Nov 13
At first glance you might think such a movie title is just perfect for anyone interested in family history. Even though it is set in contemporary times it does offer some similar complex events faced by many of our ancestors or ourselves in parallel situations. True, this is a Hollywood movie starring George Clooney, but it is a family story o...
Nov 12
In a recent article and book written by Mark Whitaker, CNN’s managing editor, he covers about his own search for his family’s history. He compared his family members, like all other individuals from anyone’s family, as ‘characters in a drama.’ Learning there is truly a distinctive element in every family story; Mark stated that all ...
Nov 10
With the National Veterans Day celebrations annually on November 11th, it is time to may sure that you have identified any military veterans on your family tree. First, become knowledgeable of when the United States was engaged in any war. There is a good timeline and explanation of military operations online with wikipedia. This includes the y...
Nov 8
Everyone needs some instruction when either learning a new skill, activity or trying to advance their knowledge. In doing your own family history; learning how and what are the best methods is also very important. There are numerous books, online sites and classes where genealogical skills can be perfected. Most of the local genealogical soci...
Nov 6
If you have any ancestors who lived along the central California coast from the mid-1800s to the end of the 20th century, you will want to check out a massive collection of photos placed online by California Views. Most of the images in their archives are from the central coastal region, especially in the Monterey district. However, they have a...
Nov 4
The mighty Ohio River flows alongside the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. This city which looks south into Kentucky was first settled in 1788 and formally became a city in 1819. With the advent of steam navigation on the Ohio River in 1811 and the building of the Miami and Erie Canal, the city witnessed a tremendous growth. It developed quickly, with...
Nov 2
Never think there is by no means nothing new that can be learned about our ancestors, they can literally be full of surprises. Bits and pieces about events can spring toward in the most unusual places. With the 21st century Internet technology, finding some of those previously unknown occurrences can become easier. A recent example was an 8 ½...
Oct 31
So many family researchers have ancestors who were part of the American Civil War (1861-1865) that we are always looking for new and additional resources to help confirm or provide new information about those soldiers who served. The FamilySearch web site had just added recently many new records, free to the public. There are now millions of new ...
Oct 29
Wouldn’t it be great to come across a letter written by a great grandfather that no one in the family had any idea existed? That is a possibility with the online site titled Canadian Letters and Images Project. Through the donation of family members, researchers and even strangers who have come across orphan letters and photos, the project lea...
Oct 27
The western-central portion of the Great Britain is known as Wales and many people have ancestors who originated from this region. Wales has actually been joined to England politically for over 475 years, so the English and Welsh relationship is very close. This mostly mountainous landscape has approximately three million people today. In rese...
Oct 25
The United States Military branches have tried over the decades to fulfill a commitment to bring every single American soldier back home, even those killed in battle. Yet, over the 20th century with the many wars, it was not always possible. So special cemeteries, considered American property, were constructed on foreign soil for those fallen sol...
Oct 24
One of the most useful genealogical resources for over a decade has been the many volunteers from across the United States in all locations associated with the online site “Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness” (RAOGK). These local volunteers took email requests from people across the country needing assistance obtaining documents from an ances...
Oct 23
For anyone having ancestors from and around Saline County in Kansas there is an enthralling database in PDF format online. In transcript form are written out in alphabetical order the surname and given name for each person who died in Saline County for which a coroner was requested to help explain why the person died. Saline County, founded in 1858...
Oct 21
Yes, that would be a great find, locating a school yearbook photo or even a write-up about an ancestor from their school days. Not all yearbooks have photos -- that additional aspect mainly came during the early 20th century. However, yearbooks and similar school memory books, journals, class rosters or alumni lists have been available since the ...
Oct 19
The state government of North Dakota has made investigating about any possible death record on an ancestor in that state much easier. On the site North Dakota Public Death Index there is a simple search box. Just two items have to be included. One is the surname of the individual you are looking for and a death date range. On the surname you m...