Dec 14
By the early 1900s there was a sharp decline in diphtheria and influenza. With use of vaccination, smallpox was much less a threat. Areas were being cleaned up. The medicine sciences were learning the causes and treatments for some diseases. Yet, there would still be some major pandemics. In Hawaii and then San Francisco the citizens suffered a...
Dec 12
When an epidemic of an infectious disease kills thousands of humans across vast regions it is referred to as a ‘pandemic’. It is far less common in the world in the 21st century, however throughout history in every location in the world our ancestors could find themselves in the midst of a pandemic. By understanding some of these regional and...
Oct 23
For anyone having ancestors from and around Saline County in Kansas there is an enthralling database in PDF format online. In transcript form are written out in alphabetical order the surname and given name for each person who died in Saline County for which a coroner was requested to help explain why the person died. Saline County, founded in 1858...
Sep 15
The nation of The Netherlands in Western Europe has been keeping records of births, marriages and deaths since 1811, which is 200 years. Online is an excellent database in digital form of transcribed records. The site is titled: Genlias. They continue to add new information to the site, including records from the various Dutch colonies; like the...
Aug 2
The state of Michigan has made available online actual images of Michigan death certificates for the family history researcher. The site known as Seeking Michigan which is a take-off the state motto; “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.” SPECIAL NOTE: That site as of July 2012 appears not to be functioning. There remains the Mi...
Jun 23
During the 19th century thousands of people were attracted to the growing city of San Francisco on the west coast of California. Many came from the eastern half of the United States, from European or Asian countries. The area became a true melting pot of individuals. Even after the great earthquake of April 1906, there were vast numbers of people...
Oct 18
Social Security Records and the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) are great resources for investigating about your more recent ancestors. It was August 1935, when the first Social Security applications were filled out in the United States. The cards with a person’s name and social security number were then issued in early 1936. Years later socia...