Doing a bit of work file decluttering and came across papers for Army cases of long ago lost to a computer crash back around 2003. Went through and logged them, googling as I went along. Turns out 31 soldiers I researched in those early days have subsequently been identified and received their long overdue honors.

Yesterday would have been the 85th birthday of my father, Col. George C. Smolenyak, if we hadn’t lost him in November. He was one of those quiet fellows, but always appreciated the work I do with the Army.

Learning about these 31 soldiers makes me feel as if I’m the one receiving a gift on Dad’s birthday.

Stumbled across English translations of Native words in Salem, NJ town book (1684, copied in 1868). Pages 248-251. Lenape?? – Thought some historians and/or genealogists might find this interesting/useful. Please share if you think so. Thanks!

Solving the Mystery of Arne Pettersen, the Last to Leave Ellis Island – Remember how I said I was going to occasionally re-share articles, especially ones I’ve put a lot of research into? Well, this is one of them. Many of you know that I’ve spent years delving into Annie Moore, the first to arrive at Ellis Island, but I’ve also done a lot of digging into Arne Pettersen, the last to depart Ellis Island. And I’ve finally uncovered his story and what became of him. so now I’ve got Ellis Island bookends – the first and the last!