Blog Content
-
Thanksgiving Day
Nov 25
The first Thanksgiving was actually a feast to celebrate the end of the harvest season. The harvest festival lasted four days. The Plymouth Colony did not repeat its harvest celebration in coming years. The idea of a national Thanksgiving began to gain interest in the 18th & 19th centuries in America. It took a while to get the Plymouth set...
-
400th Anniversary of Thanksgiving
Nov 23
It was in the fall season of 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Native Americans shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. During the voyage to America in 162...
-
Ladies Keeping Beautiful in the 1940s
Nov 21
There were strict methods of maintaining a lady's beauty during the 1940s. That would be your mother, aunt or grandmother's era. For example, bathing (mostly a bath vs a shower) was done frequently, but many women only washed their hair once or twice a week. But many also only washed their hair once every two weeks. The all-important bathing ca...
-
Children’s Little Golden Books
Nov 19
You may have read these classical children's books, or your parents and even grandparents. They proved to be just the right length of words and content to keep a young child – age 3-7 interested. The Little Golden Books were easy to spot with their shiny spines of gold. These books were first published in 1942 by Western Publishing. There wer...
-
Ladies and Men Died Due to Fashion Style
Nov 17
There have been some of the weirdest and most lethal fashion trends over the decades that ultimately led to the death of many ladies and men. One of the worst was the wearing of the corset – an undergarment of the 1800s, that women always wore. Think of the scene in “Gone with the Wind” where Scarlett was getting laced up in her corset to...
-
Dominoes
Nov 15
The popular game of Dominoes originated in China in the 1300s. They allow for a variety of games while testing skill and patience. The markings on dominoes are called pips – these originally represented the results of throwing two six-sided dice. However, in the United States today, European dominos are usually played with. These differ from the...
-
Children as Warriors
Nov 13
Many youngsters in their childhood have pretended to be warriors, hunters, soldiers, cowboys, etc. Yet, in reality, there were many children who really did serve in the military in some form. Here are some cases, they might be similar to one of your ancestors. In the sailing vessels of long ago, space below deck was limited. So in a battle with...
-
1920s – New and Exciting
Nov 11
As you work on your family tree, remember it is NOT just about collecting names, dates and places – it is also your ancestors' stories – their life. True that can be difficult if there is no one who knew your ancestors, or any written records or newspaper articles. However, if you do know the decade they lived as young adults, raising a family...
-
Favorite Foods in 1950-1960s
Nov 9
Most people today grew up in America during the 1950s and 1960s – what an era. One thing most people remember is the foods they ate or that were favorites. Here is a look back at some of the favorite foods from the 1950s-1960s, see if you do agree they were good., usually home made. Check also with other family members, especially older ones....
-
Men’s Changing Facial Hair Since 1800s
Nov 7
Over the recent centuries, the style and amount or lack of facial hair on men have changed greatly. Just look at family photos of male ancestors. I just located one of my great grandfathers in the 1870s and he had quite a full beard and another photo in 1890 a very trimmed beard. Besides beards, men's styles had elaborate sideburns and mustaches. ...
-
Life of House Servants Years Ago
Nov 5
For those who could afford it, many family households had one or more house servants to do the daily chores. It offered many men and women an opportunity to make a living and sometimes even a place to live. This was more common in the 1800s and into the early 1900s. The larger a home’s staff in numbers, the more prestigious it was for the fam...
-
Roller Skates
Nov 3
The ever-popular roller skates for youngsters and adults had to start slowly to be what they became later. Roller skates were first invented in 1735 by a Belgian man named John Joseph Merlin. He famously introduced his wheeled shoes at a London party, and the skates had no brakes, he then crashed into a mirror. In 1819, a man named Monsieur Petitb...
-
Candy Corn
Nov 1
A special autumn treat for years has been 'candy corn'. Yet, how did this favorite for generations get started? It dates back to the 1880s, so your great, great grandparents. It began with George Renninger, who worked at the Wunderlee Candy Company, who invented it. The Wunderlee company started manufacturing the candy. Bu 1898 candy corn was p...
-
Tin Can Camps
Oct 31
After the 'Great War' aka World War One, and the Spanish Flu, Americans, including your ancestors, were ready for a change. One of the big items many Americans did was purchase an automobile. In 1921 there were 10 million autos on the road. Individuals and families now enjoyed traveling, going hundreds of miles away from home – they became Ameri...
-
Snack Foods From 1910s – 1970s
Oct 29
Everyone has their favorite snacks, even your great grandparents had their favorites. These indulgences are a special treat, something to eat before the bigger daily meal, or a quick pick-me-up. Having snacks has not changed, just which snacks are the most favored at a certain era. Still, a favorite is Oreo Cookies, which came on the market in ...
Search Blog
Search Surnames
More Resources
Genealogy 101
The study of birth, marriage and death records to discover family relatives. more »
Genealogy Dictionary
Definitions for the most common terms and expressions for the field of Genealogy. more »
Genealogy Site Reviews
Reviews of top genealogy and family tree sites, with feature comparisons. more »
