Eliza Watson - Genealogy Tips and Quips

In 2007, a twelve-day trip to Irelandmy ancestors homelandturned out to be the most significant turning point in my life. I never dreamed when I embarked on my adventure it would lead to me becoming a genealogist, meeting dozens of Irish rellies, writing two fiction book series set in Ireland, and buying a renovated 1887 schoolhouse in my Coffey ancestors townland.

Since that trip, Ive researched more than twenty-five of my maternal and paternal Irish lines as well as several Scottish ones. Ive also assisted friends and family members with ancestry research in Austria, Canada, England, Germany, Hungary, and the US. Besides conducting online research, I have visited numerous historical archives, traipsed through hundreds of cemeteries (many now situated in sheep-filled fields), and located several family homesteads.

In 2018, I began writing a genealogy column for my monthly author newsletter about my personal research experiences. Because I was writing articles faster than I was publishing newsletters, I decided to compile them into a book. Genealogy Tips and Quips includes:

• twenty-five newsletter articles

• twenty-five brand-new articles

• a case study about how a paternal DNA test revealed my familys royal lineage and my quest to uncover our family secrets

• an extensive case study on tracing my most difficult family line

Be prepared for a lot of unexpected twists and turns as I share my mistakes, lessons learned, and tips for getting to the roots of your family tree!

Genealogy Tips & Quips

Eliza Watson

GENEALOGY TIPS & QUIPS
Copyright 2020 by Elizabeth Watson

All rights reserved by author.
Interior formatting by Joan Frantschuk at Woven Red Author Services, www.WovenRed.ca

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Elizabeth Watson.

ISBN ebook: 978-1-950786-02-2
ISBN print book: 978-1-950786-03-9

NONFICTION

Genealogy Tips & Quips

FICTION

A Mags and Biddy Genealogy Mystery Series
How to Fake an Irish Wake (Book 1)

The Travel Mishaps of Caity Shaw Series
Flying by the Seat of My Knickers (Book 1)
Up the Seine Without a Paddle (Book 2)
My Christmas Goose Is Almost Cooked (Book 3)
My Wanderlust Bites the Dust (Book 4)
Live to Fly Another Day (Book 5)
When in Doubt Dont Chicken Out (Book 6)

Other Womens Fiction Books
Kissing My Old Life Au Revoir

Writing Romance as Eliza Watson
Identity Crisis
Under Her Spell
Til Death Do Us Part

Writing Young Adult as Beth Watson
Getting a Life, Even If Youre Dead

To Jane Dalya brilliant genealogist and mentor
Without your assistance, Id still be wandering through Irelands cemeteries searching for ancestry clues.

Thanks a mil!

Genealogy Tips & Quips would never have been written if it werent for my courageous Irish and Scottish ancestors, who immigrated to America and Canada. My longing to discover their untold stories became a major turning point in my life, leading me to their homeland and down an unexpected path. Im grateful to my parents, Doug and Judy Watson (ne Flannery), for sharing my interest in our family heritage. I will forever cherish the memories of our journeys to Ireland and Scotland. Thank you to my living Irish rellies and friends for making all my visits so memorable: Charlotte, Peter, Alexander, and Ivan Molloy; Bernard and Nuala Bolger; Patrick, Geraldine, and Alison Flannery; Joyce, William, and Patricia Fullerton; and Des, Mags, and Darragh Carter.

Thanks to my husband, Mark, and all my friends and family for believing in this project. And also for understanding my obsession, er, passion for genealogy. Nikki Ford and Judy Watson for your in-depth feedback. To beta readers Lori Lynch, Aileen OConnell, Kyleigh Twaroski, Sandra Watson, and Penny Wolberg. To Chrissy Wolfe for editing and proofreading the book. And to Joan Frantschuk at Woven Red Author Services for your guidance with my first nonfiction endeavor and for a flawless interior format. Thanks to you ladies, I was able to publish this book with confidence.

And to the many ancestors I have yet to find. Dont worry, one day I will choose the correct path that leads to you. When I do, you will never be forgotten.

Table of Contents

List of Figures

I have fond childhood memories of spending Christmastime with relatives in my parents hometown in southwestern Wisconsin. A houseful of my moms relations would gather at my grandma Flannerys or my aunt Susies. The men would catch up over a beer and a game of Euchre while the women enjoyed coffee and desserts. Everyone was too busy to notice us kids sneaking sodas and homemade holiday treats. On a sugar high, my cousins and I would run around playing until we were forced to snuggle into our sleeping bags on the living room floor and rest up for the next days activities. I was always sad to leave, knowing we wouldnt make the three-hour journey back to Grandmas until summer, when we often attended large family reunions. The perfect opportunity to sit and chat with my elderly relativesborn in the late 1800sabout our family history and folklore. Oh, how I wish I had. If only I could go back in time...

My mom comes from a large, close-knit Irish family, yet little family history was passed down. Thankfully, a few embellished stories about our emigrant ancestors have held on through the generations, which Ill share later. My dad, an only child, had numerous relatives on his mothers Norwegian side, but the only Watson hed known was his father. My grandpa Watson had no family history knowledge, having been estranged from his father at a young age. When I began researching the Watsons, all I knew was my great-grandpa James Watson had supposedly been a steamfitter in Chicago. Our surname sounded English, like the famous Sherlock Holmes and Watson, so Id assumed my research would lead to England. In 2007, on my first trip to Ireland with my parents, wed had no idea my dad had Irish ancestry, as well as Scottish, but very little English.

Since that trip, Ive researched more than twenty-five of my maternal and paternal Irish lines along with several Scottish ones. Ive also assisted dozens of friends and family members with ancestry research in Austria, Canada, England, Germany, Hungary, and the US. Besides conducting online research, I have visited numerous historical archives, traipsed through hundreds of cemeteries (many now situated in sheep-filled fields), and located several family homesteads.

Im not a professional genealogist. I merely play one via the fictional characters in my books. Im fortunate to be able to combine my two greatest passions, writing and genealogy. In 2016, I began writing a womens fiction series, The Travel Mishaps of Caity Shaw, inspired by my travels as an event planner. A genealogy mystery threaded through the series grew stronger with each book. I enjoyed the genealogy aspect so much that i n 2018 I began sharing my research experiences in my author newsletter. Readers often reached out to thank me for the tips and to share their own family research adventures. This bolstered my enthusiasm, and before long, I was writing tips faster than I was publishing newsletters. I decided to compile the tips into this book with the hope of helping others with their ancestry research.