United States

  • Railroads Across US

    Jul 29

    Travel for your ancestors really changed for the better on May 10, 1869. That was when the joining of the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroads was complete, making transcontinental railroad travel possible. The work began in 1862 and took 7 years to complete. Before that the train routes were piece-meal, plus taking stagecoaches,...

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  • Parcel Post Children

    Dec 5

    The short-lived event may not have affected your ancestors personally, but then again maybe it did. A major innovation came to the US Post Office system by the 20th century. They were now going to carry and deliver large parcels and packages through the US mail. Any package prior to the 20th century was handled and delivered by private ...

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  • Be a 2020 Census Taker

    Sep 11

    The United States Census will be done again in 2020. The United States Census Bureau is now taking applications and hiring individuals to assist in this major undertaking. There will be a variety of temporary jobs, including census takers, recruiting assistants, office staff, and supervisory staff all across the United States. Anyone age ...

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  • Canadian Military Files from the Great War

    Aug 15

    With the 100th anniversary of the end of the Great War (World War One – 1914-1918) in November, this is a great time to see about any ancestors who served – as a soldier, a nurse, telegraph operator, chaplain, vehicle driver, etc. Not all who served were fighting soldiers. Now online are the military files for those who served with the Canad...

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  • The Weather on a Specific Day

    Apr 26

    Wouldn't it be great to add some basic information about the weather in a certain location related to your ancestors a specific event – such as their birth? Using the chart of weather across the United States done by the Midwestern Region Climate Center, you can get an idea of weather condition the day an ancestor was born. Now it only goes back...

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  • List of Pastors and Ministers

    Apr 5

    What a great resource, a listing and information of pastors and ministers in the United States over the decades. With presently a listing online of 92,104 individuals, there are many to investigate. Not all pastors and ministers listed but quite a few for sure. The listing starts in letter order by surnames, but you can also do a search using spec...

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  • Vintage Photos of Places & People

    Feb 23

    From the Library of Congress, US National Archives and state archives, a map of the United States, outlining each state is accessible online to locate vintage photos from that state. The years begin in 1837, then to the mid-1840s, 1850s and beyond. Not every year is represented but as you move more towards the late 1800s and into the 1900s the numb...

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  • Regions of America

    Mar 15

      From Colin Woodard in his book "American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America" he sees that America is “our continent’s famed mobility has been reinforcing, not dissolving, regional differences, as people increasingly sort themselves into like-minded communities.” Woodard breaks the nation into 11...

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  • Mustard Gas

    Nov 9

      New data is becoming available, this time on US veterans who were exposed to mustard gas in experiments conducted by the United States during the 1940s. The information is coming from the Department of Veteran Affairs. The purpose of such testing was to see the physical effects on soldiers and how protective the use of special suits and mas...

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  • 1890 Census – Survivors

    Oct 9

      The U. S. Federal Census has been done every ten years at the beginning of each new decade. That was true for the June 1890 census. Only years later, in 1921 there was a massive fire in the building housing that 1890 census and most of the paper documents were destroyed - this long before digital copies became available. So how will you ev...

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