In casting around for a July 4 post, I thought it might be interesting to see which (if..

[Author's note: These blog posts originally appeared in Vita Brevis between December 2017 and February 2018.]

To..

[Author’s note: This blog post originally appeared in Vita Brevis on 29 April 2014.]

In December 1648, Lucy (Winthrop) Downing sent her nephew John² Winthrop a letter full of family news: her husband, Emmanuel Downing, had been at the birth of John’s baby half-brother,..

Sometimes one loses perspective on one’s researches, so when I say that the identity of Master James Livingston, a younger son of the 4th Lord Livingston, is a problem for the ages – a quandary for which many await resolution – I..

[Author's note: This blog post originally appeared in Vita Brevis on 10 May 2019.]

Sunday night's interview with Oprah Winfrey included statements by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their son Archie's title usage. As I note in the post, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor..

On occasion I look around my living room, at the lovingly collected and curated family photos on (almost) every flat surface, and wonder how I will pass along the identifying information on the subjects. (No unidentified photos for..

A new year offers a new chance to look at old problems with a fresh eye – and to consider fresh methods for breaking through well-established brick walls. Here is a chance to put the word out: What are your..

[Author's note: Part One appears here.]

In July, Tamura Jones collated..

As we reach the end of this extraordinary year – one marked by titanic public stresses and private losses – it is time to review a few of the blog posts that appeared in Vita Brevis in 2020. Most posts, of course,..

If A is the son of B, and C is the grandson of B, and C’s father is D and mother is E, then how is E related to A…?

In addition to the main allied families in the Livingston project — Douglas of..