Mexican-American War Soldier Records & Military Casualty Lists
By Thomas Jay Kemp on September 21, 2012
An article about using old newspapers to research your ancestors who fought in the Mexican-American War... (Read More)
Oliver Cromwell: An African American Revolutionary War Hero
By Thomas Jay Kemp on September 20, 2012
Oliver Cromwell was no ordinary soldier of the American Revolution. This military hero’s discharge was signed by General George Washington “stating that he was entitled to wear the badges of honor by reason of his honorable services.” Cromwell’s story first appeared in a newspaper interview conducted when he was 100 years old by a... (Read More)
Gin Marriages, Gretna Greens & Your Ancestor’s Marriage Records
By Gena Philibert-Ortega on September 19, 2012
Gena Philibert-Ortega explains why gin marriage laws and Gretna Greens can cause your ancestors’ marriage records to appear in unexpected newspapers... (Read More)
Sinking of the ‘Athenia’: Mythical Family Survival Story Proves to Be Reality
By Scott Phillips on September 17, 2012
In this article, Scott Phillips tells how old newspaper articles confirmed his uncle’s incredible WWII survival story – a tale that Scott used to question. .. (Read More)
How to Search for an Ancestor Whose Last Name Is a Common Word
By Thomas Jay Kemp on September 14, 2012
We often get this question: What do I do when the surname I’m searching for generates thousands of hits because it is a common word (like Brown, Green or Coffee)? Yes, searching for information on ancestors with ambiguous surnames can be a problem. GenealogyBank often recommends searching using only the surname as the best... (Read More)
Family Memories: Finding My Grandfather’s Stories in the Newspaper
By Thomas Jay Kemp on September 13, 2012
When I was a kid my grandfather would drive us over to see the old family sites in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. I remember grandpa was quite the storyteller. Every corner had a story attached to it, including the story of Joseph Plummer (1774-1862) of Meredith. Why was that story memorable? Because... (Read More)
The Social Columns: Mrs. Smith Is Visiting Her Parents in New Mexico
By Gena Philibert-Ortega on September 12, 2012
Introduction: Gena Philibert-Ortega is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.” In this guest blog post, Gena shows how much valuable family history information can be found in newspapers’ social columns. Newspapers report important events and breaking news on the local, national and international level. They document accidents, crimes, politics,... (Read More)
Remembering September 11th
By Thomas Jay Kemp on September 11, 2012
We can never forget. Discover the story of September 11th as it happened with news coverage detailing the stories and facts of the tragic events. Find 9/11 articles with factual information, photos, survivor stories and obituaries of the victims that died that day, at GenealogyBank. GenealogyBank has a deep digital newspaper archive going back... (Read More)
She’s Been Workin’ on the Railroad! Researching Railway Records
By Scott Phillips on September 10, 2012
Introduction: Scott Phillips is a genealogical historian and owner of Onward To Our Past® genealogy services. In this guest blog post, Scott discovers his centenarian cousin once worked for the U.S. Railway Mail Service—and delves into some railroad history. As a genealogical historian, one of the aspects of family history I love the most... (Read More)
