How Did My Ancestors Spend Valentine’s Day?
The day of love is upon us, which means flowers, candy, a card and a romantic evening with our beloved. But, how did our ancestors spend valentine’s day? While the history of valentine’s has been around for history, … Continued
History of Cupid
In Greek and Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and desire. He is often portrayed as the son of Venus, the love goddess, and Mars, the war god. However, there are many theories on his … Continued
Delving Deeper Into Our Ancestor’s Lives
So, we’ve been researching our ancestors’ lives and we’ve hit a stone wall. There are no more records to be found on our forefathers. But we want to know more about his or her life. There is a … Continued
History of Chinese New Year
The Chinese New Year is Tuesday, February 5th and we will celebrate the afternoon before. This is the year of the pig. The holiday is tied to the lunar-solar Chinese calendar and seen as a time to honor household and … Continued
History of February
February is the shortest month of the year with 28 days, except when we have leap year with 29 days. The Roman month Februarius was named after the Latin term februum. The word februum means purification. The Romans originally considered … Continued
History of Candlemas
Candlemas is a Christian Holy Day which commemorates the presentation of Jesus at the temple. The holiday is based on the Biblical account found in Luke 2:22-40. According to Leviticus 12, a woman was to be presented for purification by … Continued
Why Did My Ancestor Settle Here?
Have you ever wondered why your ancestors settled where they did? Was there a reason to why they ended up where they did or was it all part of happenstance? Some questions to explore include: Did they have relatives they … Continued
Why Did My Ancestor Migrate?
Have you ever wondered why your ancestor migrated to the new world? For some, it’s easy to figure out. The Irish Famine of the 18th Century The Religious persecution of the pilgrims The persecution of the Jews The one thing … Continued
Here We Come A-Wassiling
“Here we come a-wassailing among the leaves so green.” But, what is a-wassailing? This is when people would godoor to door singing at New Year’s. This was the same tradition as singing Christmas Carols, but it was for the new … Continued
Understanding Migration Patterns
When working on my immigrant ancestors, I noticed {as you probably have} various ethnic groups settled in various areas. After all, the early Scots-Irish settled in Virginia and trickled down into the Carolina’s. The Spanish settled in Florida, because it … Continued