Genealogy Is Family Stories & Newspapers Are Full of Them

By Scott Phillips on April 10, 2013

In this article, Scott Phillips hears some interesting family stories from his 93-year-old mother and digs into old newspapers to learn more... (Read More)

How to Find Georgia Marriage Records

By Thomas Jay Kemp on March 22, 2013

It is easy to find copies of your Georgia ancestors’ marriage certificates and records using two basic online genealogy tools: GenealogyBank.com and FamilySearch.org. If your ancestors lived in Georgia, let’s see how we can find information about them. FamilySearch.org has put Georgia marriage records from 1785 to 1950 online. You may search for these... (Read More)

The Importance of Old Newspaper Advertisements to Genealogy

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on February 4, 2013

Introduction: Gena Philibert-Ortega is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.” In this guest blog post, Gena writes about the value of a resource in newspapers that is often overlooked by genealogists: the classified ads. “Be sure to drink your Ovaltine. Ovaltine? A crummy commercial.”—Ralphie Parker from the movie A... (Read More)

Genealogy Records You Can Find In Newspaper Archives Infographic

By Thomas Jay Kemp on December 20, 2012

Is the Infographic image above too small? See the larger version. Newspapers offer a variety of genealogy records that you can use to trace back your family tree. Learn about the types of genealogy records that can be found in newspapers and discover the family history information that each record type contains below. Obituaries Obituaries are an... (Read More)

Ephemera: A Surprisingly Fertile Genealogical Resource

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on November 19, 2012

Introduction: Gena Philibert-Ortega is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.” In this guest blog post, Gena writes about an unusual—but a personal favorite—source of family history information: ephemera. As I research my family history I look forward to finding unusual sources that reveal different aspects of my ancestor’s life... (Read More)

How to Search for an Ancestor Whose Last Name Is a Common Word

By Thomas Jay Kemp on September 14, 2012

We often get this question: What do I do when the surname I’m searching for generates thousands of hits because it is a common word (like Brown, Green or Coffee)? Yes, searching for information on ancestors with ambiguous surnames can be a problem. GenealogyBank often recommends searching using only the surname as the best... (Read More)

Treasured Discovery: Only-Known Photos of Ancestors Found in Old Newspapers

By Scott Phillips on July 23, 2012

Introduction: Scott Phillips is a genealogical historian and owner of Onward To Our Past® genealogy services. In this guest blog post, Scott tells about finding the only-known photos of two of his ancestors in old newspaper wedding announcements—and a surprising engagement notice that told him something he never knew about his own mother! Summertime!... (Read More)

Using Newspaper Marriage Records for Genealogy: Free Webinar Download

By Thomas Jay Kemp on June 22, 2012

Newspapers are the next big thing for genealogists, with news stories that can flesh out the names and dates on your family tree so that you can better know your ancestors. With over 1.2 billion genealogy records online, GenealogyBank is the best source for mining old newspapers for engagement, wedding, and anniversary announcements—as well... (Read More)

Using Newspaper Birthday Announcements for Genealogy Research

By Thomas Jay Kemp on June 15, 2012

Genealogists spend years getting to know their sources. We learn the ins and outs of archives and their collections of genealogical records, looking to get the maximum amount of information on our ancestors. In combing through the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper archives I noticed that they ran a regular feature called the “Birthday Bulletin,” starting... (Read More)