A growing number of states in the U.S. are putting their vital records online, making it easier for genealogists to obtain these records. The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is a prime example of how these state projects are revolutionizing family history research in the 21st Century. West Virginia has put up... (Read More)
Here are the top two websites that will save you time and get you 24/7 access to online genealogical libraries with more than one million books: Google Books and Internet Archive. These are digital books that you will rely on to document your family tree, such as published family histories, local histories and historical... (Read More)
Introduction: Mary Harrell-Sesniak is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background. In this guest blog post, Mary searches old newspapers for articles and ads about trains and locomotives, and discusses how important railroads were in the lives of our ancestors. Trains & Railroads Shaped Early America The importance of train travel... (Read More)
Genealogists are relying on newspaper archives more and more to document the stories of their ancestors and trace their family trees. In last night’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? American actress Christina Applegate used an old article found in GenealogyBank’s Trenton Sunday Times Advertiser (Trenton, New Jersey), 26 August 1934, to... (Read More)
I have been working on my family history for 50 years now. So much has changed—family researchers today have a much different task then we had decades ago. Looking at the online genealogy tools available today, I would like to focus on the top 13 websites that will save you time and money so... (Read More)
FamilySearch.org has released a new “Search & Attach Record” feature this week that lets you easily search and attach genealogy records to each person on your family tree. For example, let’s look at Allen Pierce Richmond (1826-1912) on the FamilySearch Family Tree. Here he is on the Family Tree. By clicking on his name,... (Read More)
Continuing my search in GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives for the history of the Crofoot family (see: “Case Study: Using Old Newspaper Articles to Learn about Your Ancestors” & “Case Study Part 2: How to Find Old Newspaper Articles about Family”) I found information about the death of Ephraim Crofoot. When we found the obituary... (Read More)
As I continued to look in GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives for the history of the Crofoot family (see: “Case Study: Using Old Newspaper Articles to Learn about Your Ancestors”) I found another clue. Another wife? This historical obituary was for Mrs. Esther Crofoot who was the “wife of Ephraim C.” Notice the newspaper editor... (Read More)
Old newspapers provide the stories of our ancestors’ lives, helping to flesh out the names and dates on our family trees. What kind of family history can be found in historical newspapers? Let’s pick a typical, ordinary family and find out. For example, what can I discover about the Crofoot family that lived in... (Read More)
Get Helpful, Usable Tips for Your Genealogy Research.
Get Helpful, Usable Tips for Your Genealogy Research.