Is That My Dad? Newspapers Solve an Old Photo Mystery

Like many of you, I am actively on Facebook. I particularly like a group that posts items from the history of Springdale, Connecticut. Springdale is a section of Stamford, Connecticut; I lived and worked there for many years. Last month a reader posted this old school photo from a play. Hmm…according to the posting,... (Read More)

The Evertons’ Genealogy Workshop 50 Years Ago Hooked Me

It was 50 years ago this week – 25 July 1965 to be specific – that George and Ellen (Nielsen) Everton conducted their genealogy workshop in the lower-level auditorium of the Ferguson Library in Stamford, Connecticut. They were road warriors who routinely conducted classes and day-long genealogical workshops, teaching the basics of genealogy across... (Read More)

Family Reunites after 90-Year Mystery in Springfield Solved

In this video, librarian Irene Nolan (Hamden Public Library, Connecticut) shares the story of how a family – separated for more than 90 years – was brought together once again with information from GenealogyBank. This librarian was helping a family research their family tree. They had their grandfather’s first and last names. That was... (Read More)

Salvatore Buchetto’s Obituary Celebrates His Well-Lived Life

Obituaries often celebrate lives well lived—but rarely with the enthusiasm this recent obituary does. You’ll want to read the full copy of this one. Click here: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/stamfordadvocate/obituary.aspx?n=salvatore-buchetto&pid=172835303&fhid=11211#sthash.f8Roq5Qv.dpuf His obituary states: “Sal measured out at 73 1/2 inches, and a bouncing 232 pounds, 9 ounces.” Enter Last Name After reading a few lines from Salvatore’s... (Read More)

Old Family Photos Reveal More about Our Family Stories

Here’s a tip for your family history research: Use old photos of your ancestors to generate family stories. Start the Conversation This past weekend I took this old family photo off the wall to scan it and add it to my family history collection online. It shows my great-grandparents John and Mary (Brown) Kemp... (Read More)

Family History Fact Finding: True Family Stories in Newspapers

GenealogyBank has really been great for finding the personal stories of each family member. I have been systematically going through the old newspapers looking for my Revolutionary War ancestors, and the other day I decided to look for my more recent ancestors and cousins. A quick search found this article. The historical newspaper article... (Read More)

How to Research Historical Events for Genealogy with Newspapers

Introduction: Duncan Kuehn is a professional genealogist with over eight years of client experience. She has worked on several well-known projects, such as “Who Do You Think You Are?” and researching President Barack Obama’s ancestry. In this guest blog post, Duncan shows three real-life examples in which she helped genealogists find newspaper articles about... (Read More)

Top Genealogy Websites, Pt. 6: Search Cemeteries Online

A few weeks ago I wrote about online cemetery records (See: Top Genealogy Websites, Pt. 3: Burial & Cemetery Records). In that article I wrote about the U.S. Veterans Administration’s Nationwide Gravesite Locator, Find-A-Grave, and BillionGraves. Now I want to show how you can help your family history research by using information from these... (Read More)