Category Archives: Roberts-Barnes

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 →

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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 →

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Lurancy Taft (1796-1870)

Posted on February 2, 2026 by Don Taylor

Luransa Taft (1796–1870), Ahnentafel #41, was the daughter of Asa Taft and Sarah Whitney and spent most of her life in Triangle, Broome County, New York. Married at seventeen to Luman Olmstead, she raised a large family and appears regularly in state and federal censuses. This profile confirms her maternal line and helps clarify confusion surrounding similarly named women in the Taft family. Continue reading →

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A Possible Mayflower Connection Through the Roberts Line

Posted on November 27, 2025 by Don Taylor

This Thanksgiving, I explored a newly discovered possibility that my Roberts line may connect to Richard Warren, a passenger on the Mayflower. Early generations of the line are well documented, and only three ancestor pairs remain to verify. If confirmed, this connection would link my family directly to one of Plymouth Colony’s earliest settlers. Continue reading →

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Tracing Reuben Sutherland – From Horseneck to Charlemagne

Posted on November 1, 2025 by Don Taylor

Could Charlemagne connect my wife and me as 32nd cousins? Tracing our shared lineage led me to Reuben C. Sutherland, a Revolutionary War soldier born before 1755 in Horseneck, New York. His story—spanning frontier disputes, Dutchess County militia service, and family roots reaching medieval Europe—reveals how genealogy links the personal to the historical. Continue reading →

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