Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Historic Map Works

I just found a really cool way to look at old plat maps overlaid upon Google maps. I smell a road trip..! Check it out!

http://www.historicmapworks.com/Overlay/?m=59432&c=US

Monday, February 20, 2012

Cousin Dick

Once upon a time, near the small English village of Fulford lived a young man named John Inskeep and his sister Ann. There were actually five other siblings, but they all stayed behind in England while John and Ann sailed to the Americas early in 1702. John's wife Mary and their infant son John came along as well.

John begat lots of offspring and became a judge, and Ann became the wife of a Hussey and begat triplets plus lots more offspring, and then...

In 1913 Ann (Inskeep) Hussey became the great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother of Richard Nixon.

In 1954 Judge John Inskeep became the great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather of Bruce Bishop.

And thus, Richard Nixon and my father-in-law are 8th cousins once removed. Their shared ancestors are John and Ann's parents: John and Sarah (Ward) Inskeep, of Fulford, Staffordshire, England.

You can read about it here, in the 2001 historical compilation by Roger Keight of the Fulford Parish Council in Staffordshire, U.K.

photo of President Richard Nixon from Wikipedia.org