Member Blogs

A Hope Chest was originally used as a dowry. It was property that a woman owned and brought into her marriage. Some women could not find a suitable husband, for various factors; therefore, the dowry was used as a way of enticing a man into marriage.

The idea of a Hope Chest symbolizes so many hopes and dreams. It’s about seeing the future unfold before your very eyes and it’s about preserving a lifetime of memories and building a family legacy, a heritage. It’s a place where a young girl places a

Findmypast.com Expands U.S. Records Collection

Newly added records gives users access to unparalleled resources

that cannot be found anywhere else

LOS ANGELES, August 31, 2012 –Findmypast.com, an international leader in online family history research, today announced the expansion of its U.S. records to include World War I Draft cards and outgoing passenger lists from the UK to United States, among others.

The unveiling of findmypast.com’s expanded record collection follows the announcement of a n

I've been doing genealogy since I was 16. Something about learning what my ancestors' lives were like just drew me in and wouldn't let me go. So my new novel, which I describe as "genealogy-themed," is a natural extension of my love for family history. If you've ever wondered what it'd be like to go back in time and meet your ancestors and see the kind of life they led, I daresay you would be interested in this book.

Now available on Amazon for Kindle (and in print in a couple of weeks), Going o

Register today for the upcoming FREE webinars sponsored by the Southern
California Genealogical Society. The webinars are open to the public and the
original webcast is free to all.
 
If you can't make one of the scheduled sessions, remember that members of
the Southern California Genealogical Society can view archived sessions at
any time, day or night, from the convenience of home. A one-year single
membership in SCGS is only $35, which gives you access to the webinar
archive. In addition, SCGS member

Ok, my Great Great Grandmother was Emeline Eula Griffin and she was called Emily.  I have some information on her family but not a lot.  I definitely have her mother's name as she appears in more than one census with Emily, but she is a widow.  There's one census with a possible father.  Here's what I've got.

Emily Griffen was born Aug 4,1857 in North Carolina (possibly McDowell County) and died Oct 8,1925 in Haywood County, NC.  She was married to George Franklin (another brick wall) on Dec. 31

I am looking for decendants of Ross Welton, lived in Atkinson, Nebraska in 1940, wife was an Osborne.

Thanks Scott Osborne

My Maternal Grandmother's Mother was a Franklin, and I've not gotten very far with her family.  Not in comparison to some of my other family lines.  I say "I", but it's actually been a concerted effort with some cousins.  Here's what I know about the Franklin family.

Maudie Lee Franklin was born Jun 15, 1887 in Jonathan Creek, Haywood County, NC and she died Jan 20, 1971 in Canton, Haywood County, NC.  She was married to Robert Gaston Pressley.  They lived in Haywood County, NC all of their live

Findmypast.com Announces Partnership with Federation of Genealogical Societies

Partnership makes records available to findmypast.com and creates a vital source of revenue for local societies.

Findmypast.com, an international leader in online family history research, today announced a national partnership with Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) to preserve, digitize and provide access to local records from genealogical societies across the country.

The collaborative initiative will help

looking for family on my dad side last name olano from havana cuba

New Releases and Interesting Finds

As we are digging for some critical information to either throw in the towel or move forward I came across some more
cool information.
Knowing the information was there and having to dig up each link was never a problem but the other day I discovered a
better way to get to the information. Some one has put together a fabulous presentation of data on Dauphin County,
Pennsylvania.

O mentioning Dauphin County, they told me some phone numbers have changed so you may ha

In 1998 or 99, when I first mentioned to my Grandmother, we called her Mammaw, that I was researching our genealogy she didn't show much interest in any of it.  She told me that if she didn't know them then she didn't care, and then she proceded to tell me about her family.  Just as I thought I'd gotten all the information she'd give me, then she'd surprise me and tell me more.  She loved her family and wanted to talk about their stories and all she could remember.  I was very close to Mammaw an

MILLS, M.A. (August 20, 2012) – Professional genealogist and house historian, Marian Pierre-Louis has developed a new history and genealogy radio show called Fieldstone Common. The live 60-minute show will feature authors, historians, curators and others whose passion is to keep New England history alive. Shows will be broadcast weekly through Blog Talk Radio (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/FieldstoneCommon)and made available afterward via podcast.

The inaugural episode airs on Friday, August 24

North American Indexing Volunteers Invited to Join New US Immigration & Naturalization Community Project

More than 160,000 volunteer indexers made the 1940 U.S. Census available for searching in just five months. The project was an unprecedented success that dramatically illustrated what the genealogical community can accomplish when united in a common cause.

Now many volunteers are turning their attention to the U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Community Project, an indexing effort to make pas

I decided yesterday that I was going to go to the historical society today to do some research.  I did not find much.  I got copies of 4 death certificates for some of my Hartman's.  I did however have a wonderful time talking to the volunteers and some other researchers.  It is amazing how many of us were researching the same family's.  I really enjoy my time there even if I don't get much accomplished.

http://brittneyandelizabethanning.blogspot.com/

Good Morning and Hello :O)

I'm so excited to share my news... I have not written in sometime, for I have been on a treasure hunt and boy did I hit GOLD!!!

There were a couple of lessons I learned, again.. I say that because these are mistakes usually made by beginners in genealogy research, so I am humbled to say, I do not know as much as I thought I did... Never let  yourself believe that you are smarter than you really are.

By adding a death date to a great aunt, I closed off her real life, but w

For Immediate Release
August 20, 2012

August 20, 2012 – Austin, TX. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) announces the debut of its free mobile application for the upcoming FGS 2012 Conference, Indians, Squatters, Settlers and Soldiers in the "Old Southwest" – to be held in Birmingham, Alabama 29 August to 1 September, 2012.

Based on the Guidebook app platform, the FGS 2012 Confer

Ancestry.com normally announces the newest version of Family tree Maker around this time of the year. Instead we have decided to make several key updates to the existing software, and give those updates away for free. We will be working hard this year to improve the current product and you will see these bonus features throughout the year.

Remember, you will need to upgrade to Family Tree Maker 2012 before you can download the bonus features.

Since Family Tree Maker 2012 was released last fall, a

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

‘Meet The Presenters’ of Family Tree University’s Fall Virtual Genealogy Conference

Take part in pre-scheduled social media Q&A’s to get to know your experts

For a fraction of the cost it takes to travel to–and attend–a live event, Family Tree University's Fall 2012 Virtual Conference provides attendees with an all-access pass to 15 half-hour video sessions presented by the same experts you’d pay an arm and a leg to see speak at a regular conference, all online, from the conv