military

  • Women’s History Month

    Mar 7

      There are several federal governmental agencies and museums honoring America's women during March. From the Library of Congress, the National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Besid...

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  • Symbols on Arlington National Cemetery Headstones

    Jan 29

      Whether you have any ancestors buried at Arlington National Cemetery or just have toured this magnificent place outside of Washington, D. C.; you might not have been aware of the different sections of the cemetery and especially the meanings behind the symbols on the white headstones. The military issued headstone does list the name of the...

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  • National Hat Day

    Jan 15

    Today, January 15th is the unofficial recognition of people wearing hats. It is not done as much as once, when it was the only acceptable thing to do for men and women. Of course, there are many reasons over the decades our ancestors wore hats. Hats may be worn for safety and protection, religious reasons, ceremonial reasons, warmth or fashion...

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  • Veterans Day

    Nov 11

    It was the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 when an armistice was signed ending the 'Great War', the war to end all wars. However, as we know from history, that name would later become World War One. In 1921, was when an unknown World War I American soldier was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. It would become known offic...

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  • Info in World War One Draft Cards

    Aug 29

    With Europe at war during what was called 'The Great War' beginning in 1914, America felt it needed to be prepared to expand their army if called on. So a special draft registration form was created for males born from September 11, 1872 to September 12, 1900. It didn't matter if they were born in a different country, if they were living in Ameri...

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  • Massachusetts ‘Dough-boys’

    Jul 19

    The term 'dough-boy' goes back to the Mexican-American War of the 1840s and referred to young men who left their schooling to join the Army and later had dust (like flour dough) all over them from marching in the dry lands of Texas into Mexico. It became very popular term to refer to any soldier in the Army or in the Marines during World War I. B...

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  • Canadian Soldiers – WW I

    Jun 5

    The Library and Archives of Canada have updated and placed additional scanned military registration forms for the soldiers who served during World War I (1914-1918) to their database. If you had searched before, try again. Many of the forms completed were Volunteers for the Canadian Expeditionary Force and questioned at the place of enlistment t...

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  • Memorial Day 2015

    May 25

    Monday, May 25th is a Federal holiday, Memorial Day, but more important it that time set aside to remember the American soldiers over the decades who gave their lives in defense of the United States. This observation, first known as 'Decoration Day' honored the fallen soldiers, Union and Confederate, who died during the 1861-1865 American Civil...

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  • Online at the National Archives

    May 21

      The National Archives collections in Washington, D. C. is an excellent resource for any family history researcher to check. If you did a couple years ago, do the search again as new things are added or you know additional names on the family tree.   To get an idea of the numerous topics to select from, this site page has the listing of to...

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  • New York Records

    Apr 3

      The large state of New York with its long history may be the home at one time or another of some of your distant relatives. As you examine the family tree, if you locate a few ancestors from New York or even those who lived in a bordering state to New York, you will want to look over the New York Record Archives online site. Especially if ...

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