Descendant of Texas Declaration of Independence Signer Dies

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?

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)

Find Pictures of Your Ancestors’ Home in Old Newspapers

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)

Tarbell Sisters’ Civil War Feud Finally Ended—in 1922!

While many genealogical records can provide names and dates for your family tree, newspapers give you something more: actual stories about your ancestors’ lives, so that you can get to know them as real people and learn about the times in which they lived. Here’s an example of a newspaper preserving a remarkable family... (Read More)

Tell us your success story.

We hear from GenealogyBank researchers all the time about their success in finding their family in historical newspapers and documents. Do you have an interesting story to tell?Would you be willing to be interviewed about it?If so, please contact me directly at: TKemp@NewsBank.com We want to hear from you. Here is what others have... (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.... (Read More)

Marriage Announcements –

Get the most out of GenealogyBank! (J. Stewart wedding – 1903, Nekoma, ND. LOC.gov)                     Whether you’re looking for a wedding announcement published on July 22, 1802, July 22, 1862 or July 22,1962 – GenealogyBank is your comprehensive source. I didn’t know that was in... (Read More)