Jul 4
An early form of 3D images were called 'stereoscopic photos'. Using two images next to each other and then viewed through lens in a special stereoscopic viewer, you see the photo with great depth, almost as if you were right there in person. These stereoscopic photos became very popular in the 1850s and through the 1910s. They served as a great m...
Jul 2
Our ancestors had a few unusual jobs, most which were very manual laborers. Of course the name for some of those jobs are even stranger. The following are some of names or titles of positions, many of which no longer exist in most of the developed nations of the world today. For instance there was a Lardner' an official in charge of pig food. T...
Jul 1
Joseph Groff of Frederick, MD, at age 40 enlisted on August 20, 1861 as a 1st Lt. of Co. "B" 1st Potomac Home Brigade of the Maryland Infantry Regiment of Union volunteers. After serving at Harper's Ferry, by February 10, 1863 he was given the rank of captain. End of June 1863 -- The First Regiment Potomac Home Brigade of Maryland lead by Colone...
Jun 30
The type of pose our ancestors did in our treasured photographs of them, can be an indication of the period of that photo. With some of the earliest photos done during the 1840s there is a variety of poses, from sitting in a sitting in a chair to standing. The person having a photo made would have to hold still for several minutes so they needed so...
Jun 28
Looking over World War II history and our ancestors, many people would think of Germany, Italy, Japan, USA, England and France. However, being a 'world war' there were many other nations involved. One such was the nation of Finland, a Scandinavian country near Sweden and Norway. For this country of Finland they actual divided that war period into t...
Jun 26
Our mothers, grandmothers, great aunts have come a long way in the number and types of occupations available to women over the decades. However, even in 2013 there are still some positions very limited in numbers due to them still being male dominated - example being professional horse racing jockeys. To better know some of the types of occupati...
Jun 24
This summer, beginning in July, a new genealogical show will be filmed which combines the popular Antiques Roadshow shown on PBS with the growing interest in family history research. The new television show, starting during the fall lineup, also to be shown on PBS, is named 'Genealogy Roadshow'. The show producers will be filming in Detroit, Michig...
Jun 22
The numerous Michigan genealogical societies have worked for years putting together the microfilmed death ledgers for the state of Michigan, made them digital and placed them online. They started with the years 1867-1884 creating some 170,000 records. Then the years 1885-1897 were added. You can research the index for any Michigan death record usi...
Jun 20
Someone may have researched and written a family tree and / or history in the 1800s or early 1900s. How would you ever locate such a tree or family book? The FamilySearch.org has some 40,000 written publications of family history books in digital form online at their site. If you have not reviewed the listing in awhile, you will need to see what i...
Jun 18
The medical profession has changed greatly over the last 200 years. Doctors' knowledge of the human body and diseases has increased and that includes changes to the names for certain medical conditions and diseases. So when you see a term for an illness an ancestor suffered or died from, you do need some explanation of what that old-time term might...
Jun 16
You are searching on the Internet, doing research relating to your family history. You come across a photo, document, record, postcard, something that you would like in digital format. If you are not already familiar there are a couple methods to keep a copy of what you just found. First thing is to make a note of site you found the item. Was i...
Jun 14
The 'Show Me State' is Missouri in the heartlands of the America. This area became one of the major settlements for frontier pioneers in the 1830s to 1850s. You could easily have numerous ancestors who lived in Missouri at one time or another. To assist those researching the State of Missouri has many of their archives in digital form and online...
Jun 12
You might think you can't write the family history, but really you can, the key is to start simple. The main purpose is to get the information (names, dates, places, events) down in some written form. Yes, you have the family tree, but remember your family history is much more than names and dates. You really need to preserve the events, accomplis...
Jun 10
Over the last 20 to 30 years resources have greatly improved for providing documents, records and photos of events surrounding the Holocaust. Most important to any researcher would be the families and individuals who were directly affected by the Holocaust during the 1930s and 1940s. Not just those sent to concentration camps, but included are thos...
Jun 8
Your great aunt was named Katherine, yet many of the documents and records you are examining will have Kathy, Kath, Cathy or Kat. Our ancestors used several different forms for their given names. Sometimes because they didn't like the full formal name and would rather have it shorter. Other times whoever was writing down information for a document ...