I have found a sense of belonging through the stories of my ancestors. Your family stories shape who you are, even if you never knew the people who came before you. Are you curious about own your family stories?
Your genealogy is more than just people and dates. Understanding the personal and world events around your ancestors reveals reasons for immigration, settlement, even marriage. Sharing the stories of common ancestors can bring your family closer. Lessons of resilience, empathy, compassion and bravery shine through their experiences.
I created this site to tell stories I’ve uncovered, share genealogy tips, and (selfishly) as a place to put information I wanted to find easily. I focus on: people from Santa Clara County, California; the Chinese in Hawaii; my personal ancestors. I hope you enjoy these stories. They are not always my ancestors…perhaps they are yours!
If you’d like some help on your genealogical journey, please contact me.
The curious case of Laura C. Morgan
Can a woman have two maiden names? Sort of. Likely she had one maiden name, but due to circumstances such as a blended family, an adoption, or being born to an unmarried mother, she might either choose to use (or others might mistakenly use) a different surname. I stumbled across…
The original Bracher brothers
In Santa Clara County in close proximity to each other you will find both Bracher Elementary School and Bracher Park. According to the Santa Clara city website, the school was named for Karl E. Bracher, whose family had extensive orchard properties and operated the Bracher Fruit Company (originally Bracher Bros….
A Guide to Honolulu Case File Numbers (Chinese Exclusion)
If you browse through the Chinese Exclusion Case File numbers, you’ll notice that the numbers differ depending on which INS office they come from. Honolulu categorized their files into different “Series” usually depending on immigration status. Why does the series number matter? It gives you a glimpse into how your…
AU Yip: Finding alternate entries into Hawaii
Reading AU Yip’s file teaches us about native-born women losing their citizenship, Chinese women being resourceful about returning to the US, and NARA Case file #s.
The embellished tale of Henry Stimper’s parrot
I ran across a story in the newspaper that humorously illustrates how family stories can adapt and change. The story isn’t humorous per se; it’s a rather morbid tale about a pet parrot killing chickens in a coop. However, a later retelling made me laugh outright. The bones of the…