I’ve been flying with WordPress for six years! Hundreds of thousands of words have been written, deleted, and rearranged into, hopefully, interesting articles. It’s been an amazing journey – this blogging thing.
I started blogging 2014, the first year Amy Johnson Crow introduced the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge.
I wrote about all of my children’s ancestors from their grandparents to their 5th great-grandparents. I began working on the 6th great-grandparents last April. Now I’m picking an ancestral couple on a whim and without a strict schedule. It’ll probably take several years to get this generation done.
Visitors to my blog have been more interested in content that was non-related to The Ancestors.
All-Time Top 10 Posts and Pages
How I Got My MISSING AncestryDNA Circles Back – April 2018 [Even though Ancestry has gotten rid of Circles people still visit this post.]
6 AncestryDNA Notes for Easier Comparison – October 2016
Dear Cousin ~ We Have a DNA Match, Now What? – March 2018
The Ancestors, a page linking all of my children’s ancestor posts written in the past six years, mainly for the 52 Ancestors series and now for The Ancestors series.
Source Citation Trick for WordPress.com – HTML Code – May 2017 [Since I began using Markdown for posts and pages I no longer use this trick to do footnotes and cite sources.]
Old Photographs Saved From Trash Can – since April 2015, a page linking all posts from the series by the same name
How I Use and Manage AncestryDNA Notes – October 2016
James SIMS (1754-1845) Pioneer of Nicholas County, West Virginia – written in 2002 and at home on my blog since 2014
Step by Step Guide to Accessing Browse-only Records on FamilySearch – July 2017
ThruLines™ Introduced by Ancestry: TrueLines or TrueLies? – March 2019
It’s understandable that DNA posts draw more readers. My ancestors aren’t shared with everyone while DNA is of interest to people using this genetic genealogy tool to prove their ancestry. I might do a few DNA related posts this year but genealogy research and writing about The Ancestors will remain the top priority on this blog.
This is post #609. Over 115,000 visitors have dropped in and viewed my posts nearly 212,000 times during these six years.
Happy 6th Blogiversary to Opening Doors in Brick Walls. Thanks to all of you for making this such an enjoyable journey.
© 2020, copyright Cathy Meder-Dempsey. All rights reserved.
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Opening Doors in Brick Walls 
Congrats on an outstanding blog 🙂
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Thank you, Sharon. I appreciate your reading and commenting. 🥳
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Congratulations, Cathy. Happy Blog Anniversary from one of your biggest fans!
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Thank you, Janice. You’ve played a big part in making my blog what it is. I’ve learned so much from reading everyone else’s posts in our Genealogy Bloggers group.
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Congratulations on your 6th blogiversary. I forgot that we began our journey only 8 days apart. I love your stories and am definitely envious of all the European resources to which you have access.
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Thank you, Linda. I think we are all envious of others’ resources.
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Congrats Cathy! I wish I had as many readers, but I am grateful for the ones I’ve touched and assisted. You are my gold standard. Keep up the great work. Brian
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Thank you, Brian. Some days are really slow while at other times I am overwhelmed by the number of people stopping by. Best example is my post with the links to the WV land deeds.
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Yes, land deeds are by far a very popular subject and good resource of information.
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Congratulations on the blogiversay & good-content blog!
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Thank you, Joan. Much appreciated.
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Happy blogiversary and congratulations on a magnificent body of work! I can’t believe you started blogging a few months after I did—I always assumed you were an old pro when I first discovered your blog. Now I guess we are both “old pros”!
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I remember finding your blog and then losing touch. I’m so glad I found my way back to yours. Not only are we “old pros” but also good friends, Amy. Thank you!
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So very true, Cathy. One of the many blessings that came with starting a blog was making friends with others who share this wonderful obsession with family history. I have learned and continue to learn so much from you! May we meet in person one of these days.
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It would be lovely to meet up some day, Amy.
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Happy blogiversary, Cathy! I enjoy reading your blog and look forward to more posts whenever you write one. Like you, I avoid a strict schedule (this isn’t a job, but a joy) yet I do try to post a #52Ancestors blog entry every week.
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I do try to do one a week but sometimes the research is too much or I get busy with something I can’t write about. The 52 Ancestors kept me on track during the three years I did it. Thank you, Marian, for stopping by.
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Congratulations!!! ❤
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Thank you, cousin!
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Congratulations, Cathy, and happy blogiversary! You are one dedicated blogger! I have sidelined for about the last year or so but am trying to get back into a routine. You inspire me – thanks!
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Thank you, Linda. I have taken a few breaks from two weeks to two months. It’s not always easy to get back into a routine. One of my biggest problems is that I don’t have content ready to publish. I’m always working on the next and don’t have spares. Good luck!
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Congratulations, Cathy, on your Blogversary! I have a passion for writing about my family history too, so I know how you feel. I have always enjoyed reading your posts, and have learned so much. I hope your passion for writing continues well into the future, so that we can keep enjoying reading your blog!
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Thank you, Diane. You’re comments are much appreciated. It is nice to be able to “talk” to people with the same passion.
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Congratulations on your anniversary! I look forward to your posts.
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Thank you, Kim. I look forward to yours as well.
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Wishing you many more blog anniversaries, Cathy, Even though we don’t have any ancestral homes in common, I really enjoy your posts. They’re always so well researched.
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Thank you, Dara. I think we all enjoy each others posts as it helps us learn new things – new ways to do our research and write about it.
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You can be so proud of all the excellent work that you have done, Cathy. Yes, of course it stands to reason that many “random” people will find posts about DNA, etc. But the detailed work on your ancestors is not only spectacular, but each one is a lesson for other genealogy buffs.
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Luanne, you are amazing. Thank you for the praise. It does make me feel better about some of my posts not getting the attention I’d wish they got especially after all the work I put into them. But they are there and I see people finding them and following through on links to previous or next generations.
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And that is the best we can hope for. The thing is, it’s most important that the people who really can add to the total story of a family find the posts that are helpful to them–and they, in turn, will sometimes be helpful to you. In the long run, the descendants will thank you!
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Congratulations! What an achievement. 🙂
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Thank you, Rebekah.
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Happy happy blogiversary!!!
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Thank you, Michael!
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Congrats on six years, Cathy! May many more follow!
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Thank you, Julie.
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