Here comes the bride …

Newspaper marriage announcements can give you important clues for your family history. Boston Journal – 2 May 1877 This one tells us where & when the marriage took place; the name of the minister; the names of the bride & groom and where they were from. This marriage notice from the Public Ledger 23... (Read More)

Funeral Sermons – a core genealogical resource

GenealogyBank.com has over 7,000 funeral sermons – full text digital copies and excerpts. These are a core source for genealogists searching for the details of their ancestor’s lives in Colonial America and the early Federalist period. (Photo, Ian Britton. FreeFoto.com). It was common in Colonial America to have a funeral sermon printed and distributed... (Read More)

Linda Fay Kaufman, genealogist, 1940-2009

Remembering one of our own: Linda Fay Kaufman, genealogist, 1940-2009 Enthusiastic genealogist Linda Fay Kaufman (1940-2009) has passed away. She put her family history research online and actively corresponded with genealogists across the country. A search of the genealogy lists shows her posts as recently as the last few months. Star Tribune: Newspaper of... (Read More)

A Good Woman Can be Hard to Find…

It can be very difficult to find women in the early 19th Century – finding sources that actually give their names and genealogical details. It was common in the 19th century for genealogical sources to be brief and give only the basic information about a household in the census – or an entry in... (Read More)

Birth Announcements – newspapers are packed with them

Newspapers have been announcing births since the 1700s. It is common to see birth notices in newspapers all across the country, like this one for triplets born to “Mrs. Rust of Wolfeboro, NH” in 1796. It appeared in the Massachusetts Mercury 14 Oct 1796. You’ll find millions of births recorded in newspapers on GenealogyBank... (Read More)

Tracking down Family Bibles ….

Family Bibles have been treasured by families for generations, but finding them today can be difficult. It was common for families to have a family Bible – a large bound book that was prominently displayed in the family parlor – “…a large octavo volume, with a more or less ornate binding, with blank pages... (Read More)