ancestors
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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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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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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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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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Family Tree Templates
Oct 23
The presentation is everything. Once you have gathered quite a few of ancestors on your family tree, you may want to start sharing and displaying those relatives on a family tree. True, you will still be gathering and correcting but it does give you the incentive to keep going once you see those names and dates in a nice displayed tree. So online ...
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Families and County Histories
Oct 21
Do you need another location previously not checked to learn more about your family? How about the hometown county history. Most (not all counties) in a variety of states have written up their county history. Well, a county's history is made up of its residents. So once you know a time frame and a hometown county for a family branch, you can start...
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Younger Generation Involved in Family Tree
Oct 19
It is thought that many people do not get involved or develop an interest in their family tree until they are in the 40s or older. Yet, here are a few suggestions to encourage or spark the interest of someone younger than 40 in their family history. Family Photos Scanned – the younger generation knows everything about computers and new technolog...