The Pilgrims: Building Begins
The Pilgrims have landed in Massachusetts, not their original destination, and construction has begun on the houses where they would live. Construction began on December 25, 1620. To us that is Christmas day, but the Pilgrims did not believe in … Continued
Checking the Weather
Recently, I was reading a tip from another genealogy blogger, who mentioned checking the weather for a specific date or event. This researcher primarily referred to when ancestors arrived at Ellis Island for the first time. This was a unique … Continued
What Mattered to Our Ancestors?
Last week, I shared strange inheritances we may receive. But, how do we discover what mattered to our ancestors? After all, they are long gone. We can’t go back in time and ask them. But there are a few ways … Continued
Strange Inheritances
I enjoy watching strange inheritances and there are some very interesting and unique inheritances that are left at times. These inheritances often provide a life long passion or obsession for the now deceased relative. This led me to think about … Continued
Investigating Strange Circumstances
I have a great-uncle who disappeared. Family tradition stated that he disappeared while selling Bibles home to home. This intrigued me and made me wonder what happened. So, I began digging deeper. So, how did I dig deeper? Checking the … Continued
Transcription mistakes on census records
When searching for census records, it is often difficult to find a family in the records. So, why is this? Especially when you know where they lived during that time. One reason may be transcription errors. I have found some … Continued
How genealogy helped me in life
I recently had a housing situation which arose, and I had to do some legwork to track down the information. In the more than two decades I’ve been doing genealogy, I’ve discovered where to seek and find a variety of … Continued
History of Summer Vacation
Question: What was the first school year, where, which country started the first school year? How did they come up with it? Please reply. Answer: I always believed that the summer vacation was created for rural students to work … Continued
Discovering Grave Locations
Last week, I shared about finding where infants in the family were buried. But, what about other family members? I have a set of great-great grandparents, whom I could not find their graves. Their obituary did not tell me where … Continued
History of Education in the US
Question: What are the differences and similarities between the educational systems before and now in the 21st Century? Please reply. Answer: I received the above question inquiring what schools used to be like and how they were both different … Continued