Before there were colonies, before there was even a country called America, there were people who made a choice that would echo for centuries. They left behind stone cottages and hedgerows, trading the familiar bells of England for the uncertain silence of the sea.

This is one family's story told through the letters they left behind.

The Clarkes were ordinary people—craftsmen, parents, believers—who joined thousands of others sailing westward in search of a life free from fear and full of promise.

Their words, preserved across generations, reveal not just the hardships of their voyage but the hope that carried them...

Podcast notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/the-journey-from-england/

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If your family has lived in North America for more than a few generations, chances are that part of your story began in England. For centuries, English men and women boarded ships that sailed toward an uncertain horizon, leaving behind familiar fields and cathedrals for a world they knew only through rumor and prayer.

To trace English ancestry is to follow the roots of early America itself. The language we speak, the laws we live under, and even the shape of our small towns carry the fingerprints of those who crossed the Atlantic centuries ago. But their story is not abstract history—it's the story of people like us, who dreamed of something better and faced the fear of never going home...

Podcast notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/do-you-have-english-ancestry/

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November is the perfect month to dig deeper into your family's past and turn history into something you can see, taste, and share. As the days grow shorter and the holidays draw near, it's a natural time to reflect on where we came from and how our traditions began. These ten genealogy projects will help you connect with your ancestors in creative ways—from recreating their Thanksgiving tables to recording the voices of loved ones whose memories keep your family story alive...

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The fields around Kassel shimmered in the summer light, the scent of rye and damp earth thick in the air. Johann Müller paused his plow horse and wiped his brow. His father's land had been small when he inherited it. Now, after decades of division among brothers and cousins, it was barely large enough to feed his family.

"Land doesn't grow, Johann," his wife, Greta, said one night as they sat beside the hearth. "But our children do."

She was right. Their eldest, Matthias, was almost eighteen, with no land and no trade to inherit. The soil was tired. Taxes were heavy. And across Germany, revolution and unrest were spreading like a fever.

Johann's grandfather had once told stories of cousins who had gone to America, where the soil was rich and a man could own what he worked. Those stories had sounded like fairy tales when Johann was a boy. Now, they sounded like survival...

Podcast notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/the-journey-from-germany/

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The story of German immigration to America is one of the great migrations in modern history. Over five million people left the German-speaking lands between the early 1700s and the early 1900s, crossing oceans in search of freedom, work, and land. Many of their descendants live across the United States today, sometimes aware of those roots, sometimes not. If you have ever wondered whether your own family might trace back to Germany, the clues are often closer than you think...

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The wind had turned sharp over the fields of County Clare. It carried the sour smell of rot—the smell of potatoes dying in the ground. Every family in Kilfenora knew that scent by now. It had haunted them for two years, and it had come back again, crueler than before.

Sean O'Callaghan knelt in the furrows, turning one blackened plant after another. The stalks came apart like wet paper. There was no good food left, just the gray mush that told him the blight had found them again. His wife Brigid stood at the edge of the field, her shawl pulled tight, the wind lifting the edges. She didn't need to ask what he'd found.

Behind her, the cottage leaned in the rain. Their children watched from the doorway—Maeve, seventeen, sharp-eyed and restless, and her little brother Declan, who hadn't known a full belly in a year.

"We'll not live through another winter here," Sean said, his voice low.

Brigid looked toward the sea. "Then we must go where there is bread."

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Do you have Irish ancestry in your family? You might be surprised how often the answer is yes. Roughly one in ten Americans can trace at least part of their lineage to Ireland, making Irish ancestry one of the most common ethnic roots in the United States. The Irish story in America is one of resilience, hope, and faith, shaped by both hardship and triumph. To understand it fully, you must travel backward through history—across famine, emigration, and the unbreakable pull of home—and learn how to find proof of your own family's connection...

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Every year on October 31, children walk door to door collecting candy while wearing costumes. The custom feels old and familiar, but it has a real history. Trick or treat did not appear overnight. It grew slowly, shaped by the lives and traditions of many families who came to America from other countries.

For genealogists, this story adds helpful background to family history. It helps date family photos, record memories, and understand how communities changed over time. This article traces trick-or-treating from its earliest roots to how families still enjoy it today...

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