19th century

  • Old Maids Day

    Jun 4

    There seems to be a holiday or special day to recognize just about anything - so here is one ‘Old Maids Day’ on June 4th.  Where did this particular day get started, well in the United States. So what is an ‘Old Maid’ to have a such a distinctive day?  Many of your ancestors, especially females would readily known what an old maid was ...

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  • Using ‘GermanRoots’ Web Site

    May 31

    The web site, GermanRoots has a listing of many individuals and families who left different sections of Germany and resettled in other parts of the world; some in America, Canada, Australia or New Zealand. It is call emigration when a person selects to leave their homeland.  The records in the various databases can provide information on the perso...

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  • Connecticut in Pictures and Stories

    May 27

    This state might be small in land size and population, but Connecticut has been at the heart of most of America’s history through its diverse people. A free online collection titled ‘Connecticut History Online’ provides a digital of the land, its resources, its events and people. If you ever had any ancestors from Connecticut for the last 200...

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  • Database of Mormon Pioneers

    May 25

    A major emigration of settlers traveled across the Great Plains and into the Far West of the United States between 1847 and 1868 to help establish homes and new communities in the Salt Lake Valley. Most of these new arrivals were followers of the Church of the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) seeking a new land to live their lives and practice their rel...

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  • Surprises Going Through Old Newspapers

    May 19

    They may have been originally meant to be discarded once they were read, but having the availability of old newspapers, either in print or digital format, has proved to be a super resource in doing one’s family history.  The newspaper, from small town to the cities, has continued to serve as a window into the community, the state, nation and lif...

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  • Proof with Fraktur Family Records

    May 11

    For those ancestors of ours who settled in the 18th and 19th centuries in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia and Delaware, many were of a German and Swiss heritage, referred to as “Pennsylvania Dutch” or “Pennsylvania German”.  The term Dutch did not mean they were from Holland.  The ‘dutch’ term came from ‘deutsh’ which meant...

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  • Lost and Found Family Treasures

    Apr 29

    It is amazing how many of a family’s heirlooms; such as photos, journals, silverware, letters, samplers, Bibles, etc. can eventually belong to a collector, be in an antique shop, sold in an auction or in a yard sale. Fortunately, there are many individuals who have made it their mission to attempt to get such family artifacts - their ‘treasures...

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  • Sanborn Fire Protection Maps

    Apr 23

    One of the frequently used local type of maps for genealogists and historians over the years has been the Sanborn Fire Protection Maps. They were originally created back in the 1860s to assess buildings and homes before insurance companies issued fire protection policies. These carefully drawn maps have detailed information regarding the water ways...

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  • Old Maps of the World

    Apr 21

    As you have collected information on your ancestors, the places (towns, cities, counties, provinces, states and countries) they have lived in over the decades it can become a bit confusing, less of course your have a degree in geography.  Most people are usually unfamiliar with most locations outside of any places they have lived in themselves.  ...

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  • Using the British Newspapers

    Apr 13

    Many researchers have ties to the United Kingdom through their ancestors.  My father and his family came to America in 1912 from Manchester, Lancashire County, England. Some earlier branches of that family came even earlier, many in the 1880s. Once you know if you have some British lineage; with some names, dates and locations, using newspapers of...

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