Check out some interesting articles from the past week! The Genealogy Sphere The Wismer Saucepan (Adventures in Genealogy blog) – Deb Ruth shares her husband’s second cousin twice removed’s patent record for a new saucepan Harriet Tubman’s Tallahassee descendants loan artifacts to archives (Tallahassee.com) – In honor of Black History Month, Harriet Tubman’s descendants loan a few of her artifacts to the FAMU Black Archives Photochrom prints: images to use (The Legal Genealogist) – Judy Russell shares… Read the full story

February is Black History month in the U.S., where we celebrate and remember the past and present achievements of African-Americans. In 1866, to help rebuild the country after the Civil War, the United States Congress established the first peacetime all-black regiment in the U.S. Army to help patrol the western frontier. About 6,000 African Americans were recruited into six regiments: 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st Infantry Regiments. The last four… Read the full story

Harriet Beecher Stowe was an American abolitionist and author. She wrote the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin which was a depiction of life for African-Americans under slavery, it became influential in the United States and United Kingdom. The novel energized anti-slavery forces in the American North, while provoking widespread anger in the South. She was influential both for her writings and her public stands on social issues of the day. After the start of the Civil War, Stowe… Read the full story

Hope everyone had a great long weekend! Check out some interesting genealogy articles from the past week! The Genealogy Sphere Genealogy for African-Americans challenging (Standard-Examiner) – An aritcle examining the challenges of African-American genealogy Carpe Diem! Missed Genealogy Opportunities (The Olive Tree Genealogy) – Do you have any missed genealogy opportunities? A 1913 will and property owned 120 years ago (Footsteps and Footprints blog) – Roger Glass shares the last will and testemant of his great-great… Read the full story

It’s Valentine’s Day! Valentine’s Day brings out the romantic in many of us and what better way to spend Valentine’s Day than to read about great love stories in history. Baylor University, in collaboration with Wellesly College digitized the love letters between English poets Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett. The entire collection is now available online for your viewing pleasure. Elizabeth Barrett came from a prominent and wealthy family and she was already a well… Read the full story

Edward Everett Hale was an American author, historian and Unitarian clergyman. He was a child prodigy who exhibited extraordinary literary skills. He graduated from Boston Latin School at age 13, then enrolled at Harvard University where he won two Bowdoin prizes and was elected the Class Poet. In 1839, Hale graduated second in his class and then studied at Harvard Divinity School. He was licensed to preach as a Unitarian minister in 1842 by the… Read the full story

We hope everyone had a great weekend! Check out some interesting articles in the world of genealogy below! The Genealogy Sphere MN Woman Discovers Heritage in Swedish Reality Show (KSTP.com) – A woman from Minnesota learns of her ancestry through a reality show in Sweden A tool for finding urban ancestors (GenerousGenealogists.com) – Tips for using city directories to find relatives Why the princes in the tower are staying six feet under (The Guardian) – Interesting article… Read the full story

We’re thrilled to announce that DNA tests for genealogy are now available on Geni! Take your genealogy into the new millennium with this cutting-edge technology to enhance your family history research. And for a limited time, we’re offering you a special discount on this revolutionary technology! Have you hit a brick wall in your genealogy research? You can break through these brick walls by identifying your direct paternal line (Y-DNA), direct maternal line (mtDNA) and… Read the full story

Oliver Ames was the 35th Governor of Massachusetts during 1887-1890 and a financier. Prior to being governor he was lieutenant-governor of Massachusetts from 1882-1886. Ames had entered public life avowedly to vindicate his father’s memory. Ames was born on February 4, 1831 in North Easton, Massachusetts to Oakes Ames and Eveline Gilmore. Oakes Ames was an American manufacturer, capitalist, and member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts. As a congressman, he is credited… Read the full story

Check out this week’s recap! The Genealogy Sphere Digging up the past: Passing the family history torch (Afterthekidsleave.com) – A good way to get your kids into genealogy: tell them they’re descended from Vikings! Use SMART goals for your family history and genealogy planning (Examiner.com) – Great tips on how to plan your family history research Richard III dig: DNA confirms bones are king’s (BBC News) – The remains of Richard III of England have… Read the full story