20th century

  • Jello – Everyone Once Loved

    May 9

    Oh, the familiar Jell-O brand of gelatin. Everyone remembers Jell-O. But the idea of gelatin food items goes back to the Middle Ages in Europe. Gelatin was made from collagen, created by melting and filtering of pigs' ears and feet. Back then it was not an easy process, needed special equipment to heat, store and cool the gelatin. The finished gel...

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  • Photographic Postcards

    Mar 21

    There is available a rich resource to add to any family history. Once you identified the hometowns of various family branches and during which time frame they lived there, start searching for photographic postcards of that town, county or region. Include any notable references to any outstanding features such as a large mountain, a river, a large ...

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  • Vintage Costume Jewelry

    Dec 1

    You might have photos of your female ancestors (mothers, grandmothers, aunts and great grandmothers) wearing jewelry – might be gold or silver or it could be costume jewelry. If the time frame was the 1930s – 1960, there were many new techniques for producing a variety of costume jewelry that looked good. During those years all ladies wa...

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  • Slang Over the Decades – 20th Century

    Sep 27

    During the 20th century the various slang words have changed as the American culture and society have changed. Slang words are words and phrases that are regarded as very informal, are more common in speech than writing, and are typically restricted to a particular context or group of people. In the 1920s: Ritzy was something very fa...

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  • Vintage Hairstyles and Make-up 1920-1960s

    Sep 19

    Each decade had its own styles in clothing, hair and make-up. That is what makes it easier to identify a decade for a photograph by looking at hairstyles, clothing and make-up of the ladies. The flapper age of the 1920’s, the 1930’s Hollywood look, the pin-ups of the 1940’s, the golden glamour of the 1950’s, then the mod-look o...

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  • Life in 1900 was Strange

    Sep 15

    Wouldn't you like to be able to talk with any of your ancestors who lived as adults in 1900, some 120 years ago? Life was so different then, think of learning what their life was life, whether they lived in a city, town or farm. You could share with them all the advances in technology and the achievements of the descendants. Yet, one of t...

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  • No Such Job Anymore

    Aug 9

    Over the decades due to the advancement of technology many jobs were held by your ancestors (maybe even their whole life) that now no longer exist. Many jobs are extinct. As you work on the family tree especially reviewing the occupations listed on a census, there will be your clue, the name of the job and see if it still in more curre...

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  • Family Home by Sears – in the Mail

    Aug 7

    From the early dawn of the 20th century, the Sears & Roebuck Mail Order Catalog has been in most family homes. That is one item, the large 1,000 to 1,400 page catalog that would be in every home. Anything, clothing, telephone, sewing machine, tools, etc you could want that was manufactured at that time could be ordered from Sears using t...

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  • Your Ancestors Had Their Issues to Protest

    Jul 11

    Sometimes, especially during the Summer 2020, there are many things that have upset and frustrated Americans – race relations, police wrong-doings, wearing a facial mask, Presidential Rallies; business closures, social distancing, unemployment, Covid-19, beach closings, etc. Yet, all we need to do is look at our own past history to see Americ...

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  • How Did A Couple Meet?

    Mar 23

    Don't miss an opportunity to answer this family question. The best source is the couple themselves or at least one of the spouses. This should also be answered by yourself – the researcher, write of how you met your spouse. Even if a couple separated or divorced, the information on how they met should be noted. There can be some really i...

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