It’s that time of year for many readers and for me, too. Christmas lists have been started and I know you are trying to think of an ideal gift for a genealogy friend or to tell your family and friends what to purchase for you. How about a gift certificate so that someone can benefit […]
My bookshelves hold several books on oral history. One of my favorites is My Backyard History Book. It was published in 1975 and is out of print but it often shows up on used book websites. It is written for children and for some reason it always spoke to me. (Please no joking about my […]
November 17th is the date! I will be presenting the Native American Genealogy Crash Course for Family Tree University via a webinar that evening. Join me for the presentation and time for Q&A. I will be discussing the best methods to trace your family’s Native American roots, tips and research tricks for learning more about […]
I bet you are sitting alone in front of your computer as you read this. Maybe you were doing some browsing on social media including Twitter, Facebook, or whatever your favorite ones are. Last evening did you spend time on a free or subscription genealogy website? Is your genealogy software data entry up-to-date? If your […]
The Illinois State Genealogical Society has issued the 2016 lineup for its popular and free monthly webinar series. It’s a nice variety of speakers and topics for the new year. I am pleased to share that I will be doing the one on October 11, 2016. The title is Midwestern Gems:Back Issues of Genealogical, Historical […]
Imagine the frustration of learning you were one of those foundlings left on a doorstep. You are adopted and live a good life. Through years of searching, asking questions, reading old newspapers, and never giving up the quest to find out about your birth parents, you enter our modern era of DNA testing. By testing […]
I love teaching about the many websites that have digitized books, pamphlets, articles, and more. One of these is HathiTrust. I tell the class or audience that the URL is in the handout or syllabus. They scurry to find it. I get quizzical looks. They hear me saying Hah-tee Trust, not Hah-thee. Hah-tee is the […]
Do you realize how close we are to 2016? One of the Institutes I coordinate and teach at has announced the 2016 registration dates. That would be GRIP, aka Get a GRIP, aka: The Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh once again has two weeks of courses. The first week takes place June 26-July 1. The […]
In just under two weeks, the Illinois State Genealogical Society is having its fall conference. The place is Oak Lawn, Illinois, which is a southwest suburb of Chicago and easy to get to. ISGS conferences are special to me, but to learn why, you will have to be there in person to hear the story. […]
I love good news. This news release from the Library of Congress shares some. If you haven’t used Chronicling America, head over to the website and begin searching in this FREE resource. Not every newspaper is there, but I did find a story about my Great Great Grandmother Marie Slaker falling down stairs at a […]