ROOTS & BRANCHES

It always great to hear from engaging “Roots & Branches” readers such as Thomas R. Liszka, who’s an associate professor emeritus of English for Penn State Altoona.He pinged my in box recently with a question on the column published a couple of weeks ago in which I talked about my visit the Leesport Area Historical …

Ever read a book that you feel you need to recommend in spite of—or even because of—its flaws? Well, that’s the way I feel about Karin Wulf’s book Lineage. The author and her book were put on my radar screen when Wulf appeared at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia last month. She’s the …

Who’s heard the one about the traveler who’s spent time all around the world … but neglected to see what’s in his or her own backyard?Well, that’s the way I felt last month when I had the occasion to speak at the Leesport Area Historical Society, in the borough of Leesport in Berks County.As in …

It was when the late, great Federation of Genealogical Societies conference was in Pittsburgh in 2017 that I met David Hill.Since then we’ve bumped into each other at a few conferences and stay in touch on Facebook and I daresay have become friends. My admiration for him has grown since he’s a genealogist who I’d …

As the end of summer approaches, genealogists have interesting opportunities to participate in the New York State Family History Conference. First, your “Roots & Branches” columnist’s mandatory “conflict of interest” statement: I’m going to be a speaker, both virtually and in person at this conference. Yes, I said “virtually and in person” because event sponsor …