Have you noticed how many obituaries include details about the ancestors of the deceased? George Green’s obituary summarizes his life, compactly detailing his accomplished life in a paragraph or two – and prominently, we learn that he “had deep roots in Michigan.” According to his obituary: He was officially recognized as a direct descendant... (Read More)
When Alden Howell passed away in 1947 at the age of 106, he was the last surviving commissioned officer of the Army of the Confederate States of America. It’s a good thing that there were multiple obituaries about this centenarian. Each historical obit gives us more of the details of his life. For example,... (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)