My mother’s side of the family has long nurtured an interest in family history, with various family historians contributing to the effort over the years. My parents were from Barton County, Missouri, and every few years, we made the long (and hot) car trip from Buffalo to Iantha. Along the way, we read Burma Shave signs and sampled exotic drinks like Dr. Pepper. During these visits, we learned about a few family lines and listened to stories—mostly about farmers, but occasionally about notable ancestors who had served in the American Revolution (on the American side) and the Civil War (on the Union side). We also had a letter from a family historian on my father’s side, which featured more than a dozen variations of the “Cassatt” name, hinting at the wealth of information waiting to be uncovered.
My own journey into serious family history research began about 30 years ago and will be the subject of an upcoming post. Over the decades, I’ve utilized resources ranging from microfilm at the National Archives to modern tools like ChatGPT, which I’ve used to transcribe handwritten pension narratives. I’ve built a family tree on my home computer, gathered countless photocopied or digital documents, and amassed a collection of handwritten notes. With this blog, I hope to organize and share the information I’ve gathered, making it accessible to anyone interested. I also hope to fill in the gaps and enrich the stories through collaboration with others.
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