Category Archives: Family Lines

Ancestor Sketch – Johann Jakob Huber (1850–1926)

Posted on June 3, 2026 by Don Taylor

For eleven years, Johann Jakob Huber stood behind an impenetrable brick wall. A single page from the BĂĽrger-Familienregister der Kirchgemeinde Stadel has shattered it. Now we know he was born 5 February 1850 in PfĂĽndlauf, ZĂĽrich — a farmer, a father of seven, and the man who kept all but one child from leaving Switzerland. Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestor Sketch, Darling-Huber, Brick Wall Ancestors, Censuses, Ancestor Features | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Amanda Taft Whitney (1798–1872): An Ancestor Sketch

Posted on May 17, 2026 by Don Taylor

Born in Massachusetts in 1798 and carried west as an infant by her migrating family, Amanda Taft Whitney spent her life in Broome County, New York — raising ten children and outliving most of her generation. Her story is unusually well-documented. Read on to meet a woman the census records refused to forget. Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestor Sketch, New York Genealogy, Family Lines, Massachusetts Genealogy, Roberts-Barnes, Geographic Genealogy, Ancestor Features | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ancestor Sketch – Anna Maria Dürst (1770–1858)

Posted on April 24, 2026 by Don Taylor

Anna Maria DĂĽrst was born in 1770 in Diesbach, Glarus, Switzerland — a mountain canton that would shape her world for nearly nine decades. She married Bernhard TrĂĽmpi in 1806 and raised a family in EnnetbĂĽhls. If Patrick Wild’s research holds, her ancestry may trace all the way back to Charlemagne. Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestor Sketch, Darling-Huber, Genealogy Research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Johann “John” Huber (1880–1948) & The Pfeinclauf Register

Posted on April 18, 2026 by Don Taylor

A newly examined Swiss Familienregister reveals the full family of Johann “John” Huber — Ancestor #14 in the Darling-Huber line — born 1880 in Windlach, Canton ZĂĽrich, and the son of farmer Johann Jakob Huber and Katharina NĂĽsslingen. Seven children, one emigrant, and two words in the remarks column: in Amerika. This sketch brings John’s Swiss origins into focus for the first time. Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestor Sketch, Darling-Huber, Ancestor Features | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Warren – Surname Saturday

Posted on February 28, 2026 by Don Taylor

My recent discovery that I likely descend from Richard Warren of the Mayflower opened an entirely new ancestral pathway. The Warren surname, of Norman-English origin, traces through Plymouth Colony and back into medieval England, with a purported connection to Charlemagne. This Surname Saturday explores the name’s origin, geographical distribution, and my documented Warren lineage from Mary (Warren) Bartlett to earlier de Warren ancestors. Continue reading →

Posted in Surname Saturday, Roberts-Barnes, Mayflower Ancestry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment