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Need help writing an obituary?

Posted on April 4, 2009 by Tom Kemp

You can find all types of helpful advice in newspapers.
This humorous advice on writing an obituary is from today’s New London (CT) Day (3 April 2009). It wasn’t written on April Fool’s Day – but it sure could have been.

This video clip is by Day reporter Rick Koster.
You can view the video clip of his column here.

Have you noticed that more and more newspapers are adding video clips of their columnists and in depth expanded coverage of local news stories?
These “news clips” are a terrific 21st century bonus in today’s newspapers.

One of my favorite newspaper video clip stories is the New York Time’s report on Green Wood Cemetery’s (NYC) Civil War Graves Project. See it here. McDonald, Brett & Donald Glenn Collins. Green-Wood Remembers the Civil War Dead. (NY Times, 28 May 2007).

Both of these newspaper video clips are must viewing by genealogists.

If Captain James Garcelon was the first "Garcelon" to come to America – then who was Peter Garcelon?

Posted on December 23, 2008 by Tom Kemp

Genealogies often begin with the comprehensive statement that “the first (insert surname here) to come to America was…”.

In our family that would be Captain James Garcelon born in 1739 on the Channel Island, Guernsey, England.

However in searching old newspapers you can find the details that just might change family traditions and supply the information you need to accurately document your family tree.

In GenealogyBank I found this article in the Pennslyvania Gazette (March 14, to March 21, 1737) – It is a list announcing the unclaimed letters at the post office.

That is two years before James was born.

So, time to track down exactly who Peter Garcelon was and just how he fits into the family tree.