To unsubscribe or change subscriber options, see below. Vol. 20, No. 64 - July 22, 2015
The History of Diaries: Did Your Ancestor Keep One? |
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Did your ancestors keep diaries? We all hope to find an ancestor who kept a record of their thoughts or daily activities. Diaries reveal who are ancestors were as people like no other documents can do. They also reveal plenty of good genealogical information that may otherwise be lost. The good news is that more people kept diaries in the history of the United States than you may realize. They
were actually quite common in the 1800’s. The bad news is that most of these diaries have either long since been lost or destroyed, or sold out of the original families at auction. This doesn't mean you can't find your ancestors’ diaries, though... Read More
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Are you familiar with Griffith's Valuation of Ireland? If not, now is the time to become acquainted with it. It is invaluable in mid-19th century Irish research. Listen to today's podcast episode to learn more.
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Where Were the Pilgrims Really Going? |
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We all know the story of the Pilgrims landing in Massachusetts and coming ashore on Plymouth Rock to start a new colony based on religious freedom, and having Thanksgiving giving thanks to God for his bounty and blessings with the local Natives. Every American school child is told this story early on in their educations. The story has some truths to it, but it leaves out a lot. It is basically
the sanitized and simplified version of what really went on when the Pilgrims came to America… a story suitable for children and one that instills pride in one’s country, but leaving out the more harsh details of the tale. For example, the Pilgrims were coming here to practice religious freedom… their own; they were considered too radical in their interpretation of Christianity in England, but once in America, they would tolerate no other type of religious practice in their newly formed town.
Further, the Pilgrims lost more than half the passengers of the Mayflower during the first hard winter in America and never would have made it through the cold months had it not been for the assistance of local Natives... Read More
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Why Understanding Ancient Laws is Important in Genealogy |
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Laws change over time. To fully understand documents mentioning your ancestors, you need to understand the laws of the times the documents were created. You will come across a lot of legal documents in genealogy. Usually, they will be laws pertaining to property, inheritance, and marriage, though if your ancestor was involved in some kind of civil or criminal court case, those records and their
associated laws may come into play, too. If you do not understand the laws under which your ancestors were operating when certain records were generated, you won't understand the full picture of what their lives were like or what they were doing and why... Read More
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This Week’s Free Genealogy Lookups |
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Reach further into your family tree's Connecticut branches! This unique and comprehensive collection of Connecticut military records from the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War references approximately 167,000 individuals.
The records collected within these eleven books were extracted from sources ranging from local courthouses to national archives. Original sources include bounty land applications, militia rosters,
pension applications, muster and pay rolls, depositions, petitions, militia lists, orderly books, and service records.
Church records such as
those included here are among the best sources for information on births, marriages, and deaths for the period of time before widespread civil registration of vital statistics. This resource contains information on approximately 180,000 individuals mentioned in abstracts of baptisms, births, marriages, and deaths from the registers of more than fifty local Pennsylvania churches. The information was extracted from microfilm records of transcriptions of the original
records.
This
collection is indispensable if you are interested in Pennsylvania German origins. Documenting births, baptisms, marriages, and burials, these records identify people and their relationships to one another - not only parents and children, husbands and wives, but witnesses and sponsors as
well.
Request a Free Lookup
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Any photographer that has been around a while – whether a long-time hobbyist or a seasoned professional – knows just how essential backups are. The most essential part of a good backup system is abiding by the “Rule of Threes.” In other words, you should always have three separate backups of your image files. And, because disasters do happen – a fire in your home or studio, theft or something else – at least one of those
backups should be off site. Whether you choose cloud storage, external hard drives or more portable media like flash drives and DVDs (or a combination of several options) is a matter of personal preference. Just keep in mind that each storage option has its own set of advantages and disadvantages... Read More
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Latest Hard To Find Surnames |
This Week's Popular Genealogy Tips |
Recommended Genealogy Resources |
Here are some sources you should be using in your genealogical research. Some are free and some are fee-based. I’ll continue to make updates to this page so you may want to bookmark for future reference and convenience. Genealogy slideshows are a great way to preserve and share
your family’s memories. Display them on your family’s website or play them at holidays and special events! Let me create a professional slideshow that documents the most important people in your life. Click Here |
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