#60: A Breakthrough Moment...I'm Still Searching For

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2026-05)

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is a series of weekly prompts to get you to think about an ancestor and share something about them. The weekly prompt is provided by www.amyjohnsoncrow.com. The prompt for the week of January 26 is "A Breakthrough Moment."  For this week’s prompt, I’m not writing about a brick wall I’ve already knocked down. Instead, I’m writing about the "Aha!" moment I am still searching for: the identity of my great-grandmother’s mysterious sister in Ohio.

#59: The Faded Sketch—A Grandmother’s Roadmap

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2026-04)

This post is part of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge hosted by Amy Johnson Crow. The prompt for Week 4 is "A Theory in Progress." What started as a simple attempt to bridge a gap in my wife's family tree quickly took on a life of its own. As I began to dig, the "theory" didn't just find proof—it found color. This has grown into a five-part series I'm calling Halifax Hues, where we move from a faded sketch to a vibrant, multi-generational portrait of this particular branch of the Epps family.

Every family has that one document—a hand-scribbled note, a faded letter, or a carefully typed list of names—that serves as the unofficial map of their history. For me, that map was a multi-page document titled "Ancestry of Charles Arthur Epps." It came to me from my wife’s grandmother, whom we called Grancie (Sarah Rogers Davidson). While the document was likely compiled by one of Charles’ children—one of Grancie's cousins—it functioned as the original, uncolored outline of our family tree.

(Note: Click here to view the original document)

#58: What the Story Means to Me - Josiah W. Bagby (1835-1913)

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2026-03)

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is a series of weekly prompts created by Amy Johnson Crow to encourage reflection on our ancestors’ lives. The prompt for the week of January 12 is “What the Story Means to Me,” so let me introduce you to Josiah W. Bagby.

Josiah W. Bagby’s life can be traced almost entirely through census records, which follow him from a rural farming community into the city of Richmond over the course of seventy years. Taken together, these records tell a story of mobility, skilled labor, and endurance across changing economic landscapes.

#57: An Olsen Record That Adds Color — Laurits Olsen

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2025-02)

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is a series of weekly prompts to get you to think about an ancestor and share something about them. The weekly prompt is provided by www.amyjohnsoncrow.com. The prompt for the week of January 5 is "A Record That Adds Color" so let me introduce you to Laurits Olsen.

#56: An Ancestor I Admire - Johann Phillip Kräher III

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2026-01)

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is a series of weekly prompts to get you to think about an ancestor and share something about them. The weekly prompt is provided by www.amyjohnsoncrow.com. The prompt for the first week of 2026 is "An Ancestor I Admire" so let me introduce you to my 3X great-uncle Johann Phillip Kräher III (1829–1911).