Skip to content

Genealogy, inspired!

Menu

Journal
About
Shop
Contact

Menu

Day: November 2, 2023

On This Day: 2 November 1943

Posted on November 2, 2023 by Melissa Willis

On this day…

80 years ago,

my biological father was born.

Read more

HELLO & WELCOME!

I'm Melissa :-)

Ghost Chaser | Kin Seeker
NPE Survivor | Tea Drinker

As a hobbyist family historian and genetic genealogist, I find great joy in folding time with the Ancestors in an effort to best honor them while documenting their legacies for future generations. Grab a cuppa, let's sit for a spell and chat about ghosts!

Search

POPULAR POSTS

7 Topics to Include When Writing About Your Family History

Journaling in Family History

Deliria by Eve Stanton, 1933

Moving Pebbles: On Midlife & My NPE Experience

Why Bold + Queer? Meet Hannah Ann.

boldandqueerfamilyhistory

☠️ No longer posting to this account 👻
🙋🏻‍♀️ Find me @melis_willis or
🫖 Join me for a cuppa under the elderberry tree ⬇️

It’s been real, chasing ghosts with you all here i

It’s been real, chasing ghosts with you all here in this little genealogical corner of the internet! Thank you for being you! 🌀

Join me, if you will, for a cuppa under the elderberry tree 💜

I finally got to work on my paternal grandma’s Her

I finally got to work on my paternal grandma’s Heritage Journal spread! Whew…that created more of a speed bump than I anticipated but I’ve begun! Woohoo! 🎉

“Jean was a complicated woman who I never had the opportunity to meet and the more I learn about her, the more questions I have.

She is quite the enigma...

I’ve created layers and layers with colors and patterns and mini pages within the spread to be turned and lifted/looked into and beyond.

I know she loved music and gardens, so there’s that.”

More words + pictures + insights on the blog ❤️

💬 Have you been delaying on a project or task recently? How can you get out of your own way about it and just *start?

Faced with a brood of young children entering thei

On the personal blog today, a “notebook meeting” w

Hi, hey, hello!!! I’m back! Well, sort of…in a lim

Hi, hey, hello!!! I’m back! Well, sort of…in a limited way 🙃 I’m still doing my best to rage against the machine that is the USA and the horrors of the world at large, but I’ve also missed this amazing family history community so will be poking my head back in from time to time.

I hope to show up for you, inspire you, and offer you some grace as we all document our ancestors and do our best to be good people in the present.

I’ve been up to a lot off this grid and shared a bit on the blog today. Pop over if you’re curious 🧐

🗯️ How the heck are you?! What have I missed during my hiatus?

DtMF 💔 This song and all of the TikToks that have

DtMF 💔 This song and all of the TikToks that have been made to it have had me in tears for days. While it is very specific to Bad Bunny’s experience, at the heart of it all, it is such a powerful and beautiful reminder to simply take more pictures, give more hugs, and say the words you long to say. There’s no grief like regret nor time like the present.

The first Monday of a brand new year, ha? Seems li

Dutch’s 1902 Christmas Wishlist: 1) A tool chest 2

Dutch’s 1902 Christmas Wishlist:
1) A tool chest
2) A magic lantern
3) A doll for my little sister

Be still my heart ❤️

My great grandpa, Dutch, had his letter to Santa published in the Chronicle Tribune (Marion, Indiana) on December 23, 1902 when he was seven years old 🎄

This simple find by the marvelous research librarian @marionpublibin has definitely made my month, maybe even my year (next to JPBs Civil War Pension file) and confirms my understanding of Dutch’s tough exterior and tender heart ❤️

The question is:
💭 Was he hoping for the sort of Magic Lantern that carried a wish-granting Genie? Or the newfangled projector sort? 🧐 What do you think?

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: 2 A carousel of photos and/or v

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: 2

A carousel of photos and/or videos that include snapshots of my life and my family history work throughout the previous week, that have brought me joy, nostalgia, or a sense of accomplishment, with short descriptions.

1) Almost full!
2) Breakfast at my favorite spot
3) Contemplations on human vs corn genetics
4) 1948
5) Part panther
6 & 7) Never not questioning
8) In gratitude for a new woodstove 🔥
9) Get it!

💭 What’s filling your cup this week?

Follow on Instagram

November 2023
M	T	W	T	F	S	S
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30

« Oct Dec »

3+3 accomplishments Ancestor Connection AncestryDNA A to Z Challenge Barton Brogan cause of death Civil War Cloutier creative journaling death certificates DNA testing Duval family history Featheringill Finding Phil Forsyth French Canadian genetic genealogy Gill goals Graves heritage journal inspiration in the present Lindsey marriage certificates maternal mortality McCormick memoir New France NPE On this day oral history Pension File photos Russell save family photos Stanton Taylor Teachout Thompson tradition yearbook photos

©2026 Bold + Queer