The Great Depression had a devastating effect on the population in the United States. In an effort to document and highlight the impact of the Depression and rally support for President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal policies, the Farm Security Administration (FSA) hired eleven photographers to document the conditions of rural America. The powerful photographs captured the lives of impoverished farmers and families during the era and resulted in some of the most iconic images of the Great Depression. Walker Evans… Read the full story

Do you believe in the paranormal? During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, spirit photography became incredibly popular. Many came to believe that spirit photographers could capture images of a deceased loved one’s ghost or spirit within a photograph. Taken by William H. Mumler, c.1871 / Wikimedia Commons In the aftermath of the American Civil War, many people were still grieving the loss of family and friends. Seeing an opportunity for profit, spiritualists and mediums sprang… Read the full story

Do you come from a large family? In the past, it was typical to find families with three or more children. However, these days, statistics show couples who have more than two children are on the decline. Image: National Library of Ireland / Flickr Changes in culture, healthcare and technology have led to changes in what is considered the ideal family size. Starting in the 1930s, the U.S. has seen a shift from the ideal number of children… Read the full story

Here’s a story that may put your work ethic to shame. In an interview with local Buffalo news station WGRZ, New Yorker Felimina Rotundo revealed that at the age of 100, she is still keeping busy working 11 hour days, six days a week at a local laundromat. Image: WGRZ Born in 1915, Felimina was a teen during the Great Depression and remembers it well. At 15, she got her first job working at a shoe factory… Read the full story

Great Scott! Today is Back to the Future Day! The future has finally arrived as Back to the Future fans around the world celebrate the arrival of Marty McFly and Doc Brown on October 21, 2015. In the film, Back to the Future – Part II, Doc, Marty, and his girlfriend Jennifer, leave 1985 behind and travel 30 years into the future in Doc’s DeLorean time machine to help the couple’s future children. Twenty-six years later, the second installment of the Back… Read the full story

Have you used wills as a resource in your family history research? When a person dies, they will often leave their possessions and money to their family and thereby, giving you more clues about other relatives in your family tree. Occasionally, you may come across a few odd requests made by the deceased. Here are some notable, unusual last requests: 1. Harry Houdini Image: Library of Congress In the 1920s, legendary illusionist Harry Houdini spent much… Read the full story

As relatives are added to the family tree, we will often enter the usual basic information, such as names, birth and death dates and location, etc. But did you know you can enhance your relatives’ profiles even further by adding life events to their Timelines? The Timeline is a great way to visualize the events that occur throughout a person’s life. For your convenience, the Timeline is automatically populated with information that may have already been added to a profile. This includes information… Read the full story

Today we remember music icon John Lennon on what would have been his 75th birthday. As one-fourth of the musical phenomena The Beatles, John rose to worldwide fame and went on to become a vocal anti-war activist and supporter of peace. His song “Imagine” became the best selling single of his solo career. Though he died in 1980 at the age of 40, his legacy continues to endure and inspire new generations. Image: Library of Congress In honor… Read the full story

Recently, the story of a woman who became the 11th bride to wear a 120-year-old heirloom wedding dress made headlines. Now a new video created by Mode.com shows how wedding dress fashions have changed over the last 100 years. It’s amazing watching how styles have changed over the last ten decades. Perhaps the video may even help you date some old wedding pictures! Watch the video below: Do these wedding gown fashion trends resemble the wedding dresses in your… Read the full story

October is Family History Month! What better time to introduce your children to your family’s heritage than the month dedicated to it? Take some time to spark your children’s interest in your family’s history and they will love it and appreciate it as they get older. Here are some fun activities to get your budding genealogists active in learning about your family’s roots: Become a Family Detective Image: Anna, Wikimedia Commons Have a little Sherlock Holmes or Nancy Drew on your hands?… Read the full story