Genealogy
Greetings!
My roots search began in the mid-1990s when I realized no one knew much of anything about my late father's ROANE-KEIRSTEAD family in Lowell, Massachusetts...and nobody much cared.* Since 1998, I've compiled information, not only on Irish immigrant forbears, but Mayflower and New Amsterdam settlers, Revolutionary era Patriots and Loyalists. I've circulated yearly reports to generations of Roane cousins. Work on my maternal OWENS-DOLAN line was begun by a Mormon cousin, and the lives of my Boston area Irish and German immigrants are just as fascinating.
On this page, I've included descendant charts, which may not contain the latest data, so if you see a common line, get in touch for updates and/or to check my evidence and sources. I do have a family file on Ancestry.com that should not be accepted as factual. If you are a subscriber, you know Ancestry.com supplies fun "hints" that may get added, but are most often absolutely wrong. For example, I traced a great-great-grandmother, Diadame WIGGINS, back to England's King Henry III...and the Norman Conquest (1066)... which without proof cannot be taken seriously!
I DO take seriously the debt of gratitude I owe to all the family researchers who have shared their work with me (the genealogy community rocks). So please contact me any time, if you think I can help you, or if you just want to say hello.
*The truth is that however politely interested they seem, your relatives will most likely not help you. Accept it and move on with your work.
Interesting Bits
Ancestors Make You Better
"Next time you need a boost, think about the story of your ancestors. In a new study, researchers found that thinking about one’s ancestors motivates people and can even improve performance on intelligence tests. It didn’t matter whether people thought about long-dead ancestors or living grandparents, or whether they considered positive or negative aspects of their ancestors. Thinking about friends or oneself didn’t generate the same effect, suggesting that ancestors have a special association with success and perseverance."
Fischer, P. et al., “The Ancestor Effect: Thinking about Our Genetic Origin Enhances Intellectual Performance,” European Journal of Social Psychology (February 2011). [Via the Boston Globe]
Resources
Ancestry Free search and some free databases.
New England Historical Genealogical Society Free to search.