Blog Content
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1940s – New York City
Nov 15
If you lived or an ancestor lived in the different boroughs of New York City in the 1940s, you will want to look over the collection just placed by New York City Municipal Archives Online Gallery with over 900,000 images of places in the city. Most are photo images, other videos, maps, and audio recordings. Boroughs of the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manha...
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Ancestry Launches AncestryDNA Traits
Nov 15
Ancestry announced the launch of something new – AncestryDNA Traits. It is a fun and innovative way for you to further explore who you are and where you come from. AncestryDNA Traits is a new interactive experience that allows you to discover traits and attributes that are influenced by your DNA. You can explore up to 18 traits and attributes ...
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Surnames
Nov 13
One's family names / surnames are always interesting to research. Not only learning the origins of a surname, its original spellings or variations but especially if there were any notable or famous individuals who shared that surname in their ancestral lineage. Using the online 'Master Surname List' by Famous Kin site there might quite of few wh...
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Cloverdale Library Awarded FamilySearch Affiliate Status
Nov 13
Cloverdale Library is part of the Surrey Library system and is located in Surrey's historic town center. They have one of the largest Canadian family history collections. Cloverdale Library recently received Affiliate Library status from FamilySearch. FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have privileges to limited-access FamilySearch databases. Publ...
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Preserving Your Ancestor’s Efforts during WW One
Nov 11
How so important that all your ancestors be remembered but especially those who served during time of war? With the 100th anniversary – November 11th marking the end of 'The Great War' – the war to end all wars – it is a perfect time to do a special preservation about an ancestor who either served in the military or on the home front. The o...
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Hugs and Kisses
Nov 9
You surely have come across ancestor's letters and cards which had at least one or two 'X's' and 'Os' on them We all recognize those marks / symbols as 'hugs and kisses'. Yet, how did that practice or custom begin? The "X" on letters stands for 'kisses', which dates back to the Middle Ages (about 500 AD to 1500 AD) in Europe. Back then the practic...
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North Iowa Genealogy Society Leaving Public Library
Nov 7
The North Central Iowa Genealogical Society is moving out of the Mason City Public Library. The genealogical society has been in the library for nearly 40 years. According to the Globe Gazette, the library board and the genealogical society have been discussing its relocation for months. The Globe Gazette reported on October 23, 2018, that t...
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Outstanding Skills
Nov 7
When doing the research and investigating every lead about your ancestors you can strongly develop certain skills … almost 'outstanding' in levels. You usually will need a couple of this skills to be successful in your research. If you lack any specific skill, this is where you call in help from family and friends. Do not hesitate to ask, many pe...
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Civil War Diary
Nov 5
It is fascinating to read the pages written by a soldier in the field during the American Civil War (1861-1865), what were the hardships the had to endure. There are many of such diaries to survive over 150 years. However, you don't always hear of dairies from those on the home front, those women and their children and older citizens – what was t...
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Saving Today’s Digital Photos
Nov 3
You might have hundreds of digital photos (includes videos and documents) on your smartphone, tablet or a digital camera but are you preserving them for the years ahead? To help solve that problem, Google has created Google Photos management. Start with creating or use an existing Google Account (you may need to download an app for the tablet andr...
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Voting was Wild in the 1870s and 1880s
Nov 1
Think politics and elections are wild now in the 21st century, they were crazy wild in the 1870s and 1880s in America. Yet, roughly 30 to 40% today turn out to vote. The Federal mid-term elections for your ancestors back in the 1880s had roughly 80% of the voting public turned out – now that is only white and black men since the ladies still did...
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Ancestorville
Oct 31
Using the online auction and sale site of eBay is wonderful to possibility locating a lost family photo or heirloom. There is a similar site known as 'Ancestorville'. Debra Clifford as an antique dealer sees thousands of family photos all the time and knew there had to be a method to reunite these items with family members. So on the online site ...
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Wisconsin Databases
Oct 29
If you had an ancestor who lived or worked in Wisconsin or even one of the neighboring states to Wisconsin the range of databases could prove helpful. The Wisconsin Historical Society has online a large array of resources. There are a few dating to the 1600s but the majority are 1700s through the 20th century. You can searching using dates, county...
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Directory of Surnames
Oct 27
It is great to have at your fingertips a directory of information. Using the online source 'Genealogy Today' they have a listing of many family surnames. When you click on a specific surname there will be a listing of well-known individuals with that name and their life, and then a long list of directories with members names including the one you a...
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American Slang to Family Stories
Oct 25
As you gather information on your ancestors and even do a bit of writing short stories about a specific branch or relative, keep in mind the time period they lived in. You will include about historical events that may have affected their lives but one item you may have not thought of – the American slang phrases that ancestor used during their li...
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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 »
