Author Archives: Lorelle VanFossen

About Lorelle VanFossen

Lorelle VanFossen hosts Family History Blog covering her ancestors and related family members. She is one of the top bloggers in the world, and host of the Lorelle on WordPress, providing WordPress and blogging tips for bloggers of all levels. A popular keynote speaker and trainer, she is also editor, producer, contributor, and official disruptive thinker for Bitwire Media which includes WordCast, Making My Life Network, Stories of Our Journeys, Life on the Road, WordCast Conversations, and the very popular WordCast Podcast.

Otto Anderson (1870-1916)

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Lorelle VanFossen

Otto Anderson (1870-1916) was a surprising find in my Anderson lineage, a successful businessman well-known and respected in his community. We’re still researching information about him, but I’ve found enough to help us paint the picture of my not-so-distant relative, … Continue reading →


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DesRochers Annual Family Christmas Party 2009

Posted on January 15, 2010 by Lorelle VanFossen

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How Do You Represent Religion in Your GEDCOM Records?

Posted on March 27, 2007 by Lorelle VanFossen

In a fascinating discussion on soc.genealogy.computing’s mailing list, the issue of how religion is represented in GEDCOM 5.5’s RELI token. The question was whether or not there was a standardized value or list to use to represent the religion. The … Continue reading →


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How Far Will You Go To Dig Into Your Family History?

Posted on March 25, 2007 by Lorelle VanFossen

Boston 1775 offers “Washington’s Hanukkah: An Oral Tradition”, researching the historical evidence of General George Washington learning about Jewish traditions. In his recent picture book Hanukkah at Valley Forge, Stephen Krensky gives a main source for his story of Gen. … Continue reading →


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Web 2.5: DNA Social Networking

Posted on March 23, 2007 by Lorelle VanFossen

According to The Globe and Mail Technology, the hottest trend in online social networking is genealogy, but not genealogy as you might imagine. This is a far cry from your family history blog. Rather than exchanging photos, music and cellphone … Continue reading →


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Move Your Genealogy Blog Into the 21st Century With Site Feeds

Posted on March 20, 2007 by Lorelle VanFossen

The Society of Genealogists in the UK has finally added a feed to their website. They join a growing rank of family history, genealogical societies, clubs, groups, and services finally getting onto the feed band wagon. Some of the most … Continue reading →


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Finding Ancestors Thrills: Arab Royalty With European Genes

Posted on March 19, 2007 by Lorelle VanFossen

The thrill of identifying an ancestor is always exciting in family history research. Sometimes it’s a predictable find (Norwegians finding Norwegians in their past), and sometimes unpredictable (Norwegians finding Africans in their past). Then there are truly “shocking” and yet … Continue reading →


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Uncovering the Myths and Truths in Our Family Tree

Posted on March 9, 2007 by Lorelle VanFossen

In Columbus Colonists’ Despair Revealed (print version) from Discovery News, it appears to be confirmed that Columbus faked the wealth of his discovery of the new world. The first silver ever extracted from coarser materials by Europeans in the New … Continue reading →


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Library and Archives of Canada offers Oral Histories of the First World War

Posted on February 28, 2007 by Lorelle VanFossen

The Library and Archives of Canada have Oral Histories of the First World War: Veterans 1914-1918 online exhibition and resources. Library and Archives Canada (LAC), in partnership with Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), presents Oral … Continue reading →


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How Would You Use a Timeline on Your Family History Blog?

Posted on February 27, 2007 by Lorelle VanFossen

Dan Lawyer has been talking about Timelines for displaying on your family history site or blog. One of the focus areas for some prototyping we plan to do in the near future is an effort to allow users to explore … Continue reading →


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