Illustration: “Nativity of Christ,” medieval illustration from the “Hortus Deliciarum” of Herrad of Landsberg, c. 1180. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Our Ancestors, Religion, and Christmas

By Katie Rebecca Garner on December 20, 2023

In this article, Katie Rebecca Garner writes about how some of our ancestors c. 1800 were concerned there wasn’t enough Christ in Christmas... (Read More)

Photo: Gilbert “Gibby” Wyer in 1989, the year before he died. Courtesy of the Nantucket Historical Association.

Christmas Letters (part 1)

By Melissa Berry on December 19, 2023

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry shares a Christmas letter written by a WWII soldier stationed in North Africa in 1942... (Read More)

Illustration: “Merry Old Santa Claus” by Thomas Nast, from the 1 January 1881 edition of “Harper's Weekly.” Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Christmases Past: What Toys Did They Wish For?

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on December 18, 2023

In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega searches old newspapers to find ads for toys, to see what was popular in past Christmases... (Read More)

Photo: the Pemberton Oak. Courtesy of Tennessee Virtual Archive

Tracing Jamestown Family Lines (part 2)

By Melissa Berry on December 15, 2023

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry writes more about early Virginia families, especially the Pemberton line... (Read More)

Illustration: mixing bowl and cooking utensils

Presidential First Ladies’ Recipes

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on December 13, 2023

In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega searches old newspapers to find favorite recipes from some recent First Ladies... (Read More)

Illustration: “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!” Patrick Henry delivering his great speech on the Rights of the Colonies, before the Virginia Assembly, convened at Richmond, 23 March 1775. His concluded his speech with the above sentiment, which became the war cry of the Revolution. Credit: Currier & Ives; Metropolitan Museum of Art; Wikimedia Commons.

Tracing Jamestown Family Lines (part 1)

By Melissa Berry on December 12, 2023

Melissa Davenport Berry writes about a Virginia jeweler’s account book from the 1760s and the history it contains about early Virginia families... (Read More)

Illustration: “The Christmas Tree” by Albert Chevallier Tayler, 1911. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Christmas Memories – and Changing Celebrations (part 2)

By Jessica Edwards on December 11, 2023

In this article, Jessica Edwards describes Christmas traditions in her family, including a creche and some very special cookies... (Read More)

Photo: Sarah Wheldon Kelley, daughter of Levi Kelley and Sally Wheldon. She was a direct descendant of Mayflower passengers George Soule, Myles Standish, George Sampson, John Alden, and Priscilla Mullins. She married Joseph Folger.

Nantucket Scrapbook Shows Mayflower Lines (part 2)

By Melissa Berry on December 8, 2023

Melissa Berry writes more about photos she found in an old Nantucket scrapbook; many of the families shown have direct lines to the Mayflower Pilgrims... (Read More)

Photo: classic Hanukkah sufganiyot filled with strawberry jelly and powdered sugar. Credit: Noam Furer; Wikimedia Commons.

For Hanukkah: Sufganiyot Recipes

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on December 7, 2023

In this article – with Hanukkah beginning at sundown today – Gena Philibert-Ortega searches old newspapers to find sufganiyot recipes... (Read More)