It Happened on St. Valentine’s Day (part 2)
By Melissa Berry on February 6, 2025
Melissa Davenport Berry describes the 1895 Valentine’s Day Blizzard in Texas. Cattle froze, trains were stopped – but valentines got delivered! .. (Read More)
Tag: Texas
It Happened on St. Valentine’s Day (part 1)
By Melissa Berry on February 5, 2025
In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry describes some events that happened on February 14, the date of St. Valentine’s Day... (Read More)
Texas Archives: 689 Newspapers for Genealogy Research
By Tony Pettinato on August 22, 2024
An article (with a title list) about the 689 Texas newspapers available in GenealogyBank’s online Historical Newspaper Archives... (Read More)
Juneteenth: Texas Slaves Freed at Last
By Tony Pettinato on June 19, 2019
An article about Juneteenth, to celebrate the declaration by Union General Granger on 19 June 1865 in Galveston, Texas, that “all slaves are free.”.. (Read More)
Descendant of Texas Declaration of Independence Signer Dies
By Thomas Jay Kemp on December 29, 2014
Martha F. Fenstermaker (1943-2014) recently passed away, and in her published obituary it mentioned that she was “a direct descendant of Samuel Augustus Maverick, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence.” Her obituary also states she was a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Her ancestor’s last name “Maverick” is... (Read More)
Are You Celebrating Mother-in-Law Day?
By Mary Harrell-Sesniak on October 24, 2014
Introduction: Mary Harrell-Sesniak is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background. In this blog post, Mary searches old newspapers to learn more about a special day coming up this Sunday: Mother-in-Law Day. They say that there is a holiday for everything—so it should come as no surprise that Mother-in-Law Day is... (Read More)
The Crush, Texas Train Crash: a Bizarre and Deadly Spectacle
By Gena Philibert-Ortega on September 29, 2014
Introduction: Gena Philibert-Ortega is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.” In this blog post, Gena reads old newspaper articles to learn about a strange episode from the past: a fatal train crash that was deliberately staged in Texas in 1896 as a publicity stunt. Our ancestors experienced some strange... (Read More)
Find Pictures of Your Ancestors’ Home in Old Newspapers
By Thomas Jay Kemp on September 12, 2014
Do you have old family traditions, places and/or heirlooms? Like Abe Lincoln, did your family live in a log cabin? Do you have a picture of it? If you are related to Robert Dalton of Palo Pinto County, Texas, then GenealogyBank’s newspaper collection has a photograph of their old log cabin (built in the... (Read More)
How to Research a Town’s Genealogy, & Funny Texas Town Names
By Mary Harrell-Sesniak on April 1, 2014
In this article, Mary Harrell-Sesniak shares some of the unusual and funny Texas town names she’s discovered in her research... (Read More)