Apollo Beach resident Theresa L. McGoldrick is a descendant of John Alden and his wife, Priscilla Mullins-Alden, of the Mayflower. She learned about this historical connection in 2010, and this led McGoldrick to do in depth research on her family. It also led to the publishing of her book, Unspoken Words: A Descendant of Stillwater Pioneers Discovers Her Ancestors.
McGoldrick is an approved member of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. She is also a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Minnesota. When she moved to Florida in 2015, she became a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Florida.
McGoldrick explained, “Since I had so much information on my ancestors, due to several years of research, I decided to begin writing my book. My book took on a life of its own. It became more than just an ancestry book due to the snippets of newspaper articles I incorporated. Once I decided to write the book, I believe from start to finish it took about a one and a half years to write and publish.”
Unspoken Words: A Descendant of Stillwater Pioneers Discovers Her Ancestors is inspired by details found within newspaper articles, ancestry records and other genealogy sources. The book is infused with news, local events and stories stretching over 100 years. It all begins in the 1850s and follows the lives of three pioneer families and their descendants after their arrival in the logging and lumber town of Stillwater, Minnesota.
McGoldrick said, “I named my book Unspoken Words: A Descendant of Stillwater Pioneers Discovers Her Ancestors because of the way the ancestral records and very old newspaper articles I found on microfilm, at libraries, historical societies or online had silently spoke to me during my research about my family, their acquaintances and the goings-on in their towns and our country throughout the centuries and decades while they lived. That is why the designer of the cover put a background of a newspaper behind the picture of my great-great grandfather.”
As to genealogy and research, McGoldrick said, “For those people who really enjoy family history or history itself, I would recommend it. If they are not interested in doing full on ancestry research, I found vintage newspaper articles to be fascinating.”
You can find Unspoken Words: A Descendant of Stillwater Pioneers Discovers Her Ancestors online at Barnes & Noble and on Amazon.
