Category: Genealogy

When my genealogical research began, my first inclination was to focus on my Y chromosome and surname. While researching the arrival of my 7th great-grandfather from the Spanish Netherlands, I noticed his wife’s maiden name was Rapalje. I found the name interesting but was more interested in my direct male ancestor. Years later, I returned…

I was surprised to discover a Northern Rebel from my mother’s family. Almost all of my mother’s family either refused to fight in the Civil War or fought on the Union side. However, one Confederate soldier departed from the Showalter fold. Despite arriving in America as Mennonites in 1750, one of the descendants of the…

This article is about the relationships between children and their parents. Human parents typically spend years raising their offspring, unlike shark parents, who do not care for their young after birth. Sharks have different procreation and parenting practices. Male sharks impregnate females quite aggressively, and the females have the scars to prove it as the…