On April 2, 2012, at 9 AM (EST), the National Archives will release the 1940 US census schedules at http://1940census.archives.gov/. The release, administered by The National Archives in partnership with archives.com, will mark the first time a census has been released online. Site visitors will gain free access to view, search, print, and download the 1940 census…Read more The Release of the 1940 US Census – April 2, 2012
Genealogy
If Ancestors Could Talk: The Words of Nineteenth-Century New England
Eastern Massachusetts has its own way of saying things. Whether you're drinking a tonic, or slurping a frappe, or quenching your thirst with water from a bubbler, you know you're near Boston when the letter "r" starts migrating within sentences (think 'supah idear'). To linguists, New England breaks into two dialect regions: Eastern New England…Read more If Ancestors Could Talk: The Words of Nineteenth-Century New England
Dating Old Photographs – The Clues that Tintypes Hold, 1890
Most family historians have THAT box. The box always looks roughly the same. It's the box that belonged to the toaster your mother had three toasters ago. Or, maybe it's a shoebox for a pair of long-lost boat shoes from Thom McAn or a gift box from Anderson Little (remember them?). Maybe it's a bag…Read more Dating Old Photographs – The Clues that Tintypes Hold, 1890
Understanding Crime in Edwardian-Era Massachusetts – Arrests in Lowell, 1904
So, say you're writing a scene about Edwardian-era police officers in New England, or researching the life and times of a police officer ancestor. Or, perhaps you're trying to get an idea of how people got into trouble with the law in the first years of the twentieth century. You'll need to know why Edwardian-era…Read more Understanding Crime in Edwardian-Era Massachusetts – Arrests in Lowell, 1904
Unexpected Family Tree Finds – Western Electric’s Merrimack Valley Works
Sometimes, you need to work really hard to land the latest find in your family tree discoveries. Sometimes, family history finds just fall in your lap. Before going to work yesterday morning, I stopped at the barber shop, and checked Facebook while waiting for my turn in the chair. And I found - quite a…Read more Unexpected Family Tree Finds – Western Electric’s Merrimack Valley Works
Most Likely to . . . Visit a Local History Center? High School Yearbooks and their Value to Genealogists
In these days of point-and-click genealogy (think sites like Ancestry.com or familysearch.org), local and regional history centers of the brick-and-mortar variety are sometimes unjustly overlooked. Some, like the New England Historic Genealogical Society, have online resources and an impressive web presence themselves. Others, especially those dedicated to smaller cities or even towns, have wonderful resources…Read more Most Likely to . . . Visit a Local History Center? High School Yearbooks and their Value to Genealogists
Embrace your black sheep ancestors!
Black sheep ancestors - we've all got them. If you don't, it probably means that you haven't discovered them yet. I find them fascinating. I mean, I enjoy the church-going, god-fearing, alms-giving ancestors as much as the next genealogist, but there's a certain spark of interest that surges when you come across ancestors who were…Read more Embrace your black sheep ancestors!
