The holiday season is upon us! Are you still shopping for gifts for your relatives? Here are some ideas for the perfect gift for relatives interested in learning more about your family history. 1. Family photo album Make copies of old photos you have in your possession and put them into a family history photo album. This would make a perfect gift for the entire family! 2. Scrapbook supply kit Scrap booking and genealogy were… Read the full story

There have been a lot of great inventions throughout history that have made significant impacts on our lives. From the invention of photography to the creation of the smartphone, numerous devices have changed the way we interact and communicate with the world. Of course, for every successful invention, there are tons that couldn’t quite make it to production. While some proved to be impractical and cumbersome, others turned out to be rather bizarre. Here are a… Read the full story

We hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday! Here are some great family history articles to read with your Thanksgiving leftovers! Image: 7 Intriguing Turkey Recipes From the 1800s / mental_floss The Genealogy Sphere Uniting the World in One Tree (ShalomLife.com) – Another great article covering AJ Jacobs’ mission to throw the largest family reunion in history 7 Intriguing Turkey Recipes From the 1800s (mental_floss) – Possible new recipes to try next Thanksgiving? World’s Oldest… Read the full story

This Thursday, everyone across the United States will be celebrating Thanksgiving. One of the busiest holidays for travel, people from all over return home to celebrate the holiday with their loved ones. While feasting on your Thanksgiving meal this year, take this opportunity to involve your relatives in your family history research. And perhaps create even more lasting family memories! Here are some tips for working family history into your celebrations this year: Before the big day, ask… Read the full story

From time to time, family history researchers may find an odd request in an ancestors will. These can range from requests for large sums of money to be given to the deceased’s pet to a unique request of being buried in a glass box. Charles Vance Millar was a successful Canadian lawyer and financier, who loved jokes and pranks which played on people’s greed. On October 31, 1926, Millar died a bachelor at the age… Read the full story

Ready for this week’s roundup of articles? Check them out below! This may be the oldest surviving photo of a human / CNN The Genealogy Sphere This may be the oldest surviving photo of a human (CNN) – A photo of a Paris street taken in 1838 by Louis Daguerre may be the oldest surviving photo of a live person At L.A. County Cemetery, Unclaimed Dead Await a Final Resting Place (The L.A. Times) –… Read the full story

Do you have any ancestors who came through Ellis Island? On November 12, 1954, Ellis Island closed its doors after welcoming 12 million immigrants to America. Located in Upper New York Bay, Ellis Island served as the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States from 1892 – 1954. On January 1, 1892, a 17-year-old Irish girl named Annie Moore became the first immigrant to set foot through the famous immigration center. She was traveling… Read the full story

Today the U.S. celebrates Veterans Day! Do you have any military veterans in your family? Check out some famous faces you may not have known served in the military: 1. Bea Arthur Bea Arthur Did you know actress Bea Arthur served in the United States Marine Corp during World War II? Before she became a Golden Girl, Arthur served as a truck driver for 30 months as one of the first members of the Women’s Reserve. 2…. Read the full story

Check out this week’s roundup of articles from around the web! A Melancholy List of Edgar Allan Poe’s Debts, From his Bankruptcy Petition of 1842 / Slate The Genealogy Sphere 14 Vintage Baby Girl Names that are Waiting to be Rediscovered (The Huffington Post) – Do you have any of these names in your family tree? Finding Children Between the Census Years (LisaLisson.com) – Great tips on how to find children not recorded in the census… Read the full story

Any genealogy researcher will tell you that death certificates and obituaries hold a great deal of valuable information for your family tree. These often contain the name of the deceased, place of residence, place of death, the names of family members and cause of death. It’s always fascinating when you stumble upon an unusual cause of death. Here’s a clipping from The Ocala Evening Star dated April 3, 1908. A woman, Mrs. Anna Ferrer of New York, laughed herself to death while attending… Read the full story