The Shamrock Genealogist

Folsom Public Library I recently returned from a work trip to Folsom, California. It was a hot one! Over 100 degrees each day. At least no humidity but a bit too hot to stop by a local cemetery. Due to my work and flight schedule, I had only a short amount of time for my next #genealogyontheroad excursion. I visited the Folsom Public Library one afternoon after work. It's a small library and had only two small shelves held the genealogy books (seen below). I love uncovering local history at the public library. You always find some kind of treasure and this trip didn't disappoint. I wandered into one of the reading rooms (which was really beautiful and relaxing). On the wall there were several frames that had a marked up document with lots of edits. I peered closer and noticed a framed note that said "The original copy of President Abraham Lincoln's first Inaugural Speech was presented to the City of Folsom, California on June 7, 2010 in honor of the 1...

Welcome back to Genealogy On the Road! I just returned from another trip to Western New York for work. My latest adventure was doing some shopping at one of the local antique shops in Corning, NY. I've been to a few shops over the last year and bought a few treasures along the way, some of which I'll highlight here. Outside entrance of local antique shop (one of my favorites!) in Corning, NY There are a number of things that you can find in an antique shop that may be of interest to you. 1. Photographs I was amazed at the different types of photographs left "orphaned" in the stores. I even found a wedding picture (below), which made me sad that a family didn't want to keep in their family photo collection. Wedding Picture - Unidentified Couple. Found in Corning, NY Antique Shop.  I plan on starting to date them and hopefully re-unite them with a descendant. I'll be posting these photos on sites like deadfred.com. If you have any clues o...

I've been on the hunt to find out more about my maternal great grandfather Anton Gailunas. If you've been following me on Twitter, I have been sharing some of my recent findings while reviewing ship manifest records. My grandmother has asked me to assist in finding out more about why he left for America and left his mother and father behind, to help fill in his immigration story. Here's what I knew about Anton when I first started researching: He was known to others in the family as "Eddie Gail" and was a jewelry engraver.  He was born on August 23rd. His wife's name was Mollie.  One of the first documents I found was his petition for citizenship.  That's how I found his birth name "Anton Gailunas". He is listed with my great grandmother Mollie (whose birth name was Mathilde Siegel) as well as my grandmother, Dorothy, living at 467 Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY. Anton listed he was born in Riga, Latvia. This has been a subject of debate as ...