If you attend genealogical conferences, you will often hear presenters urge their audiences to study social history to learn about the life and times of their ancestors and collateral relatives. As we enter the 2017 “flu season” we are being deluged by television ads for quick and easy ways to get our flu shots. Smithsonian,
Read on »Archives: October 2017
Ohio Veterans Grave Registration Database Now on Ancestry.com
Ancestry.com recently added the collection Ohio, Soldier Grave Registrations, 1804-1958. The original data comes from the Graves Registration Cards Collection, Ohio History Connection, Columbus, Ohio. Ohio History Connection is the current name for what used to be known as the Ohio Historical Society. This database contains grave registration cards for soldiers from Ohio who served
Read on »Why We Need to Include a Country Name with Genealogical Locations
One of the effects of using online genealogical databases in our research is that we need to enter a country name to completely identify each family history location. Back in the day before online databases, American researchers just assumed that readers of their research reports about American ancestors would know that a location reference was
Read on »Brother of Detective Was Named Evert
I just finished reading The Dying Detective, by Swedish crime writer Leif G.W. Persson (translated by Neil Smith into British English). This novel is a police procedural without much dramatic action–a subset of crime fiction that I actually prefer. The story required 454 pages from start to finish, but I found that it went quickly. It is set
Read on »Small World Dept: Meeting Up with a Cousin
Last evening, I presented a program, “Some Experiences with Finnish Genealogy,” at the Geneva (Ohio) Public Library. Among the attendees were James Siekkinen and his wife Nancy. Jim is my first cousin once removed and they live in Ashtabula, Ohio. In reminiscing after my presentation, he said he remembered visiting our house in Andover, Ohio, as
Read on »Why I Joined NYG&B Society
While attending the Federation of Genealogical Societies annual conference in Pittsburgh just before Labor Day, I joined the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. I have many ancestors who lived in New York state and I aim to bear down on learning more about their lives and times. Here are some of the benefits of
Read on »AP Report Previews Tonight’s Finding Your Roots Episode
Yesterday (02 Oct) Lynn Elber, AP Television Writer, previewed a bit of tonight’s premiere of Finding Your Roots on PBS. She wrote: If there’s a bigger cheerleader for genealogy research than Henry Louis Gates Jr. it’s unlikely they’re nearly as well-connected. The prominent Harvard professor once again lures the famous and celebrated to PBS’ “Finding
Read on »Hooray! Ancestry.com Adds New York Death Records
If you have ever tried to research death records in New York State, you know it was a big pain. The state death index existed only on microfilm and was accessible only in a half dozen libraries across the state. You had to know the year of death to be able to browse these records
Read on »I’m Looking Forward to Finding Your Roots beginning Oct 3
It’s time once again to watch the television series “Finding Your Roots.” The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) series featuring Henry Louis Gates, Jr., as host premieres on Tuesday, October 3 at 8/7c. Once again, Prof. Gates will present genealogical research results for celebrities. In the past, he has highlighted interesting stories and the guests are
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