#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.

#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.

#71: Side-By-Side Sunday | Elizabeth Bonar and Charles Soltis

Side-By-Side Sunday:

Charles Soltis and Elizabeth Bonar

For this week's post, I am introducing a new prompt: Side-by-Side Sunday. In family history, we often look for the threads that bind us together, but sometimes the most revealing stories are found in the spaces where we drifted apart. For this inaugural Side-by-Side Sunday, I am laying out the final records of my great-grandparents. By placing their death certificates and their shared headstone next to one another, we see a vivid picture of two people who shared a homeland and a family, yet ended their journeys in very different worlds.

#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.

#51 - I’d Like to Meet: Elizabeth Bonar Soltis

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2023-01)

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 week of January 1 is “I’d Like to Meet" so let me introduce you to my great-grandmother Elizabeth Bonar Soltis.

#42: Those Places Thursday #1 - Mining Towns of Washington State

Black Diamond and Ronald Washington

"Those Places Thursday" is a genealogy blogging prompt that allows writers to write about the places that their family lived in.  In my inaugural use of this prompt, I'm going to write about the mining towns of Black Diamond and Ronald Washington.  

Charles William (Soltis) Summers - North Merrick Fire Department

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2020 - 15)

My family has a long history with Fire Departments.  Here is just one of those stories...

Photo Credit: Mark Barone, longislandfiretrucks.com.

Charles William (Soltis) Summers - Mechanic

On February 23, 1893, Rudolf Diesel received a patent in Germany for the engine that bears his name. The diesel engine burns fuel oil rather than gasoline and is used in trucks and heavy industrial machinery.  The anniversary of the invention of the Diesel engine is the inspiration for this week's family history post.

Charles William (Soltis) Summers (April 2, 1906 - January 29, 2002) first enlisted in the Army in New York City on February 2, 1924 at the age of 17.  At the time, he lied about his birth year in order to enlist and said he was born in 1904.   "I was sent to Mitchell Field on Long Island, New York.  Then I was sent back to Ohio for mechanics training."[1]  He graduated from Air Corps Tech School on February 5, 1926.  This was the beginning of Charles' long career with mechanics.  After being trained in Ohio, he was transferred back to Mitchell Field and became part of the First Observation Squadron.  At this time, the U. S. Air Force had not yet been formed.  He was part of the Air Service which later became the U.S. Army Air Corps on July 2, 1926.  He was a mechanic at Mitchell Field until being discharged on February 1, 1927.