NOTE: THIS IS A THURSDAY EVENING
SUMMARY:
My third great-grandfather, George W. Bratton was born about 1816 into a working-class family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He spent his early adult years as a bricklayer. From these humble beginnings, he went on to become a firefighter, veteran of the Mexican War, civil servant, ship wreck survivor, and political leader. Some of these endeavors put George on the right side of history in both Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and San Francisco, California. His life story does not end with his death in 1857. In this presentation, I will detail the many resources I used to uncover George’s remarkable story including historical newspapers, the National Archives and Records Administration Philadelphia Branch, the Pennsylvania Historical Society, military records, and visits to cemeteries.
SPEAKER:
Tom Flynn began searching his family history after the airing of the TV miniseries “Roots” in 1977. He worked on his genealogy on and off over the years until he retired from his job as a research chemist. Tom joined the Howard County Genealogical Society in 2018. He was elected as a Member-At-Large of the Society in 2019, and has served as Vice President since 2021.
