The Storyline
"Real families.Real discoveries.Real stories."
Occupational Tracking: When Name Searches Fail
You've searched every census. You've scoured city directories. You've analyzed DNA matches until your eyes crossed. But when your ancestor has one of the most common surnames in a city of 800,000 people—John Smith, Mary Jones, James Kelly—traditional name-based genealogy hits a wall.
For seven years, I searched for John Kenny among dozens of Brooklyn mat makers with virtually identical names. Traditional genealogy methods couldn't distinguish between them. But occupational tracking methodology could—and did. Learn how to use career progression as a unique identifier when name searches fail. This technique helped me solve a research problem that had stymied family historians for generations.
Part of the Storyline Genealogy Methodology Series: Because your ancestor's career tells a story when their name cannot.
The Tintype in the Box: Solving a 150-Year-Old Family Mystery
How I identified a nameless 1870s tintype using photo dating, fashion analysis, and family records—and discovered the tragic story of Margaret Mary McKenny.
When photographs outlive memory, detective work brings our ancestors back.
Part of the Storyline Genealogy Series- Uncovering the Stories Behind the Names and Images
When One Breakthrough Unlocks Everything
The breakthrough came in Year 5. After seven years of searching for John Kenny among dozens of other John Kennys in Brooklyn, the answer appeared when we stopped asking "Which John Kenny?" and started asking "What made THIS John Kenny unique?" That single shift—from name-based searching to occupational tracking—unlocked seven major discoveries in six months and revealed five generations spanning 154 years.
Part of the Storyline Genealogy series: When traditional research methods fail, innovative approaches unlock the impossible cases that define professional genealogy.
The Woman in the Portrait: Aunt Maime’s Story
For 90 years, her portrait was preserved but unlabeled. Through death certificates, census records, and a 7-year search, we finally discovered Aunt Maime's extraordinary story of sacrifice and survival.
Part of the Storyline Genealogy Series- Uncovering the Stories Behind the Names
Four Generations in Hats: A Brooklyn Story of Resilience
After seven years of research into Brooklyn's mat maker John Kenny, one discovery changed everything: the hats weren't just about his craft—they were about survival. From 1888 to 1957, four generations of Kenny women wore elaborate hats in family photographs. Each hat told a story: Mary Agnes at age 12, seven years after her father's death. Lillian and Helen as toddlers in luxury millinery. Lillian's timeless taupe hat at her daughter's 1957 wedding—so stylish it would turn heads 61 years later. But the real story wasn't the hats themselves. It was the network of devoted women—Aunt Maime, Aunt Lillian, grandmother Ann—who kept the family together through impossible tragedy. John Kenny's craftsmanship created more than fashion. It created a legacy that four generations of women would carry forward with dignity, resilience, and style.
Part of the Storyline Genealogy series: When one craftsman's legacy becomes four generations of resilience—the stories objects can tell.
Four Words That Solved a Mystery
After seven years of failed research attempts with dozens of John Kennys in Brooklyn records, a single city directory entry changed everything. Discover how 'Kenny, Elizabeth, wid. Richard' unlocked an impossible genealogical puzzle and revealed an innovative research methodology.
Part of the Storyline Genealogy series: When traditional research methods fail, innovative approaches unlock the impossible cases that define professional genealogy.