Princess, Gypsy or Hobo? A Look at Halloween Costume History

Introduction: Gena Philibert-Ortega is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.” In this guest blog post—just in time for Halloween celebrations tonight—Gena searches old newspapers to look at the history of Halloween costumes. What was Halloween like when you were a child? What Halloween costumes did you wear when you... (Read More)

DNA Testing & Genealogy: Is It Working for You?

Clearly DNA testing is revolutionizing 21st Century family history research. DNA Testing Helps Orphan Find His Family There are heartwarming stories about successful DNA tests—like that of 80-year-old Patrick J. Holland, who was raised in an orphanage and through DNA testing finally found his family. Here is the full report on this touching family... (Read More)

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Jackie Robinson & Rosa Parks Obituaries

During this October week in American history three pioneering activists died who had a big impact on American society: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, American women’s rights activist, died at 86 on 26 October 1902 Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson, American baseball player and civil rights activist, died at 53 on 24 October 1972 Rosa Louise McCauley... (Read More)

Find Grandma’s Recipes in Old Newspaper Food Columns

Introduction: Gena Philibert-Ortega is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.” In this guest blog post, Gena searches old newspapers to examine food columns that may have provided the recipes our ancestors used—and shows how those food columns that featured recipe contests may contain names and addresses helpful to our... (Read More)

Remembering Daniel Boone, Dr. Seuss & Paul Newman with Newspapers

During this September week in American history three famous octogenarians died who had a big impact on America: Daniel Boone, American explorer, died at 85 on 26 September 1820 Theodor Seuss Geisel (better known as “Dr. Seuss”), American children’s book author, died at 87 on 24 September 1991 Paul Newman, American actor, died at... (Read More)

Watch Our Genealogy Tutorial Videos on YouTube

Did you know that we have a YouTube channel where you can watch hours of video that will help you do better genealogy research? Many of these in-depth genealogy videos are recordings of previous online webinars in which our expert in-house genealogist and Director of Genealogy Products Tom Kemp demonstrates how to find your... (Read More)