Introduction: Gena Philibert-Ortega is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.” In this guest blog post—just in time for Thanksgiving—Gena searches old newspapers to learn about the Thanksgiving dinners our ancestors had during World War I. For many Americans, the word Thanksgiving conjures up images of family, a bountiful feast,... (Read More)
Plymouth Rock, a large boulder on the edge of Plymouth Harbor, Massachusetts, is traditionally identified as the place where the Pilgrims first stepped ashore from the Mayflower in 1620 to found Plymouth Colony. Plymouth Rock has been visited, celebrated, and written about for centuries. In 1835 Alexis de Tocqueville, a French author traveling throughout the... (Read More)
Introduction: Mary Harrell-Sesniak is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background. In this guest blog post—just in time for Thanksgiving—Mary searches old newspapers to trace ancestry all the way back to the Pilgrims, who crossed the Atlantic Ocean on board the Mayflower in 1620 for a fresh start in the New... (Read More)
Genealogists love their ancestors—as well as the fact that important family history connections are often mentioned in recent obituaries. Have you ever noticed how common it is for these recent obituaries to describe the name of their ancestor who came over on the Mayflower ship or fought in the American Revolutionary War? Use those... (Read More)
Military cemeteries traditionally have a uniform look: clean, unadorned, orderly. The appearance of the military crosses was immortalized in the lines of the poem “In Flanders Fields,” written by Canadian John McCrae during WWI on 3 May 1915: In Flanders fields the poppies grow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place;... (Read More)
Introduction: Scott Phillips is a genealogical historian and owner of Onward To Our Past® genealogy services. In this guest blog post, Scott searches through old newspapers and other sources to learn about the incredible story of the whaleship “Essex,” which was sunk by a huge sperm whale in 1820! Longer ago than I care... (Read More)
It’s always exciting to see more and more newspapers going online—millions of them. We’ve just added a wide assortment of brand new newspaper titles, as well as expanded our existing titles to give you more coverage to research your roots from coast to coast. This month has been busy for our team. GenealogyBank added... (Read More)
Introduction: Mary Harrell-Sesniak is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background. In this guest blog post, Mary searches old newspapers to find the stories of women who served during some of our nation’s earlier wars—as army nurses, camp followers, and Red Cross volunteers. There are numerous groups that celebrate the lives... (Read More)
I am constantly looking at genealogical websites, apps and tools. I recently found this terrific free app “Tree Connect,” powered by RecordSeek.com—a Real Time Collaboration company product. With just a few clicks, this app will add a hyperlink connecting any record or photograph I find anywhere on the Internet to the online family tree... (Read More)