When Friends Become Family: The Elissavitis Siblings of Kokkari

When Friends Become Family: The Elissavitis Siblings of Kokkari

The deep friendship between the Elissavitis and Halvangis families that began in Kokkari in Samos, Greece spanned two countries and many decades. Here is the story of how from friends they became family.

The Psychogenealogist Pic of the Week (#70) - A Stunning Early 1900s Photograph by Kuebler

The Psychogenealogist Pic of the Week (#70) - A Stunning Early 1900s Photograph by Kuebler

Here is a stunning early 1900s cabinet card photograph of a bespectacled middle aged woman with a confident stare. The photographer was Kuebler of 1210 Chestnut St. in Philadelphia, PA.

From Samos, Greece to Detroit By Way of The Themistocles: Constantinos "Gust" Halvangis (1886-1928)

From Samos, Greece to Detroit By Way of The Themistocles: Constantinos "Gust" Halvangis (1886-1928)

The story of my 2nd great uncle, what little I know, from Samos, Greece to Detroit. He travelled on The Themistocles in 1915. Can you help me find the rest of his story?

The Psychogenealogist Pic of the Week (#69) - Ethel Rosemon Gets Catskills Greeting from Rip Van Winkle (1906)

The Psychogenealogist Pic of the Week (#69) - Ethel Rosemon Gets Catskills Greeting from Rip Van Winkle (1906)

Ethel Rosemon receives a postcard from the Catskills in 1906. Who is she? What is her story? And what is left to learn?

A War Ends and a Mother Dies as a Life Begins: Thomas Bernard Costlow (1865-1943)

A War Ends and a Mother Dies as a Life Begins: Thomas Bernard Costlow (1865-1943)

"Uncle Tom Costlow" was born in turbulent times. He was born the day before the U.S. Civil War ended. His mother died two weeks later. This is his story.

The Psychogenealogist Pic of the Week (#68) - 1950s Summer

The Psychogenealogist Pic of the Week (#68) - 1950s Summer

Here's a delightful, smile inducing, Kodachrome photo slide of a toddler enjoying a 1950s summer. Take a look! 

Making Kuchen, Bread, and Wickelklöße With a Smile: Martha Zenner Muenzel (1868-1960)

Making Kuchen, Bread, and Wickelklöße With a Smile: Martha Zenner Muenzel (1868-1960)

By all accounts Martha Zenner Muenzel (1868-1960) was a wonderful German cook. Some of her specialities were Kucken and Wickelklöße. She was likely my 1st cousin 4x removed. The is her story.   

Pic of the Week (#67) - "Mareley and Tillman Drug Co." 1890

Pic of the Week (#67) - "Mareley and Tillman Drug Co." 1890

Here is an 1890 photograph of several man and a few boys standing in store front, possibly the "Mareley and Tillman Drug Co." Can you help me find this photo's story?

Three Year Old Franciszka Pawlowska (1913-1915) Dies of Diphtheria in Detroit

Three Year Old Franciszka Pawlowska (1913-1915) Dies of Diphtheria in Detroit

Franciszka Pawlowska (1913-1915) was the 5th of 10 children by my great grandparents, Adam Pawlowski (1879-1959) and Marianna Grzeskowiak Pawlowski (1879-1941). She died of diphtheria in 1915. This is his story. 

The Psychogenealogist Pic of the Week (#66) - "I am very weak, wood is very expensive and hard to find."

The Psychogenealogist Pic of the Week (#66) - "I am very weak, wood is very expensive and hard to find."

A grandmother writes to her family, perhaps for the last time, in 1931.

From Pew to Bar and Back Again: John "Jack" Hanley (1885-1946)

From Pew to Bar and Back Again: John "Jack" Hanley (1885-1946)

Whether praying in the pews or tending the family bar, John "Jack" Hanley (1885-1946) was a man of faith and familial duty. This is his story.  

 

The Psychogenealogist Pic of the Week (#65)

The Psychogenealogist Pic of the Week (#65)

Two real men sitting with two fake woman in "Ghost Town Calif." The girl does not seem too pleased. 

Paraskevi Tsardoulias (1925-1945) and the "Εθνική Οργάνωσις Νεολαίας" of Greece

Paraskevi Tsardoulias (1925-1945) and the "Εθνική Οργάνωσις Νεολαίας" of Greece

This is Paraskevi Tsardoulias (Παρασκευή Τσαρδούλιας). She is my 1st cousin 2x removed. She was a member of the Εθνική Οργάνωσις Νεολαίας, a National Youth Organization of Greece. This is what I know of her story.  

 

The Psychogenealogist Pic of the Week (#64)

The Psychogenealogist Pic of the Week (#64)

A late 1800s or early 1900s group photo with some interesting closeups of neat details. Which is your favorite?

"Girl, 4, Is Witness to Murder" - Dolores Urkowski (1930-1978)

"Girl, 4, Is Witness to Murder" - Dolores Urkowski (1930-1978)

Dolores Urkowski is my 2nd cousin once removed. Tragically, she witnessed the murder of her 20 year old nursemaid, Jennie Zablocki, in 1933. This is what I know of the story.

“Everybody Works But Father” - Pic of the Week (#63)

“Everybody Works But Father” - Pic of the Week (#63)

"Everybody Works But Father" - A 1907 postcard sent to Mrs. K.F. Way of Painesville, Ohio.

Stanley Puchalski (1914-1992) Bowls Perfect 300 Game in 1951: Solves Genealogy Mystery

Stanley Puchalski (1914-1992) Bowls Perfect 300 Game in 1951: Solves Genealogy Mystery

On December 26th, 1951 Stanley Puchalski (1914-1951), my 1st cousin 2x removed, bowled a perfect 300 game in Detroit, MI. Learn how this discovery connected me to a new branch of my family tree. 

 

The Psychogenealogist Pic of the Week (#62)

The Psychogenealogist Pic of the Week (#62)

A Toast to ye Landlord (postcard 1912) -  "May you always have some money - Left from the money you have spent - To greet your landlord with a sneer - When he comes calling for the rent."

Adoptive Fathers in Your Family Tree - John Alfred Sears (1860-1951)

Adoptive Fathers in Your Family Tree - John Alfred Sears (1860-1951)

Learning about the adoptive fathers in your family tree can help you tell your ancestral story. Here is the story of an adoptive father in my tree, John Alfred Sears (1860-1951).

 

The Psychogenealogist Pic of the Week (#61)

The Psychogenealogist Pic of the Week (#61)

"THEY WANT ME TO STAY THE WORST WAY" - A postcard sent to David Moe Pickens (1888-1975) of Leipsic, Ohio in 1911. Can you help me find his family?