36 days. That’s all it took for me to dive headfirst into someone else’s family tree—and spark a passion that would change my life.
It all began one October evening, when a friend shared stories from her trip to the Carolina Renaissance Festival in North Carolina. Among her souvenirs was a family crest bearing her maiden name. Knowing my love for genealogy, she asked the question that sparked it all: “Is this real?” She hoped to gift something meaningful to her dad for Christmas, and her curiosity opened the door for me to explore her roots.
I offered to research her family—for free. As part of my five-year plan to start a genealogy business, I needed experience digging into someone else’s lineage. She agreed, and the adventure began. That was in 2018.
A Journey Through Time
My friend’s knowledge of her family tree extended to her great-grandparents, along with a few stories passed down through the generations. But as I started piecing together the puzzle, her family’s history unfolded like a novel.
On her father’s paternal line, I quickly found myself tracing branches to France. Her 3rd great-grandfather arrived in New Orleans before 1843, where he married. His father, her 4th great-grandfather, was born in Languemburg, de la Meurthe, France, and tragically died in a train accident.
Her other 4th great-grandfather’s story read like an epic escape. A wealthy planter in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), he fled to Louisiana during the Haitian Revolution, aided by faithful slaves who ensured his family’s safety. The French government compensated him for his losses until his death.
On her father’s maternal side, the trail led to France and Germany. Though I could trace her great-grandmother’s line extensively, her paternal line only reached as far as Germany.
Then came the jackpot: her grandmother’s maternal line.
Swedish Roots and Scottish Legacies
Her 3rd great-grandfather Green, born in Mississippi, was the son of Lundgren, a Swedish immigrant who arrived in America in 1836. This line stretched back ten generations in Sweden, rooted in the region of Gotland.
Green’s mother was a Cameron, whose paternal line reached back to her 7th great-grandfather in Scotland. This branch also uncovered Civil War service, land ownership in Mississippi, and connections to the Stanford family, who helped colonize Maryland.
A Stanford ancestor patented a plantation in 1695, fought in the Revolutionary War, and endured six months aboard the infamous British prison ship Jersey. His son continued the family’s legacy, serving in the War of 1812 and settling in Georgia.
A Gift to Remember
As Christmas approached, I compiled my research onto a flash drive and handed it over to my friend. It felt like giving away a piece of myself—but I couldn’t help but sneak peeks at her tree now and then to uncover even more.
So, was the crest she bought at the Renaissance Festival truly hers? A crest with her family name exists, but whether it ties directly to her lineage remains a mystery. Perhaps her new “family historian” will be the one to find out.
Closing Thoughts
This project wasn’t just about tracing names and dates; it was about discovering stories that connect us to the past. It was the spark that led me to start my family history business, Loganalogy, and share the joy of uncovering ancestors’ stories with others.
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