Alabama Revolutionary War Veteran Dead at 106

In 1853, centenarian William Wicker passed away in Pike County, Alabama. He was 106. This American Revolutionary War veteran had been one of the first settlers to move to Alabama after its introduction into the union on 14 December 1819. Wicker enlisted into the military at 17, along with his father Robert Wicker. They... (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)

Genealogists who make a difference: Doris Cozart

Genealogists who make a difference Doris Cozart, of Chillicothe, Texas has spent the past 40 years in genealogy – as a publisher, author and researcher. Active in multiple genealogical societies she is quick to help others find the information they are looking for. Times Record News (Wichita Falls, TX – 21 June 2009). She... (Read More)

William Montgomery Clemens (1860-1931)

Genealogists who made a difference   William Montgomery Clemens (1860-1931) was a prolific genealogist and writer. Nephew to the more famous Samuel Clemens (1835-1910) – he was also a newspaper man and author. William M. Clemens started writing for the Pittsburgh Leader in 1879 and continued his research & writing for more than five... (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)

Remembering Carole Callard …

I paused this week to remember Carole Callard – she was a terrific genealogist, teacher, librarian and friend. Carole passed away 3 years ago this week. Her obituary appeared in several newspapers including the Lansing State Journal (MI) – December 12, 2005 Carole Crawford Callard Lansing, MI Age 64, died December 10, 2005; born... (Read More)

Thank you GenealogyBank!

We get letters all the time from ecstatic genealogists who broke through their brick walls in GenealogyBank. Grateful letters that say – “Wow – I finally found him” in GenealogyBank … thank you, thank you. Tonight I received a “Wow – I finally found him” note from Jane Giavelli Lauhon. She wrote: Thank you... (Read More)