Prominent Nashville, TN genealogist, Mary Sue Green Smith (1933-2009) has passed away. She was President of the Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society. She published eight books between 1994 and 2006; mostly reference works to be used in tracing one’s roots in Nashville. She indexed tens of thousands of pre-Civil War civil court records, which added... (Read More)
“Bloody News – This town has been in a Continental Alarm since Mid-day ….. the attack began at Lexington (about 12 miles from Boston) by the regular troops, the 18th Infantry before sunrise…From thence they proceeded to Concord where they made a general attack…” Stirring news – as gripping as a bulletin on TV.... (Read More)
What motivates people to do family history?Family history is more than names – we are drawn to the stories of their lives. We dig their names and dates out of vital records or the census and we dig deeper into newspapers and family letters to find the stories of their lives. When I was... (Read More)
Today’s Chicago Tribune has an interesting article by Steve Mills about Mary and Chuck Schantag of the P.O.W. Network who say they have exposed close to 1,900 people who have falsely claimed to be prisoners of war. Click here to read the article “Hunt is on for Phony POW’s“. A quick check of GenealogyBank... (Read More)
Newspapers are producing more than newsprint – they are adding video news clips. Flickr photo from George K’s Photostream Here is an example from the New York Times – “Green-Wood Remembers Civil War Dead” Click here and watch in depth report about Green-Wood Cemetery’s effort to document the graves of Civil War veterans. It’s... (Read More)
I had the opportunity Monday night to speak to the New York Metro Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists. I have been a member of APG from the beginning – and a member of the New York Metro Chapter for many years. Living in Connecticut I welcomed the opportunity to go to the... (Read More)
When Abraham Lincoln gave his stirring remarks at Gettysburg in 1863 word spread quickly across the nation. The San Francisco (CA) Daily Evening Bulletin of 18 Dec 1863 captured the impact of Lincoln’s words that still move us today. Newspapers report what happens every day giving each of us the emotion, context and impact... (Read More)
The first burial on the grounds of what would become Arlington National Cemetery was on 13 May 1864. Private William Christman was buried in the rose garden in front of General Robert E. Lee’s home in Arlington, Virginia. He was serving with Company G, 67th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. In May 1863 Secretary of War... (Read More)
The War of 1812 ended 193 years ago with the US ratification of the Treaty of Ghent on 12 Feb 1815. But even before the war was over the two sides were exchanging prisoners of war. One of the problems and underlying causes of the war was British impressments of former British subjects who... (Read More)
Get Helpful, Usable Tips for Your Genealogy Research.
Get Helpful, Usable Tips for Your Genealogy Research.