When I was very young, Thanksgiving meant lots of food, visits with grandparents, dressing up like a Pilgrim, and making hand turkeys with multi-colored construction paper at school. Things were certainly simpler as a child. I enjoy those fond Thanksgiving memories.
As I’ve grown and as life has become more complicated, Thanksgiving means quite a bit more. I started [...]

The records of fraternal orders and other societies are a relatively untapped source for genealogy, with great promise. I was delighted to see that the Kansas Historical Society is hosting a database of Fraternal Order Death Notices from several orders. Over 50,000 individuals are included in the time period 1873-1970. Both men and women (in [...]

I feel the need to briefly set the mental scene for this post. It seems for the most part that the posts on this blog are generated from the subject matter which the various authors are feasting on at the time they write their posts. Someone asked if I wouldn’t write my next post on [...]

One of my colleagues introduced me to the finding aids created by Stephen P. Morse. His website offers a number of tools that make searching various online databases easier. I frequently use his Ellis Island Gold Form when I’m having a hard time finding a passenger list, and I’ve recently discovered his handy tool to [...]

A close loved one of mine recently passed away. At the time of the death a treasure trove of documents pertaining to the family was created though the estate was very small. There are more death records than the modern death certificate provided by a county or state government agency:

The assisted living facility, nursing home, [...]

I’ve recently started reading a book by my great-grandfather. It is a biographical book about how the events in his life brought him to his rather liberal political ideas. As I’ve read the book, I’ve let out a few sighs at how little family history information the book includes. I have to keep reminding myself [...]

Recently I spent a lot of time poring over probate records. One particular entry caught my eye. It was a receipt turned in to the court by a guardian for items he had purchased for a child. Among the shoes and the gloves was “a pair of plaid pantaloons!” Can’t you just picture them? Bear [...]

Continuing our role as “volunteer editor” for Family Tree Magazine’s recently released annual list of “101 Best Websites” for 2010, here are some sites the editors should (and may) have considered this year:
“Best Sites for Western US Research”
The ten websites in the magazine’s list are very helpful, yet they cover only four states, a major [...]

Some of the oldest existing vital records for Southern States research are marriage records. Laws and customs regarding marriage records and vital statistics for many of the states of the Mid-South region have roots in the Commonwealth of Virginia or North Carolina. Bordering areas of North Carolina and Virginia both influenced each other. West Virginia [...]

I recently blogged about Family Tree Magazine’s recently released annual list of “101 Best Websites” for 2010 and their focus on free sites this year. Of course, there are thousands out there. But, given some of their categories, perhaps some others could have been considered. Here are a few overlooked candidates in two of their categories:
“Best [...]