with all this internet connectedness, I've met a few different people online (either through facebook, twitter or geni) who share my not-very-common last name, and we've tried to determine if we're related by relating some of the oldest relatives we know who share the surname, but usually we don't find any overlap. As a genealogical novice, what should my next steps be in trying to find out if we're actually distantly related or if some clerk at Ellis Island just liked to give a bunch of French/German immigrants the same last name? [more inside]
posted by jrishel on May 1, 2009 - 16 answers

Why is electrical a word, but electronical isn't? [more inside]
posted by nickerbocker on May 21, 2006 - 58 answers