Blog
New Tools from Ancestry and MyHeritage
RootsTech has become the time and place for new genealogical announcements and RootsTech 2019 did not disappoint! This blog post focuses on new some new tools available from Ancestry and MyHeritage that you need to check out. While there is plenty of buzz about these tools, I recommend that you check in with the experts, then try them yourself. The value of the tools is based on personal preference, so you want to form your own opinion. At the end of the post there is homework to do, but not to turn in! From...
read moreRootsTech 2019 Videos and Handouts
Rootstech 2019 is over and if you did not make it, you can still be inspired by viewing some of the videos and all of the handouts at the link below. It is great that Rootstech lets us all be a part of it. Videos for some sessions can be viewed here. The handouts (syllabi) for the sessions can be viewed and downloaded...
read moreResearching Florida WWI Ancestors
Learning the military organization for your ancestor who served in WWI is important. With that information, you can find out what your ancestor did including duties, travels and battles. The State Library & Archives of Florida’s Florida Memory website has a Collection of World War I Service Cards. This collection includes the cards for Floridians in the Army, Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps during WWI. From this website you can search for a specific service member’s card or browse all the service cards. As an example,...
read more7 Categories for Genealogical Goals
I t’s a New Year! For many, each new year comes with resolutions. These are typically about health and well being. How about some for genealogy? Since we are at the end of January, you need only do 11 to cover the rest of the year. The first step is to define your current genealogical goals. You might be looking into one branch of the family, trying to find immigrants place of origin or make progress on a lineage society application. Make a list of your goal for each month. To organize your efforts, and keep track of what you did...
read moreNARA Record Retrieval: Interview with Deidre Erin Denton of Twisted Twigs on Gnarled Branches
Twisted Twigs On Gnarled Branches Genealogy has been changing the way researchers receive documents held by the National Archives. It is a NARA Record Retrieval Service. They perform access to records held at Archive 1 (Washington D.C.), Archive 2 (College Park, Maryland), the National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri, and the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC). Since NARA and the NPRC have been working to restore many of the Army or Air Force service record veteran’s military records that were “lost” in the 1973 Fire,...
read moreReview of “They Shall Not Grow Old”
This week I went to see the limited showing of Peter Jackson’s “They Shall Not Grow Old”. By now, you probably know that the film has been colorized, and dubbed, all with great technical care. But the movie is so much more than that. It is an experience. Mr. Jackson is an engaging story teller who has done phenomenal work in bringing this Great War footage to us differently than has ever been attempted. For him, it was a labor of love, dedicated especially to his Grandfather. The story followed British soldiers from home to...
read moreResearching Texas WWI Ancestors
Learning the military organization for your ancestor who served in WWI is important. With that information, you can find out what your ancestor did including duties, travels and battles. For An important fact to know about your ancestor who served in WWI is the military organization. With that information, you can find out what your ancestor did including duties, travels and battles. For Texas WWI ancestors, you can access Texas, World War I Records, 1917-1920 here. This collection includes service cards and other military records For...
read moreCamp Doughboy 2018: After Action Report
The 3rd annual Camp Doughboy WWI History Weekend at Governors Island National Monument was held on 15-16 September 2018. This was the biggest free public WWI exhibition in the U.S. this year, and was attended by 10.000 visitors. The weather was sunny and warm both days. My mission was to man a table where people could ask how they could learn about their WWI ancestors. On that table I displayed an informative poster, the WWI scrapbook of my Grandfather that I created (rather than inherited) and WWI Victory medals. I was also assigned to give...
read more7 Ways to Research WWI Veterans in Your Community
Seventy First Regiment Leaves for Camp of N.Y. Division.(NARA RG165-WW-288C-067) Congratulations on taking the first step of wanting to learn more! Ryan Hegg of the WWI Centennial Commission for New York City asked me if I believed that the WWI Generation was really the Greatest Generation. What a thought provoking question! Ryan makes a great case. WWI was a defining point in our Country’s history as a participant on the world stage. Theirs was a generation who decided to go overseas to fight the Great War for Civilization. They...
read moreResearching North Carolina WWI Ancestors
Learning the military organization for your ancestor who served in WWI is important. With that information, you can find out what your ancestor did including duties, travels and battles. For North Carolina WWI ancestors, you can access North Carolina, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2568864 You will need to sign up for a free account with FamilySearch.org to be able to search and view results. FamilySearch is a resource that will be useful for you, as it contains many records online and...
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