Ancestry Believe It or Not: Genealogy Scams, Fakes & Forgers

Introduction: Mary Harrell-Sesniak is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background. In this guest blog post, Mary writes about genealogical fakes and frauds, and cautions readers to be careful in documenting their family history. You can’t always believe what you read—or can you? Genealogy, when done right, is a pursuit requiring... (Read More)

Researching State Archives for Genealogy Records

Introduction: Mary Harrell-Sesniak is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background. In this guest blog post, Mary talks about how valuable state archives can be for your family history research, and describes how to access them. If you’re looking for an exciting resource to help with your genealogical research, I recommend... (Read More)

Dating Old Family Photographs with Civil War Revenue Stamps

Introduction: In this article, Mary Harrell-Sesniak shows how to determine the date of undated, Civil War-era family photographs using revenue stamps affixed to the back of the picture. Mary is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background. Do you have Civil War-era photographs of your ancestors that are undated? As this... (Read More)

How to Date Family Photos with Vintage Fashion Ads in Newspapers

Introduction: Mary Harrell-Sesniak is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background. In this guest blog post, Mary shows how the fashion pages in old newspapers can help you date family photographs based on the clothes your ancestors are wearing, especially ladies’ hats. If you’re having difficulty dating family photographs, you could... (Read More)

Last Revolutionary War Widow Receives Final Pension—in 1906!

Introduction: Mary Harrell-Sesniak is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background. In this guest blog post, Mary writes about the last Revolutionary War pension being paid in 1906—131 years after armed conflict began between Great Britain and its American colonies. It seems hard to believe, but the last Revolutionary War pension... (Read More)

RootsTech Presentation Download: Newspapers for Genealogists

Wow—over 4,000 genealogists attended this year’s RootsTech conference in Salt Lake City last week. This must-attend conference was a nonstop opportunity to learn about the latest genealogy technology and to talk shop with like-minded genealogists from around the country. I have been attending genealogy conferences for nearly 50 years and RootsTech 2012 was the... (Read More)