Dia de los Muertos

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Kobe, Japan. 12 Mar 2019.

Research Progress November 2026

October was a slow month for my family history research. I had a lengthy trip to Asia via Los Angeles, and primary obligations led the way leaving little additional spare time for research.  Last month's update is here. For November, I am hoping kick start work on some of those long time questions:

1. Portillo DNA matches and the mystery Guerrero-Leyvas
2. Amado DNA matches and continuing the build on the genetic map of the Amados
3. Campuzano YDNA

I'm currently reading Hunger and Hope by Christine Kinealy, Jason King and Mark G. McGowan. This is a book on the Irish famine migration from Strokestown, Roscommon in 1847. Thomas and Timothy Hanley, brothers of my 4th-great-grandmother Maria Hanley, were part of that famine migration group who made their way to Quebec in 1847. I'm in the process of learning more about their journey and am hoping to share more on their stories in November.

Under the palm trees

Photo by Patrick Jones. Bali. 15 Oct 2026.

 

City Directories update on Ancestry

Ancestry has added 1.37 million records to its US City Directories collection, according to a Facebook post today. The collection spans the years 1822-1999. Taking a quick look, I see a new to me entries:

Ancestry. City Directories. Sioux City, 1894.

Above is an entry in Sioux City, Iowa from 1894, showing Agnes Atherton O'Brien, performing at the Theater Comique. I've previously seen news articles mentioning Agnes in Sioux City from that year, but this confirms her extended stay. 

Cine Con Cultura

A proud Dad moment with S prominently featured in this article on the Cine Con Cultura film festival that concluded last week in Ithaca, NY. The festival ran 14 Sept-21 October for Hispanic Heritage Month. 2026 marked the 12th anniversary of the film festival. She has a great quote at the end of the article, and it's super cool to see this.