Helen Pauline Creger (1915-2012) - In Her Own Words

My Mom, Helen Pauline (Creger) Nielsen, lived a long, full life. We were blessed to have her with us until her death at the age of 96 on 18 June 2012. She is missed every day.

George Edgington I (1707-1791) - The Immigrant - Part Five: The Rest of the Story

George Edgington built a sizable farm on Dillon’s Run in the backcountry of western Virginia. Here his wife Margaret gave birth to their eight children. Six of those children would wed and start families of their own there. Despite such deep roots, George, Margaret, their children and grandchildren would all move away.

George Edgington I (1707-1791) - The Immigrant - Part Four: The Land Owner

We resume the story about George after he has returned home from having been captured by Indians and held by the French for three years during the early days of the French and Indians Wars. George and his wife Margaret have settled back into their lives. Soon they would welcome their sixth son, Jesse, in 1759, followed by daughters Hannah in 1760 and Jemima in 1765.

George Edgington I (1707-1791) - The Immigrant - Part Three: The Indian Years

George and Margaret Edgington left Philadelphia around 1743/44 for the western frontier of Virginia. They were likely part of a larger group of settlers that were heading to the region.

George Edgington I (1707-1791) - The Immigrant - Part Two: The Young American

Last month we determined that George likely arrived in America as a stowaway at the age of 14.  So, what happened to him next?

George Edgington I (1707-1791) - The Immigrant - Part One: The Stowaway

George Edgington's life reads like an adventure novel.  It is said that he arrived as a stowaway, lived as a frontiersman, was kidnapped and taken to Canada, his wife married another man, and he fought in a war.  But what, if any, of this true?  Join me as we take a deep dive into his life.

Louis J. Houlette (1764-1841) - The Immigrant - Post 1 Arrival?

I’ve been struggling with what I should write about in this first blog. As luck would have it, a new discovery simply cries out to be shared. Thus it is that I start with Louis J. Houlette, my 4x great-grandfather.

Introduction

John Robert and Helen Pauline (Creger) Nielsen, my parents, were the first genealogists in our family. While it began simply enough for them, it ultimately became the center of their retirement years. Never did they imagine that genealogy would take them back to the very beginning of our country, that they would work on it for over 30 years or that they would write a book that to this day is cited by today's genealogists.