Listen, the truth is, the ancestors don’t care about how or where we talk about them online.
They care that they are remembered and honored, that their memories are passed from generation to generation through oral history, legacy, the Family Ofrenda, and the lives of their descendants.
Sharing my personal family history stories and some of my hard-won tips and tricks about research and documentation on this site and on Instagram has been such a wonderful experience. I am so deeply grateful to have met so many like-minded and passionate family historians and genetic genealogists!
And also, as a whole person bridging the gap between all that’s been and all that’s yet to come, I’ve decided to un-niche-ify myself.
#iykyk
How does one un-niche-ify? Well, for me it means by integrating bits of my research, documentation, and family history experiences into my personal blog, Under the Elderberry Tree, while surrendering this site and its corresponding Instagram profile.
I’ll keep a simplified version of my t-shirt and mug shop that will take customers directly to the Printify platform so there’s still an opportunity to purchase your favorites, just without the overhead of third-party system costs every month. It’s not as pretty, but it all works the same. More on that once I figure out all the details, but please feel free to reach out if you’re worried about a favorite product. I can make anything work 🙂
Don’t worry, my work is not stopping, it’s simply being integrated into my life and my personal blog in a way that fits this current chapter of my life more comfortably.
Things to know:
This will be my final post here on Bold+Queer. All of my writing is now happening on Under the Elderberry Tree.
A handful of my most popular posts are being moved to Under the Elderberry Tree as we speak.
All family history and genetic geneaology specific posts on UtET will be catalogued under the category Bold+Queer Family History.
This site, boldandqueer.com, will stay live until January (ish) 2026 with a re-direct planned to go into effect in late January/early February.
I started blogging at Under the Elderberry Tree in early 2025 and love the freedom it’s given me to write about whatever strikes my fancy on any given day. As a bonus, the community I’m building there is absolutely lovely, highly engaged, and not at the whim or will of anyone else’s algorithm. I’m looking at you Meta!
You will find me mostly blogging and commenting on others blog at UnderTheEdlerberryTree.com, but I can also be found at a few other places, including:
- melis-willis on Bluesky (all the things, most often)
- melis_willis on theStoryGraph (all the pretty book tracking & sharing)
- melis-willis on Insta (rarely, indeed… though occasionally in stories)
It’s been a joy to share time and space with you in this way on this site and I truly hope you’ll find me where I’m spending my time now so we can continue to research and grow together.
No matter where you are on your genealogy journey, never doubt how deeply important your life will be someday to someone you’ll never have the opportunity to meet.
You, and your lineage, deserve to be honored and documented.
I hope you’ll join me under the elderberry tree. Let’s sit for a spell.
Onward,
Melis