Holiday Recipe Ideas for Good Old-Fashioned Home Cooking

Introduction: Gena Philibert-Ortega is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.” In this guest blog post, Gena shows how GenealogyBank can help you find holiday recipe ideas in two helpful ways: on our “Old Fashioned Family Recipes” Pinterest board, and in our Historical Newspaper Archives. What are you cooking up... (Read More)

History of the Plymouth Rock Landmark

Plymouth Rock, a large boulder on the edge of Plymouth Harbor, Massachusetts, is traditionally identified as the place where the Pilgrims first stepped ashore from the Mayflower in 1620 to found Plymouth Colony. Plymouth Rock has been visited, celebrated, and written about for centuries. In 1835 Alexis de Tocqueville, a French author traveling throughout the... (Read More)

How to Find Descendants of Mayflower Pilgrims in Recent Obits

Genealogists love their ancestors—as well as the fact that important family history connections are often mentioned in recent obituaries. Have you ever noticed how common it is for these recent obituaries to describe the name of their ancestor who came over on the Mayflower ship or fought in the American Revolutionary War? Use those... (Read More)

Wedding Records: Everyone Loves a Rainbow

Everyone loves a rainbow. An auspicious symbol of luck, hope and promise, rainbows signify happy new beginnings. This was especially true for Albert Buckholtz, who married Laura Frances Rainbow in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1896. Details of their wedding were published in this newspaper marriage announcement. Do you have any Rainbows in your family... (Read More)

Eleanor Roosevelt, Norman Rockwell & Steve McQueen Obituaries

During this November week in American history a famous First Lady, a painter, and an actor died: Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, American First Lady, died at 78 on 7 November 1962 Norman Perceval Rockwell, American painter, died at 84 on 8 November 1978 Terence Steven “Steve” McQueen, American actor, died at 50 on 7 November... (Read More)

October 1880 Snowstorm Began ‘The Snow Winter’

This photograph was taken in March 1881 of a train passing through snow-covered Minnesota in the worst snow season ever recorded there. The snow season started with a storm in October 1880 and it just kept on snowing until March of 1881. It was one of the Midwest’s worst-ever snow seasons, with multiple blizzards... (Read More)

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)