Ruth Phair Mason
@phairmason.bsky.social
An American who is currently knuckles deep learning about her 18th-century family in the Lower Dales of Yorkshire.
My husband has 3GGAunt named Bridget McCabe. She was born in Killashandra, County Cavan in 1828 and died in Austin, Minnesota in 1898. I thought she was two people for a while because she was called Delia. I didn’t know that was a common nickname. We have a daughter Bridget, too.
February 3, 2026 at 2:00 AM
My husband has 3GGAunt named Bridget McCabe. She was born in Killashandra, County Cavan in 1828 and died in Austin, Minnesota in 1898. I thought she was two people for a while because she was called Delia. I didn’t know that was a common nickname. We have a daughter Bridget, too.
Yes, it’s VA. But a year! I submitted appeals for my requests in August but no response to those yet.
December 27, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Yes, it’s VA. But a year! I submitted appeals for my requests in August but no response to those yet.
Yes. There are guidelines for a timely response but according to USCIS, they can’t comply as the volume of request has increased exponentially. NARA is better set up for archiving and processing the requests for copies, imho.
December 27, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Yes. There are guidelines for a timely response but according to USCIS, they can’t comply as the volume of request has increased exponentially. NARA is better set up for archiving and processing the requests for copies, imho.
I thoroughly enjoyed this season. Thanks for another interesting set of episodes.
December 27, 2025 at 11:08 PM
I thoroughly enjoyed this season. Thanks for another interesting set of episodes.
I submitted a request for my father’s and grandfather’s BIRLS File in December 2024. I have only received an acknowledgment that they received one request. Nothing since.
December 27, 2025 at 11:00 PM
I submitted a request for my father’s and grandfather’s BIRLS File in December 2024. I have only received an acknowledgment that they received one request. Nothing since.
Reclaim the Records previously made an appeal to keep USCIS from increasing prices significantly. When I submitted, the cost was US$65 each for a search and for the record. I think USCIS did increase prices but not as much. www.reclaimtherecords.org/about/activi...
Reclaim The Records vs. United States Citizenship and Immigrations Services (USCIS) and their "Genealogy Program" - Reclaim The Records
In which we explain to USCIS in great detail and with many examples why they’re horrible at mailing grandpa’s records, and why they charge you too much when they finally do
www.reclaimtherecords.org
December 27, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Reclaim the Records previously made an appeal to keep USCIS from increasing prices significantly. When I submitted, the cost was US$65 each for a search and for the record. I think USCIS did increase prices but not as much. www.reclaimtherecords.org/about/activi...
Reclaim the Records, a non-profit, has filed suit against the USCIS for not responding in a timely manner. My request several years ago took months to get the (expensive) record. They and other government officials do appear to be slow-walking anything that has to do with immigration.
December 27, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Reclaim the Records, a non-profit, has filed suit against the USCIS for not responding in a timely manner. My request several years ago took months to get the (expensive) record. They and other government officials do appear to be slow-walking anything that has to do with immigration.
I registered yesterday. See you there. I participated in #MyColorfulAncestry back in the day. My cousins enjoyed seeing the charts I made for them—a big win there!
December 12, 2025 at 8:58 PM
I registered yesterday. See you there. I participated in #MyColorfulAncestry back in the day. My cousins enjoyed seeing the charts I made for them—a big win there!
Yes, exactly. WE do the research work and, for example, have AI do a needed side-task that takes us an hour to do. Even after spending a half hour checking and correcting its output, we’re still a half hour ahead. AI can be useful but we must understand what it can do fairly well and what it cannot.
November 18, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Yes, exactly. WE do the research work and, for example, have AI do a needed side-task that takes us an hour to do. Even after spending a half hour checking and correcting its output, we’re still a half hour ahead. AI can be useful but we must understand what it can do fairly well and what it cannot.
Treat AI like a newly hired research assistant. Give the AI program tasks like summarize, transcribe, or look for gaps. Like with a new-hire, you must verify the work performed and then explain why and where it missed the mark.
November 17, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Treat AI like a newly hired research assistant. Give the AI program tasks like summarize, transcribe, or look for gaps. Like with a new-hire, you must verify the work performed and then explain why and where it missed the mark.
It’s back. I just went to my Feeds, and it was there I unpinned it and pinned again.
October 12, 2025 at 1:50 AM
It’s back. I just went to my Feeds, and it was there I unpinned it and pinned again.
Mine is gone also. It was there last night.
October 11, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Mine is gone also. It was there last night.
My Cumbrians lived in the Penrith and Appleby area although my 2xg-grandmother was a servant in Matthewman Donald’s house in 1851. I’ve only spent a touristy afternoon in Carlisle when I was in the area. It will be good to chat about family history in the area with those who know more than I do.
September 11, 2025 at 12:05 AM
My Cumbrians lived in the Penrith and Appleby area although my 2xg-grandmother was a servant in Matthewman Donald’s house in 1851. I’ve only spent a touristy afternoon in Carlisle when I was in the area. It will be good to chat about family history in the area with those who know more than I do.
Yes, thankfully we have the means in retirement. During our working years we lived far from our families so our leisure travels were mainly to visit our living relatives.
September 8, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Yes, thankfully we have the means in retirement. During our working years we lived far from our families so our leisure travels were mainly to visit our living relatives.
It was an idea for an ancestry tour that started my truly working on family history. We decided to go to Ireland for our 30th anniversary in 2013. I thought, let me do some digging, and 16 months later, we drove across Ulster visiting a good mix of ancestral, historic, and tourist locations.
September 8, 2025 at 11:55 AM
It was an idea for an ancestry tour that started my truly working on family history. We decided to go to Ireland for our 30th anniversary in 2013. I thought, let me do some digging, and 16 months later, we drove across Ulster visiting a good mix of ancestral, historic, and tourist locations.
#Genealogy #FamilyHistory In a late night foray into Full Text Search last week I found a couple items that confirm suspected relationships. Sometimes it’s fun to just go in and throw things at it and see what pops up. #AncestryHour
September 2, 2025 at 6:21 PM
#Genealogy #FamilyHistory In a late night foray into Full Text Search last week I found a couple items that confirm suspected relationships. Sometimes it’s fun to just go in and throw things at it and see what pops up. #AncestryHour
I was thinking James Norton as the printer; he’s in everything now. Maybe he’s better suited to playing the local lord.
September 1, 2025 at 12:56 PM
I was thinking James Norton as the printer; he’s in everything now. Maybe he’s better suited to playing the local lord.
With a teenaged servant and an unmarried male lodger also in the house, I can see so many plot lines.
September 1, 2025 at 12:48 PM
With a teenaged servant and an unmarried male lodger also in the house, I can see so many plot lines.
Oh how I wish the border offices kept more of their crossings records. At least I have newspaper articles about my maternal granddad visiting family only 100 miles away but across the border. Also, some of grandma’s southern Ontario cousins went to Michigan for work.
August 30, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Oh how I wish the border offices kept more of their crossings records. At least I have newspaper articles about my maternal granddad visiting family only 100 miles away but across the border. Also, some of grandma’s southern Ontario cousins went to Michigan for work.
Glad to hear! A few years ago, I was in a non- #genealogy writing-your- #familyhistory class and one student—who didn’t dabble in genealogy—corrected the Louisianan instructor who said that her ancestors arrived at New Orleans in the 1700s, stating that “all immigrants came through Ellis Island.” 🤷♀️
August 30, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Glad to hear! A few years ago, I was in a non- #genealogy writing-your- #familyhistory class and one student—who didn’t dabble in genealogy—corrected the Louisianan instructor who said that her ancestors arrived at New Orleans in the 1700s, stating that “all immigrants came through Ellis Island.” 🤷♀️
In my limited experience, many Americans have a Canadian connection and are surprised when they find it.
August 30, 2025 at 5:36 PM
In my limited experience, many Americans have a Canadian connection and are surprised when they find it.