When the Second World War ended in 1945, it didn’t just bring a global conflict to a close — it launched millions of lives into motion. Soldiers, sailors, nurses, airmen, and civilians who…
For generations, families quietly wondered why a veteran ancestor drank too much, kept to themselves, startled at loud noises, or refused to talk about the war. Some were labeled “nervous,”…
The guns fell silent on November 11, 1918. But for millions of American “Doughboys” — the nickname given to U.S. infantrymen in World War I — the story didn’t end there. They returned home…
War has a way of pausing life. Plans are put on hold. Relationships are delayed. Young people grow older quickly. And when the fighting ends, the urge to settle down often comes fast —…
Some families have stories that begin with war but continue through decades of work that followed. A man who served in a supply battalion later owned a hardware store. A woman who drove an…
Labor Day arrives each September, signaling the close of summer and the approach of autumn. Many people see it as a three-day weekend for rest, cookouts, or back-to-school shopping. Yet…
You find them in a draft card, a pension file, or a service roster—and then nothing. No census record. No marriage. No obituary. No trace. Every family historian has run into a veteran…
The air is crisp, the leaves are beginning to turn, and children have returned to their classrooms. It’s September, and what better time to reconnect with your family history? Genealogy isn’t…
Some postcards capture landscapes or landmarks; others capture a moment of pride. This one from Morgantown, West Virginia, does both. On the front, a yellow Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) car…
“Many thanks, Will. You have rekindled my 40-year quest to find my family origins. Your weekly letters are greatly appreciated.” – Bryan When Bryan wrote those words to me, they carried more…
If you’ve followed this series from the beginning, you already know this wasn’t really about war. It was about what came after. The quiet years. The long drives to work. The nights spent…
Chimney Rock is one of those places that’s impossible to forget once you’ve seen it. Rising more than 200 feet into the air, that massive granite column looks like it’s reaching up to hold…
Every city has a spot that feels like its true center, the place where people gather and memories are made. For Cincinnati, that place has always been Fountain Square. It’s where families…
Cincinnati has always been a city that valued its public spaces, and one of its most fascinating historic gathering places was Chester Park. While the postcard image gives us only a glimpse…
This vintage postcard captures a sweeping view of Bridgeport, Ohio, and Wheeling Island in Wheeling, West Virginia. The Ohio River bends through the middle of the scene, crossed by several…
