Returning from Sabbatical: Back and open for business!

Past-Present-Future is back from sabbatical! I am proud to announce that this week, I completed Boston University's, Genealogical Research course. It's been an intense experience, one in which I learned a tremendous amount and at the same time discovered that I have much more to learn.

As I mentioned in my last post before leaving blogging for the semester, we were asked not to blog about the course, so unfortunately, I can't really give much detail. I believe I am allowed to highly recommend the course. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to send me a personal note or an e-mail and I'll be happy to talk about my experience. I'm not sure when I'll actually have my certificate, but it will be a proud moment!

Behind the Brick Wall

For now, I'm excited to return to blogging. There is much I look forward sharing since though the blog was on hold, my research was not. On the contrary, thanks to the course, I feel more equipped than ever to break down brick walls.

Here is a heads up of posts to come:

1. Remember Mollie Bogdanow? I've written about this great grandmother several times, as part of the Fearless female series:  29: Fearless Female: Mollie Bogdanow, as part of Friday's Faces From the Past series Friday's Faces from the Past: The Bogdanows and Past-Present-Future: Where Were They 100 Years Ago?. Mostly I've written about how little I know about Mollie, she is one of my biggest brick walls. Well, the wall literally came tumbling down! I'll be posting a new series about how I broke through.

2. Remember the post Bullish on Genetic Genealogy! Since 2012 when I did had my DNA tested on FamilyTreeDNA, I've been meeting genetic cousins, and writing about the experience in posts such as My Mitochondria. Despite my vast family tree, until recently, I've never been able to workout any family relationship. All that has recently changed and I can't wait to share this story!

3. Guess who has an FBI file? I recently learned that one of my ancestors has an FBI file. You'll have to come back, to find out who.

Which series would you guys like me to start with? Write me a comment with your vote!

Happy 2nd Blogiversary!

Happy 2014 to all and a special happy blogiversary to Past-Present-Future which is two years old today!

Though I have not been posting as regularly, it's been a good year on the blog. There have been some very popular posts, great feedback and lots of comments from my readers, recognition from the online genealogy blogging community, and connection to long lost cousins. 

The top 10 all time popular posts are as follows:

• A Photo Worth A Thousand Words
• Highlights from IAJGS International Conference of Jewish Genealogy
• Brick Wall Comes Down!
• Holocaust Memorial Day: Learning from the Past, A Vigil Against Hate
• The Adventures of Tracking Down a Marriage Record from Galicia
• Should Genealogist Spill Family Secrets?
• Springfield Vermont, Home of the Simpsons and the Bloomfields
• The Next Big Thing!
• Friday's Faces from the Past: Photo Challenge Solved
• My Mitochondria

Surprisingly, or not, is that A Photo Worth A Thousand Words continues to top the list. Surprising because it was also last years winner. Not so surprising since it is a great post!
Interestingly, only three post from 2013 managed to make the list. I believe this is because older posts are continuing to get views, which is a great thing.

Google, twitter and facebook are the top referring sites to Past-Present-Future, followed by pages from within Past-Present-Future.

I wish you all a wonderful year, full of happiness, good health and peace! Hope to see you back here at Past-Present-Future soon!