ROOTS & BRANCHES

The generations living today are undoubtedly the most documented people “in” history. Well, at least for the moment, but not necessarily “for” history. Of course, I’m thinking about the ubiquitous “lunch shots” posted on Facebook but, seriously, is there anyone who doesn’t have a question they’d like to ask of a deceased friend or relative? …

A few years into my genealogical journey that began 30-something years ago, I had the false confidence of the average 20-something of thinking that I probably had a pretty handle on genealogical and historical knowledge. It’s only now from my 50-something perspective that I finally feel as if I’m getting a better handle on how …

This is the 1,000th weekly “Roots & Branches” column. If you do the math, you’ll figure out that this also means the column is entering its 20th years of publication in various newspapers. That 20-years mark brought to mind a 2013 article from the online magazine The Verge that was evocatively titled “Who am I? …

I’ve heard folkways involving what you eat called “foodways.” And as someone who definitely lives by my stomach, the foodways of my youth take on some extra importance. Of course, whee I talk about “the food of my youth,” the first thing that should be said is that I was widely said to be “sneaky,” …