Maybe I have too much time on my hands. One of the projects I was working on this week involved finding the ancestry of my dad’s best friend, Cleve Henry. One of my middle names — Cleve — is after this guy. He and my dad were cowboys together in the glory days of their…
Category: Genealogy
The Search for Thomas Place
When I first began researching my Place ancestors, I concluded Brig. Gen. Solomon Place was our direct ancestor. Cousins had reached the same conclusion; it seemed to be a family tradition. But years later, it became clear we were mistaken. It was just wishful thinking. And it was easy to demonstrate our mistake with just…
Brig. Gen. Solomon Place — A Biographical Sketch
Introduction Brigadier General Solomon Place (1770–1834) holds a distinct place in the history of early nineteenth-century upstate New York. A prosperous citizen of Greenwich and a career militia officer during the War of 1812, Solomon’s life is well documented through public records and a family Bible record penned in his own hand. Although family lore…
George Washington
When I was growing up my bedside lamp was a antique copper cast of George Washington praying before the Battle of Valley Forge. My grandfather and great grandfather were George Washington Place, Jr. and George Washington Place, Sr. A family tradition, now disproved, says my ancestor was Brig. Gen. Solomon Place (War of 1812), who was (they say) made a…
Excavating Identity
I get edgy when I think someone is too attached to a theory. They’re all theories in my book, some with better evidence than others. And, so often we as genealogists go through struggles about evidence and conclusions when someone really wants a particular result. “Humans add narrativium [“narrative causality”] to their world. They insist…