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)
I love pumpkin pie. Every autumn, newspapers carry recipes for making this old seasonal dessert favorite. It turns out that pumpkin pie is as American as apple pie – even more so! According to this old news article: The truth is that apple pie may well be the nation’s best-selling dessert pie, but its... (Read More)
Searching through GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives recently, I found this old newspaper announcement for Margaret (Rogers) Smith’s 81st birthday. Margaret Anne (Rogers) Smith (1857-1943) didn’t come to America on the Mayflower ship – but according to this newspaper article her ancestor Thomas Rogers (c. 1572-Winter 1620/21) did. Ding! Hey – I am also descended... (Read More)
This is a typical newspaper obituary. It gives the usual genealogical information, including her name (Ella M. Crofoot), age, & date and place of birth. I could easily transcribe this information and move onto the next obituary search to find information on more relatives in my family tree– but that would be a mistake.... (Read More)
This has to be a record. It’s not uncommon for a young man to marry the girl next door – but in William Mercer’s case he married five of them, all sisters! He married the first of five of the Moffitt sisters, Jennie, when he was 19. After her death, he married in succession... (Read More)
Eugenie Caroline Kemp (1842-1845) was only three years old when she died – and until recently, I didn’t even know she had existed. I discovered her when I was doing a search in GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives about one of my ancestors. I was searching for information about Rufus Crosby Kemp (1813-1856). My research... (Read More)
I received the latest copy of the Ohio Genealogical Society Quarterly (OGSQ) in the mail this week and was interested in the cover story about “Mary Francis (Stokes) Huddleston Maxwell, Civil War Nurse.” The article was written by Laurel Sheppard, the Assistant Editor of the OGSQ – who was assisted by Barbara Hart, Susan... (Read More)
Introduction: Mary Harrell-Sesniak is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background. In this blog article, Mary reminds us that humor can be a fun part of family history research by sharing seven strange bequests she ran across in old newspapers. They say that in order to be remembered long after you’re... (Read More)
No shoe stores in Boston in the late 1700s? According to Elijah Leathe’s obituary, “he was about the first who carried shoes, in saddle bags, to market to Boston, there being then no shoe stores.” This old 1800s newspaper article added that “He peddled them out from a bench, north side Faneuil Hall.” Can... (Read More)
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