Over the past few years, I have continued researching genealogy “in the background”, but homeschooling, moving in 2020, our co-op, household responsibilities, farm & animal care have taken up a lot of my time. I hope to post more, and consolidate a couple of my older genealogy blogs: Needham Family Genealogy & Potato Roots. Here are some long term genealogy projects that I am currently working on:
Irish genealogy ☘️
Land plotting with maps using Griffith’s valuation, historical maps, and modern mapping technology to identify landmarks and locations. John Grenham’s website has been very helpful. The above image shows numbered land plots which correspond with the Griffith’s valuation. This project has become more urgent with plans to visit Ireland (hopefully in 2027)! On April 18th 2026, the 1926 Ireland Census is going to be released to the public, so I am already working on my list of ancestors and relatives to look for.
Ireland baptism & marriage records. Thanks to the National Archives of Ireland and FamilySearch, many records for baptisms and marriages are available online. I have tracked down parishes that still exist and am hoping to visit and attend Mass in some of the churches that my direct ancestors were married and/or baptized in.
DNA 🧬
Mostly using AncestryDNA these days, but I have a GEDMatch account also, and have been in touch with some cousins in Ireland over the past couple of years. Through that we have broken a few brick walls and went back further than I ever thought possible through the paper trail. I try to keep up on DNA webinars and learning opportunities. AI technology is changing some of the methods already, so the industry is rapidly evolving. (AI is also speeding up transcribing records so incredibly fast.)
On the New England front: more land platting! This time involving deeds, wills, & old and new maps for overlaying. I am primarily focused on ancestors in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. I have been using Ancestry and FS for a lot of these records. It is extremely gratifying to find the very place where you know your ancestors spent their lives. Between that and finding their graves, those are honestly the most emotional experiences of researching for me.
DAR 🇺🇸
I joined the Daughters of the American Revolution in 2023 after many years researching my direct ancestor Peter Howe (sometimes spelled How) of NH, and have so enjoyed getting to know the ladies in the Mary Varnum-Platts Peterborough-Rindge chapter here in NH. A lot of efforts go into fundraising for local scholarships. Even more special was that my Mom joined with me! Our chapter meets monthly and has had some great speakers and discussions. I need to rack up some volunteer hours, so hoping to do some research for prospective members this year. With 2026 being the 250th anniversary of our country, it is an important and exciting milestone to celebrate our patriot ancestors.
Rootstech is March 4th-7th, so I will be glued to my screens, attending sessions virtually! It looks like many sessions are in person only this year, definitely tempting me to plan a trip for a future Rootstech conference. I wonder though, if it’s best to go for research at a different time when the library may not be as busy for research side quests. 🤔
Also in March I signed up for a multi week class from NEHGS on Irish Church & Civil record research. Hoping to get some tips, and maybe think of new stones I haven’t turned over yet. 🪨 In 2025, I was able to visit NEHGS and American Ancestors in Boston in person, and I hope to visit again soon for some library research and seeing the new exhibit on the ancestry of Pope Leo XIV.
Well, that post was long, but it is a summary of things I’ve been working on over a long period of time. Hoping to plan some cemetery & historical society visits this spring and summer to various locations in MA and NH, when the snow finally melts! Until then, classes and research will keep me busy in my spare time.
NH Family Genealogy 