Mightier Acorns

Journeys through Genealogy and Family History

A parody of a family coat of arms designed with acorns as elements, with the motto "ex gladnis potentioribus" Latin for "from Mighty Acorns"
From Mighty Acorns

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Tad Callin has been working on family history and genealogy since the late 1990s. He does most of his research on Ancestry and posts what he learns to WikiTree.

Category: Pottawattamie County, IA

Families that lived in the county and research done there.

  • Ahnentafel #14: Bud Holmquist (1920-1996)

    Ahnentafel #14: Bud Holmquist (1920-1996)

    Some relatives are so infamous within a family, that their story is unignorable. And yet, because they were unforgivable, you can’t ask about the details.

  • Ahnentafel #13: June Shuffler (1928-2010)

    Ahnentafel #13: June Shuffler (1928-2010)

    If you have an image in your head of the Midwest grandmother, she probably looks a lot like Grandma June.

  • Those Who Remained II: Uncle George

    The family of George and Polly Callin largely remained in Huron County, OH, when much of the family moved away from Milton Township. Their legacy was inspiring.

  • Ahnentafel #12: Bob McCullough (1927-1983)

    A challenging part of the tree: writing about people I didn’t know, but who living people DID know. Doing the job properly without being annoying – that’s the challenge!

  • 1888: The Thomsens Arrive in America

    1888: The Thomsens Arrive in America

    Telling the story of immigrants is complicated – why they came, where they went, and who they became. This Danish family’s story is complicated by the different ways surnames were rendered before and after the 1856 naming law, and the variations between English and European spelling conventions. But “complicated” doesn’t mean “impossible”

  • Danish Roots: The Thompson Family in Iowa

    Danish Roots: The Thompson Family in Iowa

    There are challenges to researching immigrant ancestors who came to America from Europe, but with luck, patience, and practice, you can assemble a reliable picture of their lives in their original homes.

  • Wavetops: Reconstructing Charles Martin

    The burden of proof requires more evidence The most important question in any research is: “How do you know that?” If you’re lucky, the answer prompts you to say, “Huh, that’s interesting…” and you learn something new. If you saw last week’s post about William and Oscar Martin or the original “Family Reunion: Martin” post…

  • Wavetops: William and Oscar Martin

    Two brothers, both railroad men, led different lives In case you don’t recall from last year’s “Family Reunions” series, William F. Martin was the paternal grandfather of my wife’s maternal grandmother – he was one of Her Sixteen: That post did a quick overview of William and Hattie’s only son, Howard W. Martin, a successful…

  • Shepards and Rounds

    A two-for-one development – and a lesson in Endogamy Harriet Jenevereth “Hattie” Shepard (1874–1923) was the paternal grandmother of Merilyn Martin, my wife’s maternal grandmother – and thus, one of “Her Sixteen.” Hattie was born on 18 Dec 1874, the youngest of three children of Sylvanus S Shepard (1850–1921) and Lucy Gertrude Rounds (1848–1920). Her…

  • Family Reunion: Shepard

    Going four generations back to find another line This surname can be found among my wife’s Sixteen great-great-grandparents. We have to go that far back to find the first Shepard – Harriet Jenevereth Shepard – 18 Dec 1874 – 17 Jan 1923 Hattie was the paternal grandmother of my wife’s maternal grandmother, Merilyn (Martin) Holmquist…