Page 6 of 11
Below is a wonderfully story written about Dennis and George Maloney (my 4th and 3rd great-grandfathers) by Jim St. Clair, a teacher and historian who resides in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. I had the pleasure to communicate with Mr. St…. Continue Reading →
The following is a brief story about my maternal great-uncle, Sargent Joseph Aloysius Grace (1892-1918) of Middletown, Connecticut, who died on October 11, 1918 during the Meuse-Argonne Operation in World War 1. Joseph enlisted in August 1917 and was serving… Continue Reading →
This photograph, taken by my father John Spencer French, shows his buddies Louis Zieminski and Patsy Ruggiero. John passed away in 2014, Pasquale “Patsy” died in Florida in 2013 and Louis in 2004 in Wallingford, CT. Copyright © 2019. All… Continue Reading →
Part II – This post offers several more newspaper clippings from the Hartford Courant about life on the farm in Bloomfield, Connecticut featuring my second great-grandfather, John William Spencer (1834-1896). The topics of the articles range from corn and pumpkins… Continue Reading →
Above is a probate notice from 18 July 1878 that notes a bequest of $2,000 from Jason Goodwin (J.G.) Eggleston to his grand-niece Anna Eggleston Spencer. Anna is my second great grandmother. $2,000 in 1879 is equivalent in purchasing power… Continue Reading →
With genealogical research, it is often a case of feast or famine. With my 2nd great-paternal grandfather, John William Spencer (1834-1896), I have discovered a wealth of material. In a previous post, Introducing Annie and John Spencer, I described the… Continue Reading →
While I hate to admit it, I believe my paternal great-grandmother, Mary “Minnie” MacEachern French, might be viewed as a gold digger. The evidence comes from a sensational series of articles that played out in Boston newspapers from 1916-1918. What… Continue Reading →
As a boy growing up in Wethersfield, Connecticut, I recall two distinct images about our backyard. The first was a weeping willow tree and the second were the massive bloodhounds kept by our neighbor directly behind our yard. What I… Continue Reading →
