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On the evening of 23 April 1898, the platform at the Union Depot in Kansas City was amassed by the 24th Infantry, one of four African American units of the U.S. Army.  The regiment had made a temporary stop in Kansas City to switch trains on their way to Chickamauga Park in Georgia, where American [...]

Introduction:  This is the eighth installment of the genealogical saga of Valentine Seeser and his family.  This continues  the story of Valentine and Emma Seeser’s sons.  For at least twenty-two years Emma clung to the West Bluffs no doubt taking a tremendous amount of grit, tenacity, and will power to hold on, and raise three [...]

Introduction:  Previously, the Seeser story marked the Emma's struggles during the 1903 Flood and Kansas City urban renewal in Valentine Seeser - A Legacy Left in Kansas City & The 1903 Flood.  This is the seventh installment of the genealogical saga of Valentine Seeser and his family.  This begins the story of Valentine and Emma Seeser’s three [...]

Introduction:  The previous blog,  Valentine Seeser - How to Trace One's Travels, left Valentine Seeser in New York City, married, and a new life.   This installment focuses on Valentine’s wife Emma, and her three sons whom Valentine left behind in Kansas City.   Ironically, Emma’s story, as it unfolds, supersedes Valentine’s. Her testimony is [...]

Introduction:  This is the fifth installment of the genealogical saga of Valentine Seeser who lived along the West Bluffs near the West Bottoms in Kansas City, Missouri.  The previous blog,  Valentine Seeser & Kansas City Urban Renewal described the living conditions along the bluffs and how the Parks & Recreation Board successfully condemned the land, [...]

Introduction:  The last blog, Valentine Seeser - Living on the West Bluffs of Kansas City, described the living conditions of the West Bluffs area where Valentine Seeser lived and the rather precarious and unhealthy environment of his communtiy.  This genealogical adventure began with his appearing in police court due to the unsanitary conditions of his home.  [...]

Consider pulling a Civil War pension file from the National Archives in Washington D.C. - a gold mine of information could be waiting for you. The effort to get copies of the records is well worth it, as I discovered recently while researching a Civil War veteran from Kentucky.   A few months before his [...]

Introduction:  This is a continuation of a previous blog, “The Dirtiest Place In Town” about the genealogical adventure of Valentine Seeser living in the West Bluffs in Kansas City, Missouri in 1893 when he was summoned to police court over the condition of his house.   After finding the newspaper article, I had no idea [...]

Introduction: A newspaper article leads to an incredible genealogical  journey into a  family in Kansas City, Missouri.  Caught in two major historical events; a natural disaster and an audacious urban renewal program. A gray haired  man stepped forward to face a judge in Kansas City, Missouri police court in response to a complaint made by [...]

There Is More Than One Place To Find A Document Looking through micro-film is one of the bread and butter activities for genealogists. For me, this persuit is exciting, winding through the film reels, hoping to find that one elusive document.  As the film whizes thru the reader, you feel your heart rate increase as [...]