the groom’s father, and the bride’s father ..read more

Now, if you’re someone who’s not based in Ireland but does roots in the Emerald Isle but you’re hitting the time where it’s getting harder to trace your ancestors in Ireland (pre Civil Registration in 1864) you might be wondering how to pin your surname in question to a particular area of Ireland. To that I bring you to John Grenham’s website [www.johngrenham.com] Here, you get a wealth of information so if I type in my surname (Loftus) – I get a large amount of info and while this may be overwhelming at first, I want you to take a look at the map that’s there on the left hand side (should be ..read more

In honor of the 1950 census records release, let’s talk about the history of the census.  The first United States Census was taken in the year 1790.  Every 10 years since the U.S. Bureau of Commerce has conducted a census, collecting the population data of the country.  The census collects data such as names, gender, addresses, age, occupation, education level, income, and race.  The census is a very important survey of the American people as the results can impact the number of seats a state has in the House of Representatives and the number of funds a state can receive fr ..read more

Sometimes, finding where a farmer ancestor lived is not as easy as discovering a land deed. Many farmers were landless, raising crops and livestock on rented land, subject to certain financial arrangements. These tenant farmers frequently moved from place to place, often living on different farms each year, which makes locating them for genealogical purposes challenging. So, how does one locate where a tenant farmer ancestor was living? First, look at censuses and gazetteers. These sources will give you a general idea of where your ancestor was living. State gazetteers, directories of busines ..read more

When Judy Jacobson’s team reached out to The Hidden Branch in search of a book review for History For Genealogists (revised ed. 2016), I was delighted. Not only do I love the combination of reading and genealogy, but as a history major who loves providing context for my family history, I couldn’t wait to dig in. I was sure that this book could advance my skill set for future research, and I wasn’t disappointed! History For Genealogists is visually enticing and easy to read – perfect for genealogists of all levels of experience. There is little to no use of difficult academic discourse to disma ..read more

Hello All, The Hidden Branch is back! After a 3 month hiatus, we are back. We have been working hard to organize and make some improvements to the blog and website. In order to better coordinate all members’ schedules and take some stress off of the blog committee, we have decided that we will only put out one blog post a week instead of two. So look out for blog posts every Friday at noon.  The blog has been the main focal point of our work within THB. Throughout the year, we want to expand beyond our blog by hosting virtual events, having panel discussions, and collaborating with other ..read more