Sunday, May 3, 2026

This Week On My Family History Calendar-Remembering Mimi

May 3~
This day marks the 112th anniversary of the marriage of my paternal great-grandparents, John McSwain Hudson (1880-1961) and Louvinia Blanche (Thames) Hudson (1886-1918). John was 34 and Blanche 28 when they married in Manning, Clarendon, South Carolina.
Marriage Announcement
John and Blanche Hudson
Manning Times (Manning, SC)
9 May 1914

May 5~
My paternal grandmother, Mary (Baker) Hudson (1920-2010), was born 106 years ago in Columbia, Richland, South Carolina. Mary was raised by her maternal grandparents and learned later in life that she was the biological daughter of Jubal Ransom Early (1888-1964) and Emma Ruth (Baker) Early (1901-1993). She never legally used the surname Early.

Happy Birthday, Mimi! You are missed.

Mary (Baker) Hudson
1920-2010

May 9~
Thomas Phillip Roberts (1830-1883), my maternal 3rd great-grandfather, died 133 years ago on this day in Richland County, South Carolina. He was buried in Brown's Chapel Cemetery.

Thomas Phillip Roberts
Headstone
Brown's Chapel Cemetery
Richland County, South Carolina
photo credit: Jim Hepler

Who are you remembering this week?

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Helping you climb your family tree,

Celebration Sunday-Genealogy Happy Dance!- Finding Jainey

You know the dance. You know you've done it. The one every researcher does after finding something new. The one where you want to jump up and down and shout to everyone that you found the document, contacted a cousin with the family Bible, made a DNA connection, or found a new branch to your tree. The one that is met with glazed stares and eye rolls.

Celebration Sunday is a place to share your discoveries.

This weekly series enables everyone to tell about their Genealogy Happy Dance moment.

Share by scrolling

down and add your story to the comments section, or you may also put a link to a blog post telling about what had you dancing this week.

My Happy Dance Moment for the week:

This photo was in a scrapbook owned by my maternal grandmother's sister. She let me take photos of the images. Under this photo, she had written, Jainey, Etta, Amos, Thomas, and Charles. I knew Etta, my maternal great-grandmother, and the boys. The names are those of her brother George's sons. But I had no idea who Jainey was. When I asked my great aunt, she told me Jainey was another of the children that her grandfather, William A. McManus, took into his home. The only reference I could find was a letter that William wrote to his daughter, Etta, in 1914. In it, he mentioned Jainey. Other than that, that is all I knew about her.

Until this week, when documents through Full Text Search led me to her identity and how she fit into the family. Janiey was Jane (McRady) McManus. A double cousin. Her parents died when she was young, so it is likely that the story of her coming to live with William at some point is most likely true.

One mystery solved, but there is another in this photo. Those boys? Are they the three boys of George McManus? Amos died in 1902, and Charles was born in 1903. Perhaps Charles's birth date is off, but all his records state he was born in 1903. As for Amos? His death in 1902 is recorded in a newspaper announcement. How could they be in a photo together? Hoping to solve this one day!

What was your happy dance moment?

Share your Happy Dance Moment for the week, and let's celebrate together!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Helping you climb your family tree,

Wednesday, April 29, 2026

GenFriends Genealogy Chat Show: Talking DNA

DNA can change everything. In this episode of GenFriends, the panel, Jenny Hawran, Shelley Murphy, Mary Kircher Roddy, and I share the DNA projects we’re working on, Jenny’s continuing journey after discovering an unexpected NPE, and the honest realities of taking a DNA test.

Watch our conversation and let us know which DNA projects you are working on.