Painting: "The March of Time," by Henry Sandham, 1896. This painting shows a parade of veterans of the U.S. Civil War during Decoration Day. General William Tecumseh Sherman is in the front row at the far right. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

When Memorial Day Was Decoration Day

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on May 30, 2016

In this blog article, Gena Philibert-Ortega searches old newspapers to learn about the history of Memorial Day... (Read More)

Illustration: a student's graduation cap

Researching Your Ancestor’s College Life in Old Newspapers

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on May 25, 2016

In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega shows how newspaper articles about college life can help fill in the details of your ancestors’ lives... (Read More)

Photo: a refugee family during the Civil War leaving a war area with belongings loaded on a cart. Credit: National Archives.

Fiery Letter from a ‘Nashville She Rebel’

By Tony Pettinato on May 24, 2016

An article featuring a letter written during the Civil War by a Confederate woman in Tennessee to her prisoner-of-war cousin held in Indiana... (Read More)

Photo: Soldiers at rest after drill, Petersburg, Va., 1864. The soldiers are seated reading letters and papers and playing cards. Credit: National Archives.

Jokes of the Civil War Period (1861-1865)

By Mary Harrell-Sesniak on May 23, 2016

In this blog article, Mary Harrell-Sesniak shares some jokes, puns and funny stories she found while searching through newspapers from the Civil War era... (Read More)

Remembering WWI Veteran Osmond Ingram

By Thomas Jay Kemp on May 20, 2016

An article about Osmond Ingram of Oneonta, Alabama, who was the first U.S. Navy sailor killed in World War I... (Read More)

Photo: Noncommissioned Officers Mess of Company D, 93d New York Infantry, Bealeton, Virginia, Aug. 1863. Source: Wikipedia.

Union Soldier Describes Daily Life in Civil War Camp

By Tony Pettinato on May 17, 2016

An article featuring a Civil War letter written by a Connecticut soldier, Philip W. Hudson, to his father on 17 May 1861... (Read More)

Photo: "Board of directors of the Coleman manufacturing co., Concord, N.C., the only Negro cotton mill in the U.S.," c. 1899. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

First Canadian Black History Summit Makes History

By Thomas Jay Kemp on May 16, 2016

An article about the First Canadian Black History Summit recently held in Ontario, Canada, on 16 April 2016... (Read More)

New York City Marriage Indexes Online

By Thomas Jay Kemp on May 13, 2016

An article about the 1908-1937 index to New York City marriages available online at the Internet Archive website... (Read More)

Photo: close-up from the cover of "Civil War Biographies from the Western Waters"

Book Review: ‘Civil War Biographies from the Western Waters’

By Thomas Jay Kemp on May 12, 2016

A book review of Myron J. Smith, Jr.’s 2015 book “Civil War Biographies from the Western Waters.”.. (Read More)