Easter Sunrise Services: A Brief History

Easter sunrise services have been held for centuries. According to Wikipedia, the earliest recorded sunrise service was held in 1732 in Germany. Easter sunrise services – often coupled with an early morning breakfast – have also been an American tradition since the 1700s. The Moravian Church Easter sunrise service, held annually since 1772 in... (Read More)

Captain Alden Howell: Last Confederate Officer

When Alden Howell passed away in 1947 at the age of 106, he was the last surviving commissioned officer of the Army of the Confederate States of America. It’s a good thing that there were multiple obituaries about this centenarian. Each historical obit gives us more of the details of his life. For example,... (Read More)

1800s Newspaper Ad: Reward for Army Deserters

Fort Johnson in South Carolina was no different from Army bases across the country. From time to time soldiers deserted, as these men did on 3 January 1810. Captain A.B. Armistead wanted them back—and so he ran a newspaper ad offering “ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS REWARD for six Deserters, who deserted from this post on... (Read More)

Obituaries – From Annual Reports – Congress has chartered many national associations – among them the American Instructors of the Deaf.

Congress has chartered many national associations – among them the American Instructors of the Deaf. Their annual reports routinely included details about the schools for the deaf and their faculty. GenealogyBank has the back file of these reports. Here are the obituaries that appeared in the 1908 report. Deem, Charles S. (1861-1908). Jackson, Mississippi.... (Read More)

Funeral Sermons – a core genealogical resource

GenealogyBank.com has over 7,000 funeral sermons – full text digital copies and excerpts. These are a core source for genealogists searching for the details of their ancestor’s lives in Colonial America and the early Federalist period. (Photo, Ian Britton. FreeFoto.com). It was common in Colonial America to have a funeral sermon printed and distributed... (Read More)

‘Great American Success Story’ – William & James Ledford

We receive “fan mail” every day – this letter was so good I wanted to share it. _____________________________________________ Tom, I’ve been working, several months, on an ‘Great American Success Story’. William L. Ledford and his brother James E. Ledford were born in the mid 1840’s in Cherokee County, NC. by the time they were... (Read More)

Jim Thorpe – Born May 28, 1888

We all heard the stories of Jim Thorpe – the world’s greatest athlete – while we were growing up.   The newspapers & movies regularly carried stories about him and he was even featured on a box of Wheaties. (photo – NC Museum of History).   He loved to compete. He enjoyed the battle... (Read More)