A recap of favorites from my first year on Substack
I might miss posting next week due to traveling last week – if so, don’t panic! I will come back once I recover. But I think I’m allowed some time off. After all…
I launched Mightier Acorns on Substack on 4 Oct 2023, with A New Leaf for an Old Genealogy Nut. And if I did my math right, this post is the 114th on this platform – but there is no guarantee that I took time zones into account, so I could be off one way or another.
My original plan included a “Weekly Log” feature which I managed to maintain for all of 5 weeks before dropping that format in favor of a two-posts-per-week, Wed/Fri, rotation. I also did some simple math and realized that my “Family Reunion” posts were relatively easy to assemble, would give me at least half a year’s worth of content, and would inspire deeper, more interesting stories and essays. I have enjoyed watching my friends on Substack take that idea and run with it!
Some of my favorite stories from the original Mightier Acorns blog found a new audience here. I was particularly proud of the four snapshots of my four grandparents:
A Fire in the Desert – Russell Hudson Clark, Sr. (1920-2002)
Faces of Nancy – Nancy Witter Callin (1925 – 2004)
When Things Got Serious – Robert T Callin (1920 – 2007)
When Grandma Played the Organ – Alberta Tuttle Clark (1925-2017)
I am extremely pleased with the body of work I’ve put up on this platform. I’ve done several multi-part explorations, including a deep dive into Rhode Island founder John Green (who turned out to probably not be my ancestor). I’ve sketched out the path for researching my wife’s ancestry and learned a ton about Sweden and Norway. And I have had fun along the way – hopefully, if you’re reading this, you are having fun, too!
They say the friends you make along the way are the point of the journey, and I’ve been thrilled to become part of the community of genealogists here. Barbara Tien at Projectkin Community Forum and Robin Stewart of CuZens Genealogy Matters, both separately and under their joint effort at Mission: Genealogy, have been encouraging and supportive at every step.
And to each of you who clicks the “like” button, shares a note, or links to something I wrote – you are seen and appreciated!
In the coming year, I hope to keep doing what I’ve been doing. I’ve found that just writing about what interests me, keeping each post under 1,000 words, and making sure there are at least 6 scheduled posts in the queue at all times is a successful formula.
I don’t plan on turning on the paywall, because I want future cousins to be able to find old posts, but as of this writing, one person has pledged at the annual rate, and I am flattered by the gesture. If you feel strongly about supporting Mightier Acorns financially, I recommend that you pick up a few copies of great-grandpa John’s War Poems as gifts for the Civil War buffs in your life, or to donate to your local library.
And lastly, if you happen to be my sister – Happy Birthday! (She’s who I was waiting for outside the hospital in this photo – which you might recognize as the cover of my book, Tad’s Happy Funtime.1)
Oh, yeah, if you like books, that is also… a book, which is for sale. Tad’s Happy Funtime
Mightier Acorns 
Say hello, cousin!