Exploring the People, Places, and Stories That Shaped One Family’s Past
Through ancestral travel, historical research, archival records, cemetery exploration, and family stories, MikeQuackenbush.com documents the lives behind the records.
Begin ExploringFeatured Exhibits
Selected stories, journeys, records, and places from the family history museum.
The Lemon Family of Cornwall
Tracing generations through coastal communities, parish records, migration, and family memory.
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An RCAF Air Gunner in the Second World War
Following John Allen Howell through training, North Africa, service records, and family memory.
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Walking Through Ancestral Scotland
Exploring the landscapes, records, communities, and routes connected to Scottish family history.
Enter ExhibitExplore the Collection
Browse the family lines, individual lives, places, and records that form the foundation of this digital family history museum.
Families
Surname lines, family groups, inherited connections, and the relationships that link generations together.
02People
Individual ancestors and relatives reconstructed through records, memory, photographs, and place.
03Places
Villages, churches, cemeteries, archives, landscapes, migration routes, and communities connected to the story.
04Records
Census pages, parish registers, military files, directories, maps, photographs, and the evidence behind each discovery.
A Digital Family History Museum
MikeQuackenbush.com documents the people, places, stories, records, and journeys that shaped one family's history.
Through archival research, ancestral travel, military history, cemetery exploration, and historical interpretation, the site seeks to preserve and better understand the lives behind the records.
Rather than presenting names and dates alone, the collection explores family history through narrative, evidence, place, and lived experience.
Learn About the ProjectOne Record Can Open an Entire Story
A service file, parish register, gravestone, photograph, or map can become the starting point for understanding a life.
This rotating feature highlights one discovery from the collection and explores what it reveals about the people, places, and circumstances behind the family history.
View the DiscoveryRecent Research Notes
Field notes, discoveries, questions, and research updates from the ongoing work behind the family history museum.
Tracing Roots in Bloom: A Journey Through History at The Lost Gardens of Heligan
January 7, 2024 - My day began with an unexpected adventure, one that left me caked in mud after getting stuck in the Menabilly car park. Not exactly how I’d planned to start my visit! After freeing myself from the muddy situation, I made a quick stop at a petrol station to gather some essential ... Read more
Tales of Menabilly: The Rashleighs, the Estate, and Polridmouth Cove
With my afternoon reserved for exploring the Lemon/Tremayne connection at Heligan, I decided to begin my day at another ancestral estate—one that holds deep ties to my family's history. Through my 7x great-grandmother, Rachel Rashleigh, I trace my lineage to the Rashleighs of Menabilly, an estate near Fowey with roots extending back to Barnstaple, Devon, ... Read more
Connecting Cleavers: A Family Reunion in Padstow
While my visit to Cornwall was primarily focused on exploring my maternal grandmother’s side of the family, I was delighted by a last-minute twist that allowed me to connect with her paternal roots as well. My Nana’s paternal grandfather, Joseph Lucas, was born in Bath in 1863 to William Cleaver and Anne Lucas. You might ... Read more
The Curator
Family historian, researcher, traveller, and storyteller.
Mike Quackenbush created this digital family history museum to preserve, explore, and share the people, places, records, and stories that shaped his family's past.
His work combines genealogy, historical research, ancestral travel, military history, cemetery exploration, archival records, and social history to better understand the lives behind the documents.
Rather than focusing solely on names and dates, the collection seeks to connect individuals to the communities, landscapes, and experiences that shaped their lives.
Learn More About Mike