Digging History

04/04/2026

Such an unusual name ... I just had to research it!

Bigger Head (1812-1912) I came across this most unusual family name while researching a friend’s Head family line. I found multiple instances of a “Bigger” forename or middle name. First of all, I’…

03/28/2026

The latest "Curious Kin" blog article . . .

Thomas Jefferson Roach and His “Sister Wives” I don’t mean to imply “Sister Wives” (as in the TLC reality show of the same name) meant Thomas Jefferson (“T.J.”) Roach was a polygamist. Quite the co…

03/25/2026

An affordable way to learn more about your family history . . .

Do you want to learn more about your family history and need to budget the cost of research (or a custom-designed family history chart)? Digging History offers a unique way to do just that with a…

03/21/2026

Another installment of curiously-named kin . . the "Ocean Sisters" . . .

The “Ocean Sisters” of Johnson County, Tennessee Andrew Garfield Shoun and Elizabeth Powell married in 1817 and began raising a family in 1818 with the birth of their first child Andrew. Then came …

03/14/2026

I often run across the most unusual names while researching family history for myself or my clients. This series will highlight a few of them . . .

I often run across some of the most unusual names while researching either my own family or a client’s. I have to say, though, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a set of children named so “uniquely”. Th…

03/11/2026

The latest issue of Digging History Magazine featuring the "Cornhusker State" of Nebraska is out and available for purchase:
https://digging-history.com/digging-history-magazine.../

03/07/2026

Latest blog post . . . a look at one of the myriad "ways to go in days of old" . . .

I ran across this particular “way to go in days of old” while researching a Surname Saturday blog article several years ago about the Pimple surname (after seeing the name in a list of Revolutionar…

02/28/2026

Genealogy isn't just about finding records and tracking down dead people. Sometimes you run across unfamiliar terms which may no longer be in usage today. Such is the case with these early American civic duties . . . .

As genealogists we have all come across terms which are unfamiliar for one reason or another. Many times the word or terminology is obsolete, or it might mean something altogether different in the …

02/21/2026

If you’ve researched Southern slave-holding ancestors, you may be aware of the term “manumission”. If not, it simply means the act of freeing one’s slave(s). As such, manumission differed from emancipation set forth by government proclamation, Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation being a prime example.

If you’ve researched Southern slave-holding ancestors, you may be aware of the term “manumission”. If not, it simply means the act of freeing one’s slave(s). As such, manumission differed from eman…

02/19/2026

For all my genealogy and history-loving friends . . . I discovered this documentary through Crista Cowan's ("The Barefoot Genealogist") podcast. If you're a fan of Finding Your Roots on PBS, you will love this documentary which highlights an interesting (and moving -- bring your tissues!) piece of American immigration history. You can watch for free on Tubi or rent through PBS on Amazon.

By the way, Crista has a series, "Stories That Live in Us", which is currently highlighting all states in a lead-up to America's 250th birthday. The series started with Hawaii, the 50th, and is working back to America's beginnings. This week was Mississippi. You can find her podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/. Very interesting and informative series!

https://tubitv.com/movies/100010791/far-east-deep-south

The racially complex history of the early Chinese in the segregated South comes into focus for a family on a road trip to visit its ancestors’ graves.

02/14/2026

https://digging-history.com/2026/02/14/free-to-enslave/

The premise may seem unbelievable, given what our history books have always taught us. It is true – there were free men and women of color who owned slaves. The question is, why would someone previ…

02/07/2026

In honor of Black History Month and the recent passing of my friend Vicki Nelson. This was a story about her great grandmother, Seawillow Hubert.

Seawillow Seawillow is a rather lyrical and poetic sounding name isn’t it? I ran across this name while researching a friend’s African American ancestry. Where in the world did this name come from…