history
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Life Histories Preserved
Jun 7
During the American Depression of the 1930s, the Federal government, under the Works Projects Administration, helped employ many people, especially those with specific skills. One of those type were writers, those individuals who could interview a person in depth and write their life story. This government funded program not only gave jobs to ...
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Is There A Civil War Veteran in Your Tree?
May 28
The American Civil War, 1861 to 1865, was one of America’s most bloodiest conflict with brother against brother in many cases. For genealogical researchers it also today one of the most fascinating aspect of looking for ancestors; to see who served on which side and what happened. In beginning any such journey, first list those known ancestors...
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Historical Photos – The Times of Your Ancestors
May 2
The essence of photos is that they help capture a moment in time. That piece of an event, a person, a location is forever 'frozen' in time with just a photograph. Before the wide-spread use of photos in the 1860s, there were some daguerreotypes, but for the most part those historical moments were expressed by illustrations, artwork and drawings. ...
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Post-Mortem Photos
Mar 22
If you have some old photos lying around, there is a chance that you could have some post-mortem photos lying around as well. Today, taking photos of the deceased seems like a strange and very weird thing to do. However, how often have you seen people pull out cameras at a funeral? I would say it happens fairly often. Our society seems to have made...
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Bird’s-Eye View Using Panoramic Maps
Mar 13
One of the overlooked collections held at the U. S. Library of Congress with their American Memory section are hundreds of panoramic maps of towns and cities across the United States and four Canadian provinces. They range from 1847 to 1929. Some of the maps are artworks drawn showing the streets and buildings of a town. Key landmarks and buildings...
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What Was There – Photos and Maps Linking Past and Present
Mar 7
Do you have an old photo of a home, building or structure and ever wonder what is there now? The online site 'What Was There' helps you find an answer to that question. There is a long list of locations, most within the United States, but some from Scotland, England, The Netherlands and France to select from. Once a place is selected, click on ...
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Saving A Piece of History for Future Generations. Four Resources.
Oct 18
A family historian is always on the lookout for any photo, document, vital record, letter, or receipt that helps piece together the threads of life about an ancestor. Besides checking with other family members, including some newly located distance cousins, one never knows where the next fascinating old photo or letter might surface on the Internet...