ancestors

  • Birth Certificates

    May 3

    Having official birth certificates is a fairly new concept. Years ago, writing in the date and name of a baby born to the family was done in the family Bible on a special page. As government forms and requirements increase an official document of one's birth became necessary. This was especially true as 'child labor' laws came about – proof t...

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  • Traveling the Oregon Trail

    May 1

    Many of our ancestors traveled west, some just to the Indiana-Ohio territories, others to Missouri, to the Dakotas and some all the way to Oregon on the west coast. People traveling to Oregon came from many locations, the New England states, the southern states or areas of Tennessee and Kentucky, but took the established trail known as the 'Ore...

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  • Your Ancestors Mail Service – The Pony Express

    Apr 21

    America was expanding as our ancestors started moving westward in the 1840s. The only major problem was getting goods and products along with mail to these western outposts. If things were sent from the east to the west using a steamship it would be months arriving and then additional time to get to the family living somewhere out west. There was ...

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  • Heirloom Jewelry Boxes

    Apr 19

    Most of our female ancestors had some form of a container or box to place their jewelry, even if they only had a couple of pieces. Many people in recent years have loved to collect some of the vintage jewelry boxes used years ago. Especially popular are vintage jewelry boxes; some are hand-carved, others musical, and occasionally you’ll find ...

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  • Apple Cider

    Apr 17

    For the early settlers of the 1600s and 1700s to America, there was not always clean safe water to drink. Many instead turned to beer, such as the Pilgrims but it was difficult to grow wheat, rye and barley for brewing the beer. Another early English settler's beverage was cider. With apples growing very well in the New England region of Americ...

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  • 1960s Peace Symbol

    Apr 11

    The beginnings of well-known 'Peace Symbol' had its beginnings in 1958 by an anti-nuclear arms activist named Gerald Holtom, who was with the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in the United Kingdom. Holtom overlapped two symbols and surrounded them with a circle. The symbols were for 'N' – an inverted V shape and 'D' – a vertical line. ...

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  • Drive-In Theatres

    Apr 9

    Everyone remembers drive-in theatres, a few are still even operated across America today. The beginning of drive-in theatres was in Las Crusces, New Mexico on April 23, 1915. The location was an outdoor auditorium with seating for 700 but they also allowed cars to park on the grounds and view the movie “Bags of Gold' from the seats of the auto. ...

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  • Easter Hat Traditions

    Apr 7

    Our female ancestors always wore hats, styles that changed over the decades. Since about the 1970s and 1980s it has been much less a fashion statement for women to wear hats. One very traditional hat our female ancestors loved wearing was their finest 'Easter hat or bonnet', usually a nice new one worn to the Easter Sunday church services. W...

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  • A Barber’s Pole

    Apr 5

    It was a fact that back in the 1500s and earlier the large majority of people living across Europe could not read or write. So a business or shop had a problem with how to make a sign so the public knew what goods, products and services they offered. So many shopkeepers hung a metal emblem that was a symbol of their business or skill. For examp...

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  • April Fools’ Day – April 1st

    Apr 1

    This one day of the year has become the day you 'trust NO ONE' They will try to play a trick on you. Going back to Roman times, at the end of March. During a holiday called Hilaria, people participated in all kinds of games, processions, and masquerades. One of the most popular activities was for commoners to dress up as nobility to 'prank' peo...

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