As I read Pat Hatcher's article of 15 July 2004, “Why I Never Get Anything Done on Time,” I couldn't help but chuckle.

I have found that same curiosity in myself, and it frequently leads me astray. I'm like the Mrs. Kravitz of family history--always peeking from behind the curtain to see what was going on in my ancestors' neighborhood.

A couple weeks ago when I was writing my article on “Random Thoughts,” I found myself in a similar situation.

In the column, I mentioned that in the 1860 U.S. Federal Census at Ancestry.com, I found our Dooner family living in the same dwelling as Patrick McLoughlin and his family. Eliza Dooner, who was a widow by now, was listed as a grocer, as was Patrick. With my column out of the way, the next day I decided to pursue this lead while the Dooner details were fresh in my mind. Simple follow-up, right?

Not for me. I ended up spending the entire day wandering through online newspaper articles, local histories, census records, and anything else I could find. The next thing you know I was immersed in late-nineteenth-century Brooklyn politics. (Like we don't hear enough about politics these days!)

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