Early on in the year, genealogist Amy Crow of No Story Too Small challenged all blogging genealogists to write about one ancestor per week for 52 weeks. This is my first entry in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge. I think it’s fitting that the first ancestor I blog about in the 52 Ancestors … Read more
When you see this… And then you see this… And realize there was once a company with some line on an order form somewhere asking: Aha, you want to buy a marriage registry book for your county? How about a nice volume for “Colored” marriages? (The Times-Recorder is Americus, Georgia’s newspaper to this day.) The … Read more
If you’re like me you’re grateful when you find a relative in a census or other source holding an occupation anything – ANYTHING – other than “farmer” or “farm laborer.” …But a book I’ve been wanting to read for over a decade and somehow finally just procured has me realizing that – like with just … Read more
As I approach my 50th blog post, I realized I haven’t done a Follow Friday in forever. …So here goes! Photography My Daguerreotype Boyfriend – Admit it. You thought Robert Cornelius, the photographer of the very first selfie back in 1839, was hot. (To me he looks like what Heathcliff should look like.) Well, this … Read more
After doing so much research in Forsyth County, GA (where old newspapers are few and far between), I was delighted to discover that the Keowee Courier from Pickens County, SC has been printing almost continuously since 1849. Yay! This little gem comes from the Keowee Courier’s very first issue on May 18th, 1849. Tl;dr “Take … Read more
This historian’s heart was gratified today to see a firsthand account in our local newspaper, the Cherokee Tribune, of some of the troubles Canton experienced during the Civil Rights era. Though we still have a long way to go (see: internet comments, ugh), it’s heartening to see my little town having an open discussion and … Read more
Don’t stop reading! I know the topic of this blog post sounds technical and deadly boring, but it may be vital to your continued success as the genealogy world moves increasingly online. Especially if you run a genealogy website or work as a professional genealogist. So hear me out here! What the Heck is Going … Read more
Your surname’s spelling was never carved in stone. This is something that most people who’ve been digging through original genealogical sources already know, but I’ve found myself having a conversation about this with a bunch of interested family members and friends lately, so I thought I would write a post about this. More than likely, … Read more
How are you guys today? I am pleased to write that I am tolerably well and I hope you are well, too. (Sorry, I can’t help it. After getting buried in all of these old West family letters I want to talk like the writers do!) This letter is from my 3rd Great Aunt Edith … Read more
Remember how I was complaining that I haven’t been doing any genealogy or genealogy blogging for the past 6 weeks because I had a big contract? Well, I’ve turned in the last work on that contract and – save any edits they ask for – I’m finished. I now feel safe to spend a little … Read more