Like detectives, we approach family history by gathering all of the clues and making a case for who our relatives were: their names, when and where they were born, pushing through all of the activities of their lives until their deaths. Pulling all of the facts and clues together helps us rediscover who each... (Read More)
During this September week in American history three famous octogenarians died who had a big impact on America: Daniel Boone, American explorer, died at 85 on 26 September 1820 Theodor Seuss Geisel (better known as “Dr. Seuss”), American children’s book author, died at 87 on 24 September 1991 Paul Newman, American actor, died at... (Read More)
Take a break today and listen to this old country song performed by Dennis Warner. Click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7x1ETPkZsk. You’ll need a pad and pencil to work out all the genealogy connections in this funny ballad loaded with connections on the old family tree. The song lyrics to “I’m My Own Grandpa” are below for... (Read More)
As I continued to look in GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives for the history of the Crofoot family (see: “Case Study: Using Old Newspaper Articles to Learn about Your Ancestors”) I found another clue. Another wife? This historical obituary was for Mrs. Esther Crofoot who was the “wife of Ephraim C.” Notice the newspaper editor... (Read More)
Introduction: Gena Philibert-Ortega is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.” In this guest blog post, Gena searches old newspapers to investigate the murder mystery of Louise Bailey back in 1914. “If she is innocent, may God help her.” ~ Mrs. Duryea Imagine a story that involves jealousy, murder, and... (Read More)
Every now and then you run across an interesting marriage announcement in old newspapers about someone who couldn’t travel to a wedding—so they attended by proxy. I once read about Mark Twain and his wife attending the funeral of his mother in law—by listening to it over the telephone 450 miles away! It seems... (Read More)
The other day I asked myself: what can I realistically find about my relatives in GenealogyBank? How many details about my family can I discover? So I decided to find out by searching GenealogyBank’s historical newspaper archives for a family member we know little about: Madge E. Richmond (1866-1942). Her Career as a Teacher... (Read More)
I. D. Lilly, a retired trucker and promoter of the largest family reunion ever held, died in March of this year. He was an active participant in the famous West Virginia family’s gatherings, and served on the Lilly Family Reunion Board of Directors. In 2009 some 2,585 Lilly relatives gathered in Flat Top, West... (Read More)
Scott Phillips explains how he adds the “5 Ws” (Who, What, When, Where & Why) of newspaper journalism to enliven his family history research... (Read More)
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