Illustration: a woman's hand with a ring, signifying she is a "grass widow"

Was Great-Grandma a Grass Widow?

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on July 24, 2020

In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega explains what a “grass widow” is – a term genealogists run across in their research... (Read More)

Photo: the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul, designed by Cass Gilbert. Credit: Mulad; Wikimedia Commons.

Minnesota Archives: 365 Newspapers for Genealogy Research

By Tony Pettinato on July 23, 2020

An article (with a complete title list) about the 365 Minnesota newspapers available in GenealogyBank’s online Historical Newspaper Archives... (Read More)

Photo: "Winnie Mae," Wiley Post's Lockheed Vega airplane, when it was on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, 29 January 2008. Credit: Jarek Tuszyński; Wikimedia Commons.

Wiley Post: First Solo Flight around the World, in 1933

By Tony Pettinato on July 22, 2020

An article about Wiley Post becoming the first person to fly solo around the world, on 22 July 1933... (Read More)

Photo: American Chop Suey. Credit: Roundhere44; Wikimedia Commons.

Regional Food: The Mysterious Case of Soupy Macaroni

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on July 21, 2020

In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega searches old newspapers for American Chop Suey recipes – and to find the various names Americans call this dish... (Read More)

Photo: "Burning of Stamp Act, Boston" from a postcard, 1903. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

Ancestor’s Outrageous Bar Bill Shows Extent of Stamp Act Protests & Drinking

By Melissa Berry on July 20, 2020

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry writes about a riotous night of drinking in September 1765 while protesting the Stamp Act. .. (Read More)

Illustration: “Endicott and the Red Cross,” by William Allen Wall, 1853. Credit: New Bedford Whaling Museum.

The Story behind an Ancestor’s Unusual Name: Truecross Davenport

By Melissa Berry on July 17, 2020

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry searches old newspapers to find the story behind the unusual name of a woman in colonial America: Truecross... (Read More)

Photo: (L to R) British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, President Harry S. Truman, and Soviet leader Josef Stalin in the garden of Cecilienhof Palace before meeting for the Potsdam Conference in Potsdam, Germany, 25 July 1945. Credit: National Archives and Records Administration.

Uneasy Alliance of the ‘Big Three’ at WWII’s Potsdam Conference

By Tony Pettinato on July 16, 2020

On 16 July 1945, leaders of the “Big Three” allied countries were in Potsdam, Germany, preparing for the next day’s start of the Potsdam Conference... (Read More)

Genealogy Tips: Looking for Female Ancestors before 1850

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on July 15, 2020

In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega gives tips for finding all kinds of mentions of your female ancestor in historical newspapers before 1850... (Read More)

Illustration: a close-up of the head of Nell Gwyn, by Sir Peter Lely. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Our Puritan Ancestors’ Fashion War against Women’s Hair Styles and Headdresses

By Melissa Berry on July 14, 2020

Melissa Davenport Berry describes how Puritan laws in the Massachusetts Bay Colony tried to control women’s clothing, hair styles and headdresses... (Read More)