City Directories

Thousands of city directories are going online. City directories are a basic tool for genealogists. City directories are like an annual census of the cities and towns across America. Now – thousands of them are being digitized and put online. Read about the history of city directories here: Williams, A.V. Growth and Development of... (Read More)

GenealogyBank – Where Everybody Knows Your Name

I had a basic question yesterday that reminded me of one of the core values of GenealogyBank – it’s flexible search engine. A woman wrote asking for the obituary notice of her father – who had died in December 2008 – but she had not included her father’s name. So I wrote back asking... (Read More)

Fred Q. Bowman (1916-2009) Genealogist, Author

Fred Q. Bowman (1916-2009) Frederick Quimby Bowman, 93, passed away in Albany, NY earlier this week. Well known genealogist and author – Fred was a relied upon source of early New York vital records. He was a genealogist who made a lasting difference. Obituary: Times Union (Albany, NY) – November 9, 2009 He is... (Read More)

I am not finding my great-grandfather, what do I do now?

The steady flow of newspapers, records and documents going online on GenealogyBank gives family historians a lot to search and comb through. These newspapers and documents were published over the past 3 centuries – so sometimes it takes a little detective work to find our ancestors. Here are a few tips:1. First search for... (Read More)

Happy Birthday GenealogyBank!

GenealogyBank is 3 years old today!Wow – and has it grown. GenealogyBank has gone from 1,300 newspapers to over 3,800 newspapers – that’s the equivalent of going from 160 million articles to 346 million articles, documents and reports – GenealogyBank now has more than 130 million obituaries and death records. If you haven’t checked... (Read More)

I can’t find my ancestor – what am I doing wrong?

For most searches on GenealogyBank it is easy to find your ancestor. You type in their name and in an instant you spot them in the search results list. So – what do you do when your ancestor’s name doesn’t come right up in the search hits?Just like any other genealogical resource you need... (Read More)

Washington, DC Captured – President Flees on Horseback

Washington, DC was captured and burned August 24-25th, 1814. Illustration: National Archives Identifier 531090 With British troops overwhelming the city “…a retreat was ordered, when the President, who had been on horseback, with the army the whole day, reared from the mortifying scene, and left the city on horseback accompanied by Gen. Mason and... (Read More)