Him Mark Lai – 麥禮謙 (1925-2009)

Him Mark Lai – 麥禮謙 (1925-2009), noted Chinese-American genealogist and local historian has passed away. San Francisco Chronicle (CA) – May 29, 2009. Edition: 5 star Page: B5(c) San Francisco Chronicle 2009. Reprinted here with permission. by Carl Nolte. Him Mark Lai, a noted historian of the Chinese American experience, died at his San... (Read More)

Wow – we found him!

Yesterday the GenealogyBank Blog wrote about using the old documents in the “Serial Set” that are in GenealogyBank.com. It has been very popular. Today I received this note from a genealogist about what she found on her Revolutionary War ancestor – Captain William York. Tom – We used this set (Serial Set) to prove... (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)

Index to Early Philadelphia Obituaries – Public Ledger 1836

These early Philadelphia (PA) deaths were recorded in the Public Ledger, an early Philadelphia newspaper. Click on the links in the index citations to read each person’s obituary.Public Ledger. 25 Mar 1836Eure, Jonas. (-1836)Hendel, William B. (-1836) McClaskey, James. (1775-1836)Talcott, Samuel Austin (1789-1836)Taynton, Luther. (1791-1836)Townsend, Edwin. (1832-1836)Townsend, Maria. (1833-1836)Public Ledger. 26 Mar 1836Wooldridge, Jane.... (Read More)

Genealogist, Mary Sue Green Smith (1933-2009)

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)

‘Great American Success Story’ – William & James Ledford

We receive “fan mail” every day – this letter was so good I wanted to share it. _____________________________________________ Tom, I’ve been working, several months, on an ‘Great American Success Story’. William L. Ledford and his brother James E. Ledford were born in the mid 1840’s in Cherokee County, NC. by the time they were... (Read More)

Unusual Obituaries: Sir Sacheverell Reresby Sitwell

Speaking of unusual obituaries. See this one from GenealogyBank – published in today’s (3 April 2009) Boston Globe. Sir Sacheverell Reresby Sitwell, son of the late Sir George Sitwell (author of The History of the Fork and inventor of a revolver for shooting wasps).Boston Globe, (MA) – April 3, 2009Sacheverell Reresby Sitwell; restored hall... (Read More)

I’ve been having a ball ….

“I’ve been having a ball finding articles about my family. The biggest find for me … was discovering my gr-grandfather’s uncle in Congressional records as well as in newspapers. He had left home as a child and didn’t return home again until after his father died. It was reported in the newspapers that his... (Read More)