Thank you to Linda Teather, Helene | Letters from LaBelle, Christine Clark, and all of you following along with this recording. Your thoughtful engagement in Emma Cox’s presentation today, the lively conversation that followed (and your comments below), are what make this such a special program.
Your generous ❤️s, restacks, and shares have helped turn this publication into the supportive community we all want to see.
Plucked from Emma’s Family Tree
After a little break, Emma - Journeys into Genealogy is back with another creative twist on her family history. In this episode, Emma shares tantalizing bits of her workflow. She shared how she leverages the nearly 10,000 ancestors in her Family Tree Maker database to export a kinship report and explore over 1,500 second cousins. From that listing, she’s shared three of particular interest.
Reginald Charles Edward Abbot, Lord Colchester 1842-1919 (Emma’s 2C5R)
Joseph Stanley Holmes (Lord Dovercourt) 1878-1961 (2C2R)
Ernest William Moir 1862-1933 1st Baron Whitehanger (2C3R)
Charles Edward Littledale 1843-1918 (2C4R)
And why stop at cousins when you can have a second earl? (Don’t miss the castle on the hill.)
Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent, 1350-97, half-brother of Richard II, King of England, and Emma’s 18th great-grandfather.
Lessons to be Found
There are always tips and techniques to be gleaned from Emma’s explorations. Probably the most significant from today’s program was the tip to appreciate the power of your gateway ancestors. This was a topic she’d explored in one of her very first Emma Explores programs.
While it’s easy to get distracted by the discovery of pedigreed ancestors with castles, a key benefit of your gateway connection is that those fancy pedigreed ancestors will have been carefully researched. If you can find even a second or more distant cousinship, the connection can get you a quick bounce-back in history.
In the US, the equivalent might be Revolutionary War or Mayflower ancestors. In Australia, we’ve talked about “Convict Royalty.” What is it in your region?
Other episodes in Episodes Emma mentioned in the introduction to the topic:
Patterns and names:
Maybe we’re related?
In our March Episode, just after RootsTech 2026, Emma and I started a discussion about the Relatives at RootsTech program, large relative counts, and the incredible value of learning from others attending. That’s all over now; however, the lessons learned linger. Did you know:
In many cases, if you have a FamilySearch account and are logged in and viewing someone you are related to, you may have special access to view details on others who contributed to the profile. Tap the name, and you may discover a cousin:
If, during Relatives at RootsTech, you had made contact with this person, perhaps through a shared ancestor, you’ll still be able to chat with them.
Example profile: Johannes George Mertz ID K24P-M13
There’s more. If you’re interested in collaborating with others in our community, join us at Relative Finder. This does require a FamilySearch login and is really only as interesting as your FamilySearch profile is deep, but it can be a fun, open-source way to find connections across our community. Please visit the site and search Groups for “Projectkin.” You will have to request access, though it’s generally granted within 24 hours. If not, drop me a message.
In each of these programs, Emma generously shares both her slides and the resources she used to compile the presentation. You’ll find these a useful resource in your own research:
Resources Mentioned
Wikipedia: Wikipedia.org
Project Gutenberg: gutenberg.org/ebooks/10693
National Portrait Gallery: npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp05174/reginald-charles-edward-abbot-3rd-baron-colchester
The Peerage: Thepeerage.com
Met-at-the-Bar: Men-at-the-bar: a biographical hand-list of the members of the various Inns of Court, including Her Majesty’s judges, etc. by Foster, Joseph, 1844-1905. Available in libraries, for purchase, and on the Internet Archive.
Cambridge Library Archive Search: archivesearch.lib.cam.ac.uk/repositories/2/archival_objects/560384
Landed Families: landedfamilies.blogspot.com/2013/02/abbot-of-kidbrooke-park-barons.html
Grace’s Guide: gracesguide.co.uk/Ernest_William_Moir
Clergy List via Ancestry: ancestry.com/search/collections/63019
UK City and County Directories via Ancestry: ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/3145
British Newspaper Archive:
As Projectkin, we’re here to help families tell their stories in any form. I feel strongly that our collections of photos and other artifacts are key to our memories and, in turn, our stories.
If you have a publication of your own, and you think your friends might find this interesting, why not let your friends know with a recommendation?
This nifty button, “your.substack.com/publish/recommendations,” takes you to your own recommendations dashboard. (Seriously, try it!)
Naturally, I’d love a recommendation, but I also encourage everyone to be generous in sharing recommendations for the publications you enjoy. It helps us find each other as family history buffs in the nicest possible way. 🥰
Oh, one more thing — if you think this post might interest a friend or colleague, why not just pass it along?
These are public posts, and our events are free because sharing your stories is that important. Let’s get this started!
See all coming events in our calendar at Projectkin.org/events.
