I'm just a regular guy living in Boston who makes his living at one of the nation's highest-ranked health care plans.

I got into genealogy research a dozen or more years ago. Probably like you, I've devoted hours to this hobby. Many of those hours I've spent searching archives at the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS). Countless more sequestered in libraries and government archives, sitting at dark microfilm readers looking records from old newspapers, the LDS church, and surfing the Internet from home. I have interviewed family members and collected huge ring binders of research.

My ODP Hobby

My husband Dave teasingly calls my ancestors my "ODPs," my Old Dead People — as in "Owings is glued to the computer playing with his ODPs this afternoon." Dave also once remarked that my hobby isn't really genealogy research, but instead "typing." For years, I would go to the NEHGS library each Wednesday evening after work, making reams of photocopies. Then for the next week, I would spend hours seeking out connections, highlighting the pages and typing (...and typing and typing...) the information I'd found into my genealogy software.

Lately, we've been making day trips to New England area cemeteries to photograph ancestor's headstones. You'll find those gravestone photos on this site as well.

Putting 19,500 ODPs (Old Dead People) On-Line

Several years ago, Dave convinced me to allow him to put my years of research online and to augment the genealogical records with family photos and histories. After years in the corporate and advertising agency worlds, Dave now designs and builds web sites for companies and individuals through his own firm, ARCLIGHT WEB DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT. He is responsible for designing and implementing this site. Please feel free to contact him for more information about what he can do for you.

What's also cool is that as Dave has helped get my research on line, he's becoming curious about his own family. He's figuring out that genealogy is a great puzzle, making connections with small clues. And it's about history and how people lived.

What's on This Site

On the Site Navigation bar, you'll find a link to WHAT'S NEW, an updated list of information, photographs and documents that I've added to this site in the last 90 days. You'll also be able to search or browse my database. I especially recommend you try the PEDIGREE feature (available from any individual record). It presents a graphical, navigable view of any person's family tree.

Ancestors or relatives with unusual or particularly rich stories are featured on the STORIES, HISTORIES & SCANNED DOCUMENTS page. Like Mary Bradbury or Mary Osgood, both convicted Salem witches. Or Anne Bradstreet, an early American poetess. Or 6th great-uncle Nathaniel Thurston who buried 6 young wives (the seventh outlived him). Or learn about the link between Wallis Warfield Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, and outlaw brothers Frank and Jesse James.

Contact Me

If you have information you think I'd be interested in, or want information from me — or heck, if you just want to chat or ask a question — you can reach me at or by clicking this CONTACT ME link.

Have fun, and good research to you!

Owings Stone
Boston, Massachusetts

Owings Stone
Summer 2004

Contact Me

Colophon

I have conducted years of both primary and secondary research to assemble the genealogy information presented on this web site. I've done much of my research at the NEW ENGLAND HISTORIC GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY (www.newenglandancestors.org) in Boston.

Images with a source of Owings Stone original photograph are ones I've taken. Other photos are credited with their individual sources.

The database containing this site's genealogy data is powered by THE NEXT GENERATION OF GENALOGY SITEBUILDING software by Darrin Lythgoe. TNG is inexpensive, powerful software to create a database-driven web site such as this one.

Web site designed and implemented by Dave Manley at ARCLIGHT WEB DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT which offers individuals and small businesses affordable, fast, service-oriented web site design and development. Click on the ARCLIGHT WEB logo to learn how ArcLight Web can help you develop your web site. Or email Dave at to learn how he can build a site for you.

This web site is hosted by ATOF.NET. Atof offers affordable, highly-reliable web hosting plans that include the PHP and MySQL support that the TNG software uses.

Copyright © 2004-2008 Owings Stone. All rights reserved.

Site developed by Dave Manley at ArcLight Web Design and Development
using The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding software by Darrin Lythgoe.