Just in time for the Fourth of July, I have discovered a new ancestor who was a soldier during the American Revolution. He is a fifth great-grandfather on my father’s side, and his name is Richard Denny III (28 July 1745 – 28 July 1825). According to military records, he served in the Dutchess County (New York) Militia Regiment between 1777 to 1779 and may … Continue reading Just in time for the Fourth of July

I recently discovered that one of my ancestors was a late medieval insurrectionist who at one point took over the town of Ghent in the Duchy of Burgundy and while in control, minted his own coins. About a year ago, I wrote an article in which one of the items described how I had found a branch on my father’s side that extended back a … Continue reading My Ancestor, the Insurrectionist

News stories about politicians being denied communion, high school coaches praying on the football field, and taxpayers being forced to support religious education remind me of why my ancestors came to this great country of ours. To be blunt, it was to get away from s*** like that. My father loved to tell the story of how his DeBacker ancestors came over from Belgium after … Continue reading The Belgian School War

A simple reason so many of my posts relate to my mother’s side of the family is that many of her ancestors came over during colonial times. All arrived before the Civil War. On my father’s side of the family, the DeBackers did not come over from Belgium until 1883. So it pleases me to say that, for once, I have found something regarding my … Continue reading The Accidental Doctor

There were two family history discoveries today; one by me and one made by my cousin. First of all, I finally found my father in the 1950 census. Back in April, the US government made public the individual listings of the US census taken in 1950. Within weeks after the release, I had found all of my ancestors who were living in that year. I … Continue reading Two Discoveries in One Day

Here is interesting find. My great great grandfather, Frank Gaume, was a veteran of the Civil War having served on the side of the Union. I have posted about him before, most recently around Memorial Day. What I discovered is that he was a member of the Civil War veteran’s service organization the Grand Army of the Republic or as it was known by its … Continue reading Grand Army of the Republic

Another great-great-grandfather, Francis “Frank” Gaume, was 19 years old when he volunteered and joined the Union forces during the American Civil War. In the Fall of 1862, Frank signed up with the 19th Ohio Volunteer Infantry in Stark County, Ohio. In September of that year, his unit was in reserve at the Battle of Perryville in Kentucky. Then at one of the bloodiest, muddiest battles … Continue reading They Simply Fade Away

I was looking at the nationalities of my great-great-grandparents, and I figure that I am only 6% French, 13% Belgian, almost 20% British, one-quarter German, and nearly 40% Irish. Yet, although I can trace one British branch back to Charlemagne via a daughter of Edward I, and I can trace my DeBacker family back to the early 1500s, most of my Irish branches cannot be … Continue reading The Shamrock Wall

Searching through newspaper archives, I discovered something about my paternal grandmother, Geraldine O’Malley DeBacker, that I did not know. Apparently, she was a singer of enough renown to have that mentioned a few times in her hometown newspaper. I found the following item in the August 29, 1918 edition of The Atchison (KS) Daily Globe. My father’s mother, Geraldine O’Malley DeBacker, died the year that … Continue reading Atchison People Will Be Interested in an Omaha Item