Thornton May is a futurist, author and educator. At Dartmouth College, Keio University [Tokyo] and the Center for Japanese Studies at the University of Michigan, Thornton studied Japanese technology policies and practices during the Meiji Restoration [1868 through 1912], post-World War II and 1970s. Living in Tokyo Thornton worked at a series of global Japanese companies assisting managing “emerging technology” investments.

Over the years, we used to hear about Sal’s (my mom) Wild West days in the 1930s, panning for gold. This was likely all triggered by both some financial despair in NYC and my grandfather’s deep-seated appetite for risk. Fortunately, my sister June sat down with Sal and asked her about them and reco

Searching for my Great Grandmother in the 1926 Irish Census.

Long ago, I got a big stack of records from the Military Personnel Center about my father’s military service — he was in the Navy from 1944 to 1946. If you haven’t done this for an ancestor, it’s well worth doing. An now, enter #AI….

A random book, a reference to a non-traditional genealogy source, a kind researcher, and voila - my grandmother’s story unfolded…

A reflection on some of my Jan 17 shared birthday pals.

James Madison Agee was born on April 9, 1851, in Roanoke, Virginia, during a time when the region was still recovering from the upheavals of the antebellum South. Named perhaps in honor of the fourth President of the United States, James grew up in the Cave Spring area of Roanoke County, where rolli

In the heart of County Queens, Ireland (now County Laois), Martin McEvoy was born in 1843, a child of pre-Famine Ireland who would live to see his homeland transformed and his children scattered across the Atlantic. His life story is one of resilience, family, and the profound changes that swept thr

What can we learn about the context in which our ancestors lived that can help us to better understand them? #52Ancestors

It’s been ten years since the passing of my sweet mother-in-law, Nancy Sowers Mutter. Nancy was a truly kind soul. Even the rising dementia in her later years -- “Did you talk to my mother today?” (Her mother died in 1951) or “Have you seen Price today?” (He died in 2007) – could not dim her fundame

This is the FIFTH of a series of Excerpts from Immigrant Secrets, the story of how I solved the mystery of my lost grandparents, Francesco and Elisabetta. #genealogy #familyhistory

This is the FOURTH of a series of Excerpts from Immigrant Secrets, the story of how I solved the mystery of my lost grandparents, Francesco and Elisabetta.

This is the second of a series of Excerpts from Immigrant Secrets, the story of how I solved the mystery of my lost grandparents. #familyhistory #genealogy

This is the THIRD of a series of Excerpts from Immigrant Secrets, the story of how I solved the mystery of my lost grandparents. #familyhistory #genealogy

This is the first of a series of excerpts from Immigrant Secrets, a real life #familyhistory mystery. Enjoy. #genealogy

Turns out my son-in-law is connected through his G-G-Grandmother, a Cagney and Lacey character in her time, to the longest serving mayor of Jersey City, a machine politics guy who was a character on Boardwalk Empire.

Every picture tells a story. Some stories can be upsetting, but that’s no reason to keep them hidden. #genealogy #familyhistory

Sometimes it’s a brick wall, and sometimes it’s a weak link in the chain. #genealogy #familyhistory

For families in the 1800s, death was never far away — and personal. #genealogy #familyhistory

How did people 300 miles apart meet in the 1800s? Genealogy - Family History