ancestors
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California Court Records
Oct 19
You may not have thought of checking about your ancestors using county court record, but it could prove to be a good resource. Court records can deal with criminal and civil cases and including probate court. A good deal could be learned on relatives and properties of an ancestor this way. A good place to start is the online site 'California Cou...
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Pacific Coast Newspapers
Oct 17
An assortment of newspapers is still one of the best methods to uncover new information on ancestors. Just about everyone had their name in the local newspaper sometime in their life. Birth, marriage and death announcements are the most frequent, but also just everyday happenings. The purchase of property, a new business opened up, the illness...
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The Sinister Side
Oct 15
Sometimes people are worried they may find a 'black sheep', 'a skeleton in the closet' or some other shocking or upsetting information about an ancestor. This is sometimes referred to as finding the 'dark side' or 'sinister side' of the family tree. A few of such shocking news can be that your ancestors owned slaves, killed a person, was married...
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That One Family Photo. Family History shared.
Oct 13
Generally every family history researcher has at least "one" very special photograph of a specific ancestor. It could be a great uncle, a second cousin, or your youngest brother. It is a photo by itself that speaks volumes about the person's life and character to anyone who sees it. It can make a person say 'Wow!' What a super gift, if you selecte...
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Oct. 18th – Find-A-Grave
Oct 11
Locating that ancestor's headstone can be quite rewarding, with information you might not have known before, along with nearby graves of other relatives. You can't always go directly to a family hometown to visit the cemeteries. The next best thing is to use the 'Find-A-Grave' site online. Here people have take the time to photograph headstones in...
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Advertisements & Ancestors
Oct 9
Using vintage newspapers is great for locating an obituary on an ancestors, a good deal can be learned. However, generally the information from an obit was supplied by someone else - spouse, relative or friend. An another idea is to research in those family hometown or county vintage newspapers are advertisements. These were put in by the indivi...
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Vintage Book & Publication Images
Oct 3
There is more to knowing your ancestor's past besides their names, dates, and hometown. Many enjoyed reading books, magazines, newspapers and special publications; several of which had illustrations, drawings and photos. Even if you had an ancestor who couldn't read, they did enjoy looking over those drawings and photos of people, events and places...
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Props in Photos – Real Life?
Oct 1
When gathering, scanning then labeling your vintage photos, don't always believe everything in a photo, especially those before and just after the beginning of the 20th century. It was quite common to have one's portrait or a group family photo taken by a photographer and props were added. There might be a radio in the scene, but the family didn't...
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Heart Breaking Photos of 1930s-40s
Sep 29
As part of the economic recovery forged by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, professional photographers were sent across the United States to record on photo film the life, events, conditions and spirit of Americans during the 1930s. Since the beginning of the Great Depression, the end of 1929, people across the country had a rough time just putting...
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Let Me Ask You This, Grandma
Sep 27
Stop - Make the Time to ask certain family related questions of your parents and grandparents before it becomes to late. However, there is a right way to approach a relative so they don't feel overwhelmed. First, they may not feel like talking about themselves - being modest is a big factor. So start slow and do have patience. Always explain why...