Blog Content
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Your Ancestors During the 1930s
Apr 13
Your ancestors may have lived or grown up during the 1930s in America. The 1930s was a period marked, unfortunately, by chaos and dismay. This was due to the Great Depression and the start of World War II at the closing of the decade. Despite this, there were still plenty of fascinating and fun occurrences that happened during this era and affecte...
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Study Confirms Basque “Genetic Singularity”
Apr 13
El Pais reported that researchers at Pompeu Fabra university (UPF) in Barcelona confirmed the “genetic singularity” of the Basques in Europe in the largest-ever study of almost 2,000 DNA samples. The investigation found this genetic difference only began to emerge 2,500 years ago in the Iron Age. The study was published in Current Biology....
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Victorian Letter Writing
Apr 11
Such a 'lost' art in the 21st century. But if you are fortunate to have hand-written letters handed down through the family, you truly have a treasure. Since there were very few if any telephones and telegraph messages were expensive, the best method to send messages and family information was via a hand-written letter mailed by the US post office...
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The Poodle Skirt of the 1950s
Apr 9
During the 1950s, a big fashion craze was popular – known as the 'poodle skirt'. You may or may not have heard of it but if you had ancestors (grandmothers, mothers, aunts, cousins) lived during the 1950s as young ladies or adults, – they knew of poodle skirts. The birth of these circle skirts creating volume were worn with layers of pettic...
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FamilySearch Community has a New Look
Apr 8
The FamilySearch Community has been updated with a new look, additional functionality, and navigation enhancements. Members of the FamilySearch Community can answer questions you may have, and you can help others by sharing what you know. Whether you need expert help, or want to connect with others who share your passion for family history, th...
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Civil War – Sanitary Fairs
Apr 7
It was dangerous and hard for a few years during the American Civil War of 1861-1865 for our ancestors. Many families of Union soldiers in the northern states helped the Federal troops who needed additional assistance with medical care and nutritious food that maybe the military was not able to provide. Those families got together and came up with...
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DNA Reveals America’s Mixed Race History
Apr 6
23andMe posted an article that was written by Elliot Aguliar, Ph.D, who is a scientific advisor for the Africa Center in New York City. He points out that America has not only been a multiracial nation but a nation of mixed-race people. In the article, Elliot Aquliar wrote: While the historical evidence can tell us that racial mixing happen...
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Maine’s State Archives
Apr 5
The state in the far northeast corner of the United States is Maine. It joined the United States on March 15, 1820, when there were about 298,000 citizens, so there is a long history. Its population in 2019 was about 1.3 million. If you had any ancestors, even branches to your family who lived any number of years in Maine, you will want to check o...
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Changes in High Heels
Apr 3
Still worn today, all ladies in America and other nations, have at least one pair of high heels. What has changed is the height of the heel and a mandate that wearing high heels was required. Shoes for ladies in the late 1800s and into early 20th century, had a medium height heel, nothing very tall especially with their wearing long dresses. ...
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Building Styles and Additions to Keep Witches Away
Apr 1
One cultural element that our ancestors had for years was that evil was broadly defined as coming from spirits, the devil, envious neighbors, witches, or other sources. People were superstitious and many believed that witches had supernatural powers and might live among them. That classic example were when neighbors in Salem, Massachusetts held tr...
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MyHeritage Updated Sweden Household Examination Books Collection
Apr 1
MyHeritage has updated their Sweden Household Examination Books collection by adding 19.35 million historical records from the years 1820 to 1839. The collection now contains 144.5 million records spanning the years 1820 to 1947. The Household Examination Books are the primary source for researching the lives of individuals and families thr...
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Open New Window on the World
Mar 31
You may well have ancestors from all over the globe or maybe just from one location. There is a new online site that takes you locations from around the world. It is known as 'Window Swap' and it just like it might sound, a view outside a window of places across the globe. Some of views can be tremendous, each click to see the next window view ...
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Homemaker Gadgets of the 1960s
Mar 29
Many of our female ancestors (mothers, grandmother and aunts) still remained at home as homemakers in the 1960s. Also in the 1960s came on the market, new and labor-saving devices for the homemaker. See if you remember any of these devices. The wall-mounted spice rakes or shelves. There were several same-sized containers all labeled to which th...
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Ancestral Breakfast Foods
Mar 27
It is fascinating what was eaten for breakfast by our ancestors, especially outside the home in the 1800s and early 20th century. You would think most ate at home and that would include: Many people lived in boarding houses or lodges and breakfast was not always available. They would then go to an establishment that served breakfast. In the ...
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Slinky
Mar 25
A piece of many of today's people's childhood was a special and unusual toy known as 'Slinky'. It was invented by a naval mechanical engineer, Richard T. James in Philadelphia. His original purpose was to stabilize instruments on ships using helical metal springs when products were shipped overseas. By accident, he knocked one of his springs off t...
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