Skip to content

Bold + Queer

Genealogy, inspired!

Menu
  • Journal
  • About
  • Contact
Menu

Uncategorized

Showing the single result

  • Mythology: genealogy without documentation - 11oz mug

    Mythology: genealogy without documentation – 11oz mug

    $14.99     Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Category:

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!

POPULAR POSTS

Integration & Healing Through Creative Journaling
How to Best Label Your Photos
Finding Nancy JaneFinding Nancy Jane
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 Faced with a brood of young children entering their teen years in the 1960s, my maternal grandma and grandpa decided to move the family out of New York City and to the country. As writers and artists, the idea was simple enough… “We had had the city. Obviously, our markets were there, but we couldn’t have cared less. The peculiar brand of writing and illustrating we do could be just as easily be airmailed to Kansas as carried by hand down to midtown Manhattan.” More about their city-to-country life experience, on the blog: https://boldandqueer.com/what-it-was-really-like-to-move-to-the-country/
On the personal blog today, a “notebook meeting” w On the personal blog today, a “notebook meeting” with my six journals spanning from simple notes & a weekly planner to an everyday journal & a witchy Grimoire… From a dive into my family history & genetic lineage, to a brand new sketchbook. A peek into my pages & the pulse of my writer’s heart ❤️ There’s a new link in my b1o to my personal blog, Under the Elderberry Tree. Of course I’m still blogging on Bold+Queer, but some topics live beyond the family history/genetic genealogy niche, ya know? I’d love it if you’d head over, give it a read, and have a look at all the pictures 🌀 💬 Have you ever held a “notebook meeting” to assess what’s working and what’s not in your journal(s)?
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 The first Monday of a brand new year, ha? Seems like that should mean something, doesn’t it? 😅 Well, for me it means breaking open my 2025 weekly planner, adding a few lines to my crisp new journal because the last one was full after three years, and deciding to carry over my 2024 family history pocket notebook into 2025 because research and documentation doesn’t care about dates on a calendar and the questions unfold themselves across space and time 🌀 How are you doing on this fine day as we head into a new week/month/year? Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint ❤️
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
May 2026
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Nov    

3+3 accomplishments AI Ancestor Connection AncestryDNA A to Z Challenge cause of death Civil War Cloutier creative journaling death certificates DNA testing Duval family history family secrets Featheringill Finding Phil genetic genealogy goals Graves Hannah healing journey heritage journal heritage meals inspiration in the present Lindsey marriage certificates memoir new beginnings newspapers NPE On this day oral history Pension File photos research libraries restoration save family photos self improvement Stanton The Glass Hatchet tradition wordpress world tuberculosis day

©2026 Bold + Queer