He's Here! Meet Zane Francis Kaplan
In the early morning of November 20, 2021 after a casual 35 hours of labor (you’d better believe I’m not leaving that detail out), Dan and I welcomed our little Zane Francis Kaplan into the world.
War is Hell
In honor of Veteran's Day, I thought I would share this poem written by my grandfather Frank in a foxhole in France during World War II.
My Cousin David
A few years ago I got very interested in genealogy and ended up connecting with a distant Dzenawagis cousin I discovered through the powers of the internet. She shared a lot of interesting information with me, but what I loved the most was what she told me about the meaning of our shared surname.
My Parents on 40 Years of Marriage
This October, my parents, John & Donna (O’Connell) Dzenawagis, celebrate 40 years of marriage. Since I’ve become the unofficial family historian, I thought it would be a good opportunity to document the story of how they met, their wedding, and get their thoughts on the highs (and lows) of the 40+ years that they’ve spent together
This St. Patrick’s Day, A Toast to My Grandfather, “The Wild Irishman”
This St. Patrick’s Day, in honor of my Irish grandfather, Francis Stevens Joseph O’Connell, I’d like to share an article that was written about him many years ago.
Aunt Carrie
There are moments in all of our lives when everything changes like that. The moments when you physically feel a shift occur. When the pieces fall out of place. When the ground drops from underneath you.
Dzenawagis Genealogy Part 3: Ancestry DNA Test Results
A few posts ago I wrote about how I recently decided to take Ancestry.com's DNA test. I've been using the site for a while now, building out my family tree, sorting through old census documents and public records to expand on the family history that I've been taught all my life.
One and the Same
Last weekend when I was home visiting my parents on the Cape, I asked if they could pull out their old duffel bag of family photos so I could go through them. I loved rifling through this bag when I was a kid and I still love to as an adult.
Easter at Grammy’s
Since my grandmother died two years ago, Easter has become a sort-of a "non-holiday" to me. Grammy Helen was the matriarch of our family, the one who hosted every single holiday at her house without fail—even when she was well into her 90s.
Dzenawagis Genealogy Part 2: In Search of my Polish Great-Great Grandparents
A rumor started going around my family on Christmas Eve a few years back that there might be some Jewish heritage in our historically Catholic family tree. No one seemed to know the details, or if there was actually any validity to it, but it certainly peaked my interest (being as my husband is Jewish), so I told everyone that I’d get to the bottom of it.
Dzenawagis Genealogy Part 1: The Baseline
I come from a family where our heritage was discussed often—and with much pride, might I add. Yes, I’m American first and foremost—3rd generation to be exact, but I grew up knowing that in addition to being American, that I was also half Polish (from my father’s side), and a quarter Italian and a quarter Irish (from my mother’s side).