Dear Mother: Family Letters and Your Genealogy
By Gena Philibert-Ortega on August 22, 2013
In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega shows how your ancestors’ letters can help with your family history research – and how you can find them... (Read More)
Top Genealogy Websites, Pt. 4: BillionGraves Smartphone App for Finding Graves
By Thomas Jay Kemp on August 21, 2013
I recently wrote the article Top Genealogy Websites, Pt. 3: Burial & Cemetery Records, which included a discussion of BillionGraves.com. This handy website provides an app that can be used to find the burial site of a relative. Let’s look into this a little more. BillionGraves is a free Internet site that encourages genealogists,... (Read More)
GenealogyBank Made 2013 Best 101 Genealogy Websites List!
By Scott Phillips on August 20, 2013
Scott Phillips reminisces about some of the great family history discoveries he’s found in GenealogyBank’s historical newspaper archives... (Read More)
Family History Saturates American Pop Culture & Advertising
By Thomas Jay Kemp on August 19, 2013
You can find references to genealogy everywhere in America these days. In a current Capital One TV commercial, Alec Baldwin and “the boys” use their double miles to fly home for their family reunion. Family Reunion Capital One Venture Card Commercial So opens the familiar Capital One ad—this works because of the underpinning of... (Read More)
Take a Music Break & Listen to ‘I’m My Own Grandpa’
By Thomas Jay Kemp on August 16, 2013
Take a break today and listen to this old country song performed by Dennis Warner. Click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7x1ETPkZsk. You’ll need a pad and pencil to work out all the genealogy connections in this funny ballad loaded with connections on the old family tree. The song lyrics to “I’m My Own Grandpa” are below for... (Read More)
Genealogy Song: ‘I Think I Hear a Woodpecker Knocking at My Family Tree’
By Thomas Jay Kemp on August 15, 2013
“I Think I Hear a Woodpecker Knocking at My Family Tree” is probably the funniest genealogy song you will ever hear. Written by composer Joseph Edgar Howard (1878-1961), this genealogy song has been popular since it was written back in 1909. A copy of the original sheet music for this piece was put online... (Read More)
SSDI Quiz: Understanding the U.S. Social Security Death Index
By Mary Harrell-Sesniak on August 14, 2013
In this article, Mary Harrell-Sesniak provides a quiz about the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Social Security Death Index (SSDI)... (Read More)
Newspaper Articles Fill Blanks in Family History
By Scott Phillips on August 12, 2013
Scott Phillips researches old newspapers to find stories about a member of his extended family, the 19th century philanthropist John Huntington... (Read More)
Remembering ‘Roots’ Author Alexander Murray Palmer Haley
By Thomas Jay Kemp on August 9, 2013
Alex Haley (1921-1992) was a famous African American author who had more impact on genealogy than any other person in the past 50 years. He was born 11 August 1921. Haley would be almost 92 years old if he were alive today. After the release of his book Roots: The Saga of an American... (Read More)
