Press release info from the U.S. National Archives. “This year’s #Genealogy Series begins TODAY, May 13! Join us for a series of five presentations, all free and available on YouTube, by experts on US National Archives staff. See the full list of times and topics: https://www.archives.gov/calendar/genealogy-series/2025.” Missed today’s? Catch up on these and past years […]
The 10 May 2025 Minnesota Star Tribune has an interesting article titled “Minneapolis’ first maternity hospital in 1886 was a savior for unmarried mothers and unwanted babies.” The subtitle says “Founder Martha Ripley was not only an obstetrician but also a mother figure to the women and infants at the facility.” The article by long-time […]
“National DNA Day is a unique day when students, teachers and the public can learn more about genetics and genomics. The day commemorates the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 and the discovery of DNA’s double helix in 1953.” https://www.genome.gov/dna-day. Check the various genealogy DNA testing companies (Ancestry.com, FamilyTreeDNA, MyHeritage, 23andMe, and Living […]
April is National Volunteer Month and this week, 20-26 April, is National Volunteer Week. Last night I did some thinking about my volunteer activities over the years. You don’t need to read all these, but it might give you some ideas of where you can be of help. The friends and colleagues I gained from […]
If you’ve checked my Speaking calendar lately you likely noticed this listing. August 8-9, 2025. Two-day in-person Institute as part of the Minnesota Genealogical Society‘s education programs. The NEW Upper Midwest Genealogical Institute (UMGI)! Join us for this special institute held at the Midwest Genealogy Center in the Saint Paul/Minneapolis suburb of Mendota Heights. Amidst […]
I am about to leave for a genealogy meeting but wanted to be sure you saw this news before I left. Valid only today until 11:59 pm ET.
The War of 1812 U.S. pension records have been on subscription site Fold3.com for many years. It’s an ongoing project that began under the auspices of the former Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) and the U.S. National Archives. FGS embarked on a fund-raising project to ensure these were digitized and then remain FREE for researchers. […]
I recently learned of a new addition to the Minnesota Digital Library (MDL). The Northwest Minnesota History Center at Minnesota State University Moorhead recently contributed the Solomon G. Comstock collection, which includes documents and correspondence “with over 200 Civil War veterans or widows of veterans about their pension claims, from about 1889-1891.” I knew that […]
FREE BCG-SPONSORED WEBINAR“Applying Research Standards to the Census”by Diane MacLean Boumenot, CGTuesday, February 18, 2025, 8:00 p.m. (EST) After years of using census records, genealogists may take for granted that they’re using them fully and correctly. But as they learn about genealogy standards and best practices, do they go back and re-think their census practices? […]
I was recently interviewed about my new online course for the GRIP Genealogy Institute June 22-27, 2025. Jeanette Sheliga was so much fun to talk with and her questions were perfectly directed. You can view it by visiting https://grip.ngsgenealogy.org/courses/beyond-digging-deeper-sources-methods-and-practices/. It features the image of part of my own office and reference bookshelves at home. That […]