Dawn's Family History Journey

  On 21 May 2025 I had the most AMAZING day of my genealogical experiences! I had traveled to Ireland for a knitting tour (a fabulous experience itself), and after the tour I rented a car to drive from Dublin to County Wexford, Ireland. The Brett (also Britt) family lived in a small town called Boherstooka, in the parish of Rathgarogue, in the County of Wexford. John Brett and Johanna (Murphy) Brett were my 3 rd great grandparents, and generations of the Brett family had farmed this land in Boherstooka for over 100 years. Townland of Boherstooka, County Wexford, Ireland; Google Maps I first went to the Rathgarogue Catholic Church, just down the road from the farmland that the Bretts lived on. Rathgarogue Catholic Church, County Wexford, Ireland Photo taken by Dawn Vanderwolf, 21 May 2025  I walked the cemetery there, and found a headstone that said: “Erected by John Brett, Boherstooka in memory of his deceased friends and also his son John who died 12 th June 193...

  EDWARD CALLENDER ANDREWS, SR., was born in 1823 or 1824, most likely in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to parents Robert and Margaret/Margaretta Andrews. [1]   His son Edward Callender Andrews, Jr.’s death certificate notes that Edward Sr. was born in France [2] , but that has been ruled out as a birthplace due to the following: 1.         Edward Sr.’s father Robert was a merchant who lived in France for a number of years, and had had several children born in France, between the years 1804 and 1819. [3] 2.         Robert and the family, including wife Margaret, and children Elizabeth, Nancy, John, Henry and Mary returned from France to the United States in 1822.   Edward Jr. was not on the ship passenger list with the rest of the family. [4] 3.         Documents with Edward’s age, specifically the 1860 census, 1861 Civil War muster roll, and 1864 death certificate...