The Path Ahead: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt “Looking Ahead”

 2022 into 2023

 

Before I can really look ahead, I need to take a quick look back at 2022. I finished 56 blog posts—more than one a week! I also completed blog posts for each and every one of Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 prompts—the first time ever that I fulfilled that goal!

So what was the breakdown between the two sets of family trees among those 56 posts?

I completed thirty posts about my Peterson/Macbeth ancestors, on topics ranging from family photos and photos of horse teams to a lawsuit over an estate. I had some exciting “brick wall” breakthroughs. First, I confirmed my third great-grandfather Charles Macbeth’s parentage, and found his siblings. Second, I made huge strides in expanding my great-grandmother Ragnhild Olsdatter Syverson’s family tree, discovering that several Hanska area families descended from her nephews.

I completed twenty-six posts on the Aird/Jandy family tree blog. I made so many fascinating discoveries. I found a cemetery in Kentucky where all 43 graves are people on the family tree. I discovered an ancestor who is reputed to haunt a local Orange County canyon. I also learned how much information could be gleaned from death notices and death certificates, discovering the tragic toll of tuberculosis on one branch of the Smith family, and a mysterious murder on another branch.

I am eager to begin a new year of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. I have downloaded Amy Johnson Crow’s 2023 prompts, and I have already compiled a list of fascinating stories that I want to write about.

My only problem is that many of the stories I want to tell don’t match up with this year’s prompts. So what should I do?

I think I will use Amy’s prompts when it suits me, and make up my own when necessary. I don’t want to forget significant discoveries and fascinating tales just because they don’t fit Amy’s prompts. When I make a discovery and have all the documentation right in front of me, I’m going to write it up.

I believe I can do 52 blog posts again, although it may be difficult with a lot of other tasks ahead of me this year. However, I’m going to try. I’m having so much fun writing up my discoveries, so why stop?

Onward to new discoveries and new stories in 2023!