Heritage
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Being Irish
Mar 17
On March 17th - St. Patrick's Day, many people like to be considered Irish to enjoy in the celebration of the day. This holiday -- St Patrick's Day is a global celebration of Irish culture on or around March 17. It particularly remembers St Patrick, one of Ireland's patron saints, who ministered Christianity in Ireland during the fifth century. Wi...
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Additional New Databases – Indiana
Mar 3
Again the Indiana Genealogical Society is making digital additional records to be online, this time info on Civil War soldiers and 8 Indiana counties. All of them are free to use. The Civil War data is from GAR - Grand Army of the Republic (Northern veterans) covering encampments meetings, officers and those members who had died at a specific date...
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Can’t Miss These Hints
Feb 13
Even the most seasoned family researcher can overlook certain clues that can prove to be of great assistance. Here are a few of such often overlooked bits of information that lead to greater details about your family. 1. You have a death certificate on an ancestor, but note at the bottom the person's name on the document who provided the info...
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Finding the Good and Bad in Newspapers
Feb 5
Using hometown or neighboring town's newspapers can provide a treasure chest of information which you might or otherwise wish you never knew. There are several newspaper subscription databases, just make sure they have the hometown, home county or at least neighboring towns and counties where your ancestors lived. Here is a library guide to many of...
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FamilySearch.org with 2,000 Collections
Jan 31
The free to use FamilySearch.org has a very long list of collections with all types of topics. Generally you think of searching starting with a family name (surname). How about trying with a location (hometown or home county) or a specific military period (Confederate Soldier 1861-1865). In many of the FamilySearch.org locations such as states or n...
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Ideas to Assist in Finding Ancestors
Jan 29
1. Ancestors may have used middle names. Check all various forms of given names and see if there were nicknames such 'Dick' for Richard in your search. 2. Check the mother’s maiden name, not everyone was born in wedlock. An ancestor may have used their mother's name only. 3. Perhaps your ancestor simply moved. Always try searching in a neighb...
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Search North Carolina Vintage Newspapers
Jan 27
If you have any ancestors who lived or passed through North Carolina you are in luck. The 'DigitalNC' site has a very full collection in digital format of newspapers from across North Carolina. What makes this unique, it has newspapers from small towns to larger cities but also from Student Newspapers. Those student papers include many high school,...
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Plotting the Direct Longevity of Your Ancestors
Jan 23
The following is a great idea to add your your family history, the longevity of your ancestors. Basically, an analysis to get a feel for the overall pattern of lifespan in a family going back two or three or more generations. Begin with your parents, if still living, then start with your four grandparents. You have to know when they were born and...
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Birth to Death and the Dash in Between
Jan 21
The following poem by Linda Ellis provides insight to the placement of a dash between a birth and death dates. “For that dash represents all the time“ that they spent alive on earth. And now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.” This is the reason families need the family tree, the family lineage and not just t...
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Vintage Greeting Cards
Jan 19
Not as popular as they once were with our ancestors, greeting cards from the past can provide you a bit of insight into the social aspects your ancestors were involved in. The Baltimore Collections online has the Enoch Pratt Greeting Card Collection containing over 71,000 items dating back to 1870. For just about any occasion, a greeting card was c...