Our father’s family came from Massachusetts, and our mother’s roots traced back to Alabama. They met in California and we all believed they were the first from either side to venture this far west—aside from our mother’s uncle, who settled in California after serving in the Navy during World War II. That belief began toContinue reading “The Remarkable Coincidences of Ancestral Migration”
Author Archives: Skip Shervington
Gunfire at the Shanghai Club: The Untold Story of Fanny Bruce and Sidney Shirvington
Several years ago, I connected on Facebook with a family of Shervingtons living throughout California’s Central Valley—from Inyo County to Sacramento and Modesto. I had grown up in the San Francisco Bay Area never knowing they existed. The surname “Shervington,” along with one of its variants “Shirvington,” is rare—thankfully making genealogical research a bit moreContinue reading “Gunfire at the Shanghai Club: The Untold Story of Fanny Bruce and Sidney Shirvington”
Lost & Found: Santa Cruz Keepsakes Returned After 33 Years
First published by Skip Shervington, September 15, 2016 Back in September 2001, just weeks after the 9/11 attacks, we bought a 1962 fixer-upper on the lower west side of Santa Cruz, California. The place was a time capsule—original light fixtures, vintage appliances, and that unmistakable coastal must. The house had been used as a weekendContinue reading “Lost & Found: Santa Cruz Keepsakes Returned After 33 Years”
Our Family’s Legacy: Sacrifices in War
While researching my family history, I was deeply moved to learn that several of my distant relatives lost their lives in various wars. Discovering their stories and the sacrifices they made gave me a profound sense of connection to the past and a greater appreciation for the freedoms I have today. It’s humbling to recognizeContinue reading “Our Family’s Legacy: Sacrifices in War”
How a Close DNA Match Unraveled Both Our Family Mysteries
For years, I had a couple of close cousin DNA matches on Ancestry that stood out as intriguing mysteries. This is the story of one of those matches—how it led me to uncover the identity of my grandmother’s biological mother, and in turn, helped my DNA match discover her own parentage. It all started inContinue reading “How a Close DNA Match Unraveled Both Our Family Mysteries”
Veterans Day: Over 100 Veterans in my Family Tree
In recent years, I’ve been deeply engaged in researching my ancestry, especially focused on identifying veterans within my family tree. As a veteran myself, I feel a personal connection to their stories. Whenever I discover a new veteran, I try to dig deeper to uncover their service history and assign them a military tag onContinue reading “Veterans Day: Over 100 Veterans in my Family Tree”
The Mystery of Grammy’s Hidden Heritage
Happy Birthday, Grammy! Our paternal grandmother ‘Grammy’ would be 109 today. Sadly, she only lived to be 64, passing away in 1980. Fortunately, she followed our dad from Massachusetts to California in 1962 after my grandfather passed away at just 46. This made it possible for me and my sister, Stephanie, to grow up withContinue reading “The Mystery of Grammy’s Hidden Heritage”
Shervington.net 