Category Archives: Uncategorized

More Inventors in the Family

Posted on January 28, 2026 by Pat Shaul

My 9th great grandfather, Joseph Jencks [Jenks], famed for his skill in working in brass and iron in England, and was brought to the Colonies by Governor Winthrop, the younger, to establish an iron works here in 1635. Specimens of … Continue reading →

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Ezra Peter Koontz

Posted on November 12, 2025 by Pat Shaul

Not only did Great-great Grandfather Ezra Peter Koontz sit in a rocking chair, he invented one! Below are the drawings and patent document for that chair.

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UFOs are Real!!

Posted on September 25, 2025 by Pat Shaul

Well, that is the title of a new presentation in the works. I have noticed that a number of my ancestral lines just start or just end. Some of my genealogy colleagues call this a brick wall. I, on the … Continue reading →

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The Great Clean Up / Clean Out

Posted on December 7, 2024 by Pat Shaul

As I was discussing in the previous blog, I have been trying to get the mess reference materials down to a size that I would be able to manage and would be able to locate when I needed and item. … Continue reading →

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Time, it is a factor

Posted on November 20, 2024 by Pat Shaul

This past week, I had to say goodbye to an old friend – my great grandparents’ clock. It had been ticking and keeping good time since the 1880s. Long ago, thankfully, it gave up the ability to chime. It had … Continue reading →

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DNA = Bright Shiny Object?

Posted on October 30, 2024 by Pat Shaul

I am getting too involved in creating / verifying other people’s pedigrees. I get started on researching a DNA match to try to determine how we might be related and a number of hours later, I either hit a brick … Continue reading →

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What’s Next?

Posted on September 18, 2024 by Pat Shaul

Now that the Hotchkiss, Lee, Munn, Tilden book is done [!!!!] what is my next BIG project? Well, it started when I noticed this historic marker on Nine Mile Road in Farmington Hills, Oakland, Michigan: I have Sprague as one … Continue reading →

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Done, Done, and Done

Posted on August 19, 2024 by Pat Shaul

It took years to complete, but it is done. One of the great puzzles was who wrote the manuscript that started me on this journey. After a great deal of investigation and using the manuscript writer’s clues, I finally came … Continue reading →

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And, it’s off to the printer

Posted on August 14, 2024 by Pat Shaul

Finally, I have shipped Hotchkiss, Lee, Munn, Tilden and Other Related Families to the printer. Proof copy is due to arrive on Sunday and then minor tweeks are possible. Because the book had a lot of color pictures and color … Continue reading →

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Getting Really Close

Posted on August 7, 2024 by Pat Shaul

I have finished the first round of proofreading the Hotchkiss, Lee, Munn, Tilden and Other Related Families volume I have been working to complete. It is now 283 pages, including 8 appendices. Author Identification (spoiler alert, it was my first … Continue reading →

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