Archive Pages
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52 Weeks of Ancestors
Jan 8
Would you like some motivation that would make your genealogy research a bit more exciting? Sometimes, all it takes is a set of pre-planned goals that several people are doing at the same time to make that happen. You can get a weekly “prompt” from the No Story Too Small website. The project is called “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks”. The 2015...
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Skills Your Great Grandparents Had That You Don’t
Jan 6
It seems like every generation laments about how little the younger generations know. In general, this complaint is about the skills that the older generations learned and the younger generations don't know how to do. There are several skills that your great grandparents had that you probably have no idea how to do. Writing Letters Today, peo...
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What are your Genealogy Resolutions?
Dec 24
The end of the year inspires people to make some New Year's Resolutions. People who love genealogy can make some genealogy resolutions instead. What would you like to accomplish in the upcoming year? Take the time to write down some of your genealogy related goals. Doing so is the first step towards accomplishing them. What should your new genea...
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The History of the Fruitcake
Dec 22
There are foods and drinks that are associated with Christmas. Many look forward to candy canes, Christmas cookies, and egg nog. Very few people will openly share that they like fruitcake. This could be due to the fact that fruitcake is something that people joke about avoiding. Would a fruitcake seem more valuable if people knew the history of...
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How Fashion Helps Put Dates on Photos
Dec 18
Every photo has its own mystery. Who are the people in the photo? Where was it taken? What year was it taken in? These are the questions that genealogists need to find answers for when they go through boxes of old family photos. It turns out that fashion can help you discover how old a particular photo is. Fashion is definitely something ...
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The History of Christmas Cards
Dec 16
Have you finished sending out all your Christmas cards? Sending Christmas cards out to family and friends is an longstanding tradition. As such, many of us take the time (and spend the money) to send a Christmas card to a long list of people. Some of them may be people we don't even connect with at any other time if the year. Have you ever wondered...
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Happy Genetics Starts With Unexpectedly Healthy People
Dec 10
Genealogists sometimes discover that a certain disease or condition “runs in their family”. Often, people choose to have their DNA tested because they have reason to be concerned about developing the disease that their relatives had. There is a more positive way to view DNA testing. It is referred to as “happy genetics” and it involves l...
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History of the Polaroid Camera
Dec 8
The things that you grew up with, and look back upon with nostalgia, are probably foreign objects to your children. The games you played outside with the kids in your neighborhood have been replaced by video games (played with kids across the world). Today, teens get out their smartphones so they can take “selfies”. They might not quite underst...
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Search for Newspaper Recipe Contests
Dec 4
Want to learn more about your female ancestors? There is a resource that you may have been overlooking. This is understandable, considering the fact that this particular resource is not one that has been put online in one place for you to dig through. What you need to look for is the recipe contests from old newspapers. Your ancestor might have...
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The History of the Snowman
Dec 2
Do you want to build a snowman? Many of you have had the opportunity to build a snowman when you were children. Your relatives, who taught you how to build one, learned it when they were kids. It turns out that the snowman has a longer history than you might have realized. You may have spent time building snowmen during the winters when you w...