#89: A Record I Want to Understand Better | 1920 US Census for Elizabeth Sulki

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2026-29): A Source I Want to Understand Better

The weekly prompt is provided by www.amyjohnsoncrow.com. The prompt for the week of July 13 is "A Source I Want to Understand Better." While Amy Johnson Crow provides a prompt, she understands that people will interpret it in many different ways. I have chosen to interpret a "source" as the specific document used to prove a fact, rather than a broader collection. For this week's post, I am going to get a better understanding of the 1920 U.S. Census for Elizabeth Sulki in the Borough of Brooklyn, Kings County, New York.

This 1920 Census entry serves as the "fingerprint" of the family after they fled Washington. While the surname is recorded as "Sulki," the seven sons listed confirm the identity of the family.

#86: A Hard Choice | Alice Lorensen

#86: A Hard Choice | Alice Lorensen

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2026-26): A Hard Choice
The weekly prompt is provided by www.amyjohnsoncrow.com. The prompt for the week of June 22 is "A Hard Choice."

#85: Maternal Monday: Mary Schmoker (1834–1895)

Maternal Monday: Mary Schmoker (1834–1895)

#81: Tombstone Tuesday #4 | Rudolf Soltis

As genealogists, we are often left to piece together the final chapters of our ancestors' lives through a scattered trail of ink and paper. Sometimes, those records don't just tell us where someone lived—they reveal a dramatic, heartbreaking story of risk, transition, and a family's final show of deep respect. For Rudolf Soltis, a span of just six years captured by federal and local records tells a story of hard labor, transition, and a final, permanent resting place that speaks volumes about his character and work ethic.

#77: Tradition | Ole (Lauritsen) Lorensen

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2026-18): Tradition

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 April 27 is "Tradition"

The Vanguard of a New Identity: Ole (Lauritsen) Lorensen

Tradition often suggests staying put—carrying on the customs, names, and lands of those who came before. But for my great-granduncle, Ole Lorensen, "tradition" was something he both carried with him and consciously reshaped. Born in Norway at a time when resources were scarce and farms were small, he became the catalyst for a generational shift that would eventually bring six of seven siblings to American shores.

#76: A Year of Change | 1904-1905 Caroline "Lena" Schmitz

A Year of Change: Caroline "Lena" Schmitz (1904–1905)

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 this week (2026-17) is "Working for a Living" and I'm covering the early work of my great-grandmother Caroline "Lena" Schmitz who was born December 18, 1888, to Peter Schmitz and Catharine Pirron in New York City. For this week's blog post, I am focusing on a "Year of Change" for Lena, covering a pivotal window in her young adult life.

#75: "A Quiet Life" No More: Resurrecting Susan F. Moody

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2026-16)

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 April 13 is "A Quiet Life." I decided to interpret this prompt to highlight the "Quiet Life" of my wife’s great-great-grandmother, Susan F. Moody.

#72: A Brickwall Revisited

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2026-15)

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 March 30 is "A Brickwall Revisited."

#70: The Soil and the Salesman: Sidney D. Rogers’ Agricultural Journey

National Agriculture Week: The Seasons of Sidney David Rogers

This week, as we observe National Agriculture Week, I am looking closer at the life of Sidney D. Rogers (1865–1924). His records illustrate the grit required to sustain a family in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Sidney’s relationship with the land was one of lifelong labor, beginning in the wake of family loss and ending with a surprising professional shift in his final years.

#64: Thomas Archer Davidson Birthday Celebration and Biographical Sketch

Biographical Sketch: Davidson, Thomas Archer (1850–1924)

Thomas Archer Davidson was born on February 15, 1850, in Buckingham County, Virginia. He was the son of Joseph Cornelious Davidson and Vitula Sandridge. While his official death certificate recorded his birth as February 14, his family records and traditions maintained he was born on February 15, a date that persists in family history despite the official record.

#63: Layering the Pigment—The Widow’s Tax and Brotherly Bonds

Halifax Hues #2: Layering the Pigment—The Widow’s Tax and Brotherly Bonds

In my last post, I shared my "Theory in Progress": the hunch that my wife’s ancestor, Daniel Epps, was the brother of William Epps, making them both sons of the Revolutionary War veteran Moses Epps. Proving a connection in early 19th-century Virginia often requires looking at who lived next door to whom. Since I lacked a birth register entry, I turned to the Halifax County Tax Lists and Census Records to see if these men occupied the same physical and legal space.

#62: The Ohioans! | Abraham Miller: What the Census Suggests

The Ohioans! | Abraham Miller

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2026-07)

Henry Miller (abt 1806-1883) was a long-standing brick wall in my wife’s ancestry. I originally began my “The Ohioans!” series with a post about Henry and “The Land” they lived and were buried on. However, while researching for the 52 Ancestors prompt “What the Census Suggests,” I discovered documented histories that I had missed back in 2020.

#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.

#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.

#53: The Travels of Joseph & Vitula Davidson

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2025–28)

From Buckingham to the Banks of the James: The Travels of Joseph & Vitula Davidson

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 July 7 is "Travel".

#33 - Legendary: Ole Torsen

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2021-02)

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 beginning January 10 is Family Legend.  In her email to introduce the theme, Amy provides some inspiration, and I took from it her message: "Perhaps you have an ancestor who was legendary (or should have been)."

So for this week's blog entry, I'm writing about Ole Torsen since he should be legendary because he is my oldest documented paternal ancestor.  Ole is my 5th-Great Grandfather.   He appears in the 1801 Norwegian Census for Trøgstad, Østfold county.