Illustration: John Trumbull's famous 1818 portrait is often identified as a depiction of the Declaration's signing, but it actually shows the drafting committee presenting its work to the Second Continental Congress on 28 June 1776. Thomas Jefferson, at center, places the document before the president of the Congress, John Hancock. Standing with Jefferson are other members of the drafting committee: John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, and Benjamin Franklin. Less than a week later, on 4 July 1776, the declaration was signed. Note: Not all 56 signers are included in this picture. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Signers of the Declaration of Independence & Their Scions (part 1)

By Melissa Berry on March 2, 2023

Melissa Berry begins a new series looking at signers of the Declaration of Independence and their descendants, starting with signer Carter Braxton... (Read More)

John Adams & Thomas Jefferson: Intertwined in Life – and Death

By Duncan Kuehn on February 27, 2015

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 blog post, Duncan searches old newspapers to learn more about the remarkable coincidence of John Adams and... (Read More)

You Want to Be Prepared as Thanksgiving Approaches

By Thomas Jay Kemp on November 2, 2012

Now that it is November, the holidays will be here before you know it. You want to prepare now. That’s what Rose Briggs did. Her hard work set the tone for how Thanksgiving has been celebrated since 1921. Rose’s Thanksgiving preparation is just one of the many great stories in GenealogyBank’s online newspaper archives.... (Read More)

When I print the article – it is too small. I can’t read it. What do I do now?

By Thomas Jay Kemp on July 4, 2009

A: Great question. GenealogyBank makes it easy to enlarge any page or article. Newspapers over the past 4 centuries have been printed in all shapes and sizes. That is particularly true of Colonial American newspapers. GenealogyBank captures each article and page and displays them for you online – making it easy for you to... (Read More)

National Archives Celebrates 75th Anniversary this Friday!

By Thomas Jay Kemp on June 16, 2009

National Archives Celebrates 75th Anniversary on Friday, June 19th. Susan Logue (Voice of America) distributed this commentary on the 75th Anniversary of the National Archives. Before the National Archives was founded, many governmental records were kept in poor conditions. On June 19, 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the legislation creating the National Archives.... (Read More)

Tag: Declaration of Independence