“Everything is relative except relatives,
and they are absolute.”
-Alfred Steiglitz
Family history is a way to bring our ancestors to life.
This blog details my journey as a genealogist and is a means to record my notes, recent discoveries, and the stories of my ancestors. The goal of Relatively is to inspire other family historians to preserve and share their own family stories.
RECENT POSTS
The Unsinkable Harold Parker Ewart
My great–grandfather Harold Parker Ewart was a Merchant Mariner. His job took him all over the world and was extremely dangerous, particularly during wartime. Harold…
FOUND: My Great-Grandmother’s Sister, Anne Flood
Last month, the New York City Municipal Archives released 9.3 million historical vital records on a free online platform. For me, this was like hitting…
Just the Facts: Hazel (Knowles) Ewart Rankin
A brief look at the life of my maternal grandmother, Hazel (Knowles) Ewart Rankin (1913–1984), with key facts and photographs.
Viola’s Vital Records Vitally Misleading
Vital records are often the first documents researchers turn to when investigating family history. These records are crucial to genealogical research because they document significant…
Great-Grandpa’s Big Invention
My great-grandfather, Clarkson Valentine Hendrickson Jr. (1890–1964) was a mechanical engineer or draftsman as I remember my father describing his occupation. But I never had…
Harold Ewart’s Passport to Nowhere
Growing up I remember my mom carrying around her father’s seaman passport photo. It was one of only a few she had of him. He…
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