An old friend and famous Rankin researcher gave me some pointed advice when I first started publishing on this website. People like to read stories, she said. She told me this at least twice, possibly three times, leaving me thinking my academic-ish genealogy articles were boring as hell.
Sometimes, though, there just isn’t enough information about long-dead people to craft a good tale. Or at least I lack the imagination to manage it and remain within the confines of truth.
In an effort to find out what might be popular other than stories, I have been looking at data on the articles on this blog to see what has been read the most often. This is what I learned:
… the all-time most read article is titled “Who Are the Scots-Irish, Anyway?” It is an historical article by a non-historian about the economic and religious factors driving Scots-Irish migration. There are apparently a lot of us Scots-Irish who wonder when and where our ancestors immigrated to the Colonies. Answer: most Scots-Irish arrived in one of the Delaware River ports during the so-called “Great Migration” from Ulster between 1717 and just prior to the Revolution.
… the second most popular article is “What is Proof of Family History?” It was inspired by a similar article by my distant cousin Roberta Estes. She and I might reasonably be characterized as rabid on the subject.
… the third most popular topic, grouping several articles together, is what you might call personal stuff. These are of no use whatsoever to anyone from the standpoint of family history research. They are just personal stories. These include one about my father titled “The Fastest Post Ever Written”, one about some of Gary’s experiences in Vietnam called “Welcome home, sir, and Thank You for Your Service,” and another simply titled “Love Letter,” written to Gary on the occasion of a wedding anniversary. We’ve now been married for 58 years.
… there are other articles that definitely include stories which have had fairly numerous hits. E.g., “Family history stories: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” “Family Names and Stories,” and “AHA! moments in Family History Research.” The last one probably gets too deep into county minutiae to have much broad appeal and is also too recent for me to judge its popularity accurately.
… a couple of Rankin articles have had many, many hits: “UPDATE:Rankin DNA Project Families: August 2121,” which obviously needs to be updated again. Also, “Revised:: the Most Famous Rankin Legend of All,” in which I take on a Rankin shibboleth cast in bronze (I’m not kidding) which refuses to die.
… finally, a series of articles I have written about the Winn family of Lunenburg County, Virginia, taken together, has had more hits than anything else on this website. I can only conclude that there are a lot of Winn researchers out there who are adept at finding obscure family history blogs.
See articles at these links: (1) Virginia Winns Part 1: YDNA and Some Colonial Virginia Winn Families, (2) Virginia Winns, Part 2: Colonel Thomas Winn of Lunenburg, (3) Virginia Winns, Part 3: Col. Thomas of Lunenburg, John of Amelia, and Richard of Hanover, (4) Virginia Winns Part 4: Samuel Winn, Scoundrel, and a Famous Creek, (5) Virginia Winns Part 5: Richard and Phoebe Winn of Hanover County, (6)Virginia Winns Part 6: Competing Theories About the Hanover Winns, (7) Virginia Winn Series Part 7: Portrait of Mrs. John Winn of Hanover County, and (8) QUERY: (1) WHO WAS JOHN WINN d. AMELIA COUNTY 1781 and (2) WAS HE RELATED TO THE LUNENBURG WINNS?.
There is another whole batch of Winn articles using Roman rather than Arabic numerals, probably because I couldn’t remember where I was in the list: (9) Lunenburg Winns: Part I of ???, (10) Lunenburg Winns, Part II of ?; Daniel Winn, (11) Part III of ?? How Many Times Was Col. Thomas Winn Married?, (12) PART IV of ?? John Winn Sr. of Lunenburg Who Died in 1795., and (13) PART IV Addendum: a Friend Told Me Where Daniel Winn’s Son Thomas Migrated. There are undoubtedly redundancies among these articles, my primary excuse being that one cannot be sure everyone has read prior posts. My secondary and probably more honest excuse is that I am old and cannot always remember what I had previously written. I was in fact somewhat taken aback when I saw that I had written so many Winn articles. And I am not sure these are listed above in the order in which I wrote them.
Some of my personal favorite articles are ones that take on some family history lore that is cast in concrete (or bronze) and that is just plain wrong. Some are easy, like disproving the notion that Samuel “Old One-Eyed Sam” of Lincoln County, NC, whose wife was Eleanor (“Ellen”) Alexander, was descended from Joseph and Rebecca Rankin of New Castle County, Delaware. Y-DNA conclusively puts that hoary old theory to rest. We don’t know Sam’s parents. Proving that Eleanor Alexander Rankin’s given name was actually Eleanor rather than Ellen, her nickname, was also fun, although Y-DNA is no help there. Likewise, it was easy to prove that the Adam Rankin (wife Mary Steele Alexander) who died in 1747 in what was then Lancaster County, Pennsylvania was NOT the brother of the John Rankin who died in the same county in 1749. Again, Y-DNA conclusively proves that Adam and John were not genetically related.
PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF ANY OF THE LINKS DON’T WORK and I will try to fix them.
The most fun articles for me to write are those that involve finding, interpreting, and untangling a web of county records. Interestingly, it is rare to find someone who uses the images of original county records available at the FHL website to do their family history research. Far more common are people who rely on online trees. Those, of course, are what perpetrate erroneous facts ad infinitum, ad nauseam, despite the fact that the software suggests FHL records.
I will never publish enough articles to make a dint in some of the easy-to-disprove errors (e.g., Old One-Eyed Sam’s father; Adam and John Rankin weren’t related). But I CAN respond to ideas. Specifically, I AM ASKING FOR FEEDBACK AND SUGGESTIONS. WHAT KINDS OF ARTICLES DO YOU LIKE? WHAT FAMILIES DO YOU WANT TO READ ABOUT? WHAT BRINGS YOU TO THIS BLOG, ANYWAY?
Thanks for reading! See you on down the road.
Robin
Hi Robin! What brought me to this blog was the Willis connection to the Everngham family by marriage. To this day, I greatly appreciate Gary’s willingness to try to help me answer some questions. If either of you is ever inclined to dig further into the Everngham line, I’d be most interested. The kinds of records you so diligently dig into don’t tend to be my strength when it comes to research. I realize the Everngham’s aren’t a blood line for either of you, so this option is likely far from the top of your list, but I just thought I’d throw it out there! … Also, I found it interesting that you mentioned New Castle County in this post as that’s where I’ve lived my whole life. It’s a small world sometimes.
Have a beautiful summer!! – Mindy
Mindy, I will make sure Gary sees this! He loves collateral relatives, which often lead to Willis info!
We both visited New Castle perhaps 20 years ago and went to a beautiful cemetery in (I think!) Newark. Head of Christiana Presbyterian Church, which has the grave of Joseph Rankin, 1704-1764. I am still trying to figure out WHY I can remember his birth and death dates when so much else eludes me!
Thanks for the comment.
Robin
Yes! Head of Christiana is a wonderful, old cemetery. For multiple years we attended Easter sunrise service there. Delaware has some unbelievable old cemeteries. For some reason I have great affection for walking around old headstones and just reading the names. I’ve cleaned very old headstones of some of my mom’s family that I located in Maryland, I find it a strangely satisfying thing to do.
If you’re ever in this neck of the woods again and looking for a an interesting historic walk, I’d recommend Old New Castle. Parking can be challenging on weekends, but otherwise I haven’t had a problem. It has a somewhat small, amazing cemetery. – and it’s a small, very walkable area. A couple blocks away from the church is Jessop’s Tavern, which serves very good, traditional colonial food. That building has been there for 350 years! You can walk Battery Park, but I recommend taking the ferry over to Fort Delaware — that’s an eerie place, so much history. I found out my father’s 5th or 7th (can’t remember for sure) great grand uncle died a miserable death there during the Civil War. Come to think of it, I believe he was an Everngham, but I’d have to go back and check — my memory isn’t what it used to be. Anyway, this area of the US has been developed for several hundred years and has some great historic spots. I love Old Swedes Church in Wilmington, my husband’s family has a lot of history in that area (unfortunately not the safest part of town these days). I love Odessa as well. Cantwell’s Tavern in Odessa is a fun place to visit for great food and then walking the streets lined with historic houses. For years my mom really enjoyed attending the annual “Christmas in Odessa” event, I think we went every year for about 10 years. It’s beautiful, there’s a website if you’re interested. Old New Castle and Odessa offer guided walking tours and some homes/buildings are basically museums. The court house in Old New Castle is like stepping back in time. Of course, there’s also Dover, which has a good supply of preserved historic buildings and though I haven’t explored that area much, I’m quite certain there has to be more than a couple really amazing cemeteries in that area of Kent County. I had a lot of family in that area for probably over 100 years, so I really should spend more time there. I’ve done the historical tour with one of my kids when they were in school, but it’s just far enough away from where I live to make it inconvenient. Sorry to be so long winded, there’s just a lot of history here. Thanks again for all your efforts, I enjoy reading the blog! – M
Mindy, you make me want to come back and go see all those sites! We’ve been to Wilmington, where Gary’s grandparents (Dr. Henry Noble Willis and Jesse Sensor Willis) are buried. We also enjoy wandering around old cemeteries and admiring the stones and the inscriptions.We might have to start with Old New Castle and Jessop’s Tavern!
I will make sure Gary sees your post! Thanks for sharing.
RRW
Absolutely! Let me know if you’re visiting, I’d love to meet you guys. Maybe we could walk the cemetery together (lol)! – M
Robin, I originally found you through my research into my husband’s elusive ancestor who was born (according to his son’s rev war pension file) in Hanover County, VA and migrated to Bute Co that became Granville Co that became Warren Co, NC. I have long since given up doing genealogical research as none of our offspring want to become caretakers of the research so I’ve passed it all on to distant cousins. But I still occasionally look things up when asked a question or suddenly find a clue on my two forever brick walls. I come back to your blog for not only your stories but your methodology. It’s fascinating to someone who does not have a natural talent (or training) in research and although I’m unaware of any True Rankin or Winn connection to my husband, I often wish there were. Partly from reading your blog, I too, have become a stickler for verifiable proof. Most public family trees today have little to no citations attached.
I now use my decades of research skills to trace and research 17th century quilting patterns.
Still, I’m fascinated by all the stories you’ve written about as well as the methods you used to arrive at the “facts”. How you break down the steps you needed to take.
Gulielmus/Elmus/William Smith will have to be found (or not) by someone else. (Maybe my husband who retired from the military after about 38 years and is currently finishing his degree in history and has been pondering taking up the challenge… I’m chuckling as I write this!) Your blog will be the first place I recommend he read to get an idea about what it’s like to research in an early VA burned out county as well as trying to separate people who have the same name.
Please DO continue to write about not only your lines you have proven but also the ones that can’t be proven (yet) along with some information about sources consulted and why they may NOT have been helpful? I find that sometimes a lack of record sources gives clues as well as insights into how to adapt research strategies.
Your posts, when they pop up in my inbox are always a highlight of my day! Please continue writing them!!!
Have a lovely summer!
Paulette, Gulielmus/Elmus William Smith! I don’t envy anyone THAT challenge! It seems likely that many of us have a Smith line — mine ends with the appearance of a Josiah in Middle Tennessee!!!
Thank you so much for the lovely comments! Hope your summer is a good one as well.
RRW
Hi, Robin. I am always most interested in the articles on the Rankin line, esp. Robert & Rebecca and family, which is my paternal line. Also articles about the Scots-Irish. But I enjoy reading most of your articles, because it’s usually a good read, and even if not my family, I usually learn something from your thought process, research and documentation. So I’m always excited to see a new email from you! Thank you for all of it!
Jackie
Jackie, thanks for the comment! You can be assured I will continue writing about Rankins as new challenges arise! They can be an elusive bunch …
RRW
Mindy,
Thanks for the kind words. When you first asked, there was no way I could refuse looking into a surname as unique as Everngham. I have now forgotten how far we were able to go but do remember there was some good paper on that family.
Best wishes and good hunting!
Gary
Hi Gary! I believe that mainly you were able to confirm that “your” Everngham (married to a Willis) and mine were indeed on the same familial line. I had been trying to locate confirmation about other brothers/relatives, whether or not they had slaves, and also attempt to get back further on the line. I’ve been focused on other ancestors of late. I’ve been beating my head against the wall with my Irish McElroy clan in upstate NY and my Inman line in PA, but if you’re ever interested in exploring the Everngham family further I’d certainly welcome the help! As I mentioned to Robin, I don’t have nearly your skillset when it comes to old documents. I hope you’re enjoying your summer! Thanks again! – M
MIndy,
I will put this on my “to do” list. Alsways more fun to try to run something down together!
Gary
Hello we are Rankins connected to the George 1701-1760 m. Martha Crawford line. My brother would like to take the Big Y test. Can anyone tell me how to best go about doing that?
Joni, I am happy to help! Go to the Family Tree DNA Website (“FTDNA”). They are the only vendor offering Y-chromosome tests. Here is a link:
https://www.familytreedna.com
Scroll down the page just a little and you will see a link to the Big Y test. Then just follow instructions!
FTDNA will send a kit to your brother. It contains easy instructions for a simple cheek swab. Return the swab in the self-addressed envelope and then wait! It is now taking quite a while to process Big Y tests.
Be sure to have your brother agree to share his results with his matches. Otherwise, FTDNA won’t tell him who HIS matches are! There are very strict privacy policies around this testing on account of a European Union law. Also get him to join the Rankin DNA project. That will be an option on his FTDNA account. If he has problems, yell and I will help.
Am I right that your George is the Rankin who lived in Augusta County, Virginia? I have been hoping to find a descendant of his to test for ages! If that isn’t where he and Martha lived, please let me know and I’ll see what I can find in my notes. Linda Kay Starr, a fabulous Rankin researcher, was descended from George and thought he was from the line in King George County, Virginia. Several people in that line have tested, so a match will prove you come from a fabulous family. They are my favorite Rankin family.
Contact me at my email gwillis1@comcast.net if you have further questions.
Best,
Robin
Thanks much for the info! Yes, my research shows George being from Augusta, Virginia. Would love to find his parents! I’ll be sure to have my brother Steven Douglas Rankin take the test. Thank you again!
Joni
Robin, FWIW, I’m a huge fan of the academic-ish genealogy articles and find them anything but boring. Why? Because they have taught me what genealogy is really all about. Before I found this site, I would read a 100-year-old genealogy and dutifully copy what it said. You taught me to always ask, “But how do you KNOW that?” You taught me to always look at the original sources and think for myself. When you’re pulling together a will, a couple of deeds and a cemetery record to show that this guy over here is the same person as that guy over there… Well, for my money, that’s your wheelhouse. The truth is out there… Just follow the land! 🙂
Wow! It doesn’t get any nicer than that! Thank you, my friend.