By Nikki Paine I was born in 1962 in London and placed with my adoption family six weeks later. I was told I was adopted when I was 5 and my adoptive mother was pregnant with her second natural child. As I got older I began to think more about my birth parents, picturing them…
DetailsBy Sharon Hall Insane and Idiotic Family Search refers to the 1880 census as the “mother lode of questions pertaining to physical condition, criminal status, and poverty.” Why is that? The 1880 Census also included the “Supplemental Schedules for the Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes”, sometimes simply referred to as the “Defective Schedules”. The normal…
DetailsBy Marge Bitetti Locating family roots in California can be complex due to the blending of so many different ethnic cultures. A recent article in the Los Angeles Times noted that in the city of Los Angeles alone there are close to 200 different languages or derivatives of languages spoken. California’s current population is almost…
DetailsBy Bonnie Samuel Sadly, cemetery grave markers disappear. Finding an ancestor’s burial is further complicated by an inconsistent or even nonexistent system of burial records. Here in central Iowa, the township clerk is the person charged with maintaining cemeteries and the records. Some do, some don’t. In July 1979, my family and I travelled to…
DetailsBy Lori Samuelson The New Year’s resolutions have been made and the decorations put away so it’s time to return to ancestor hunting! Perhaps Great Aunt Margaret gave you a clue during a family get together or maybe a tidbit was gleaned from Cousin Bill’s holiday note. If you’re feeling there are so many mysteries…
DetailsBy Anne Sherman This was introduced by the Government following the Reform Act of 1832 and became law in 1836, with the first register starting on 1st July 1837. This established the Local Registrars Offices, and the General Records Office (GRO). The original records are kept by the Local Registrar, and copies are sent to…
DetailsBy Jayne McGarvey Most of us will spend years researching and collating our family history, but once we have researched, collated, revised and reviewed our information often our thoughts will then turn to the subject of writing up our genealogy and our family history in particular. Before you begin, before you even start to think…
DetailsBy Jeanne Rollberg In 2016, we have many creative ways to keep images and voices of loved ones alive through social media, YouTube, blogs and many other options. In our ancestors’ eras, the primary way communities were held together and learned about each other was through daily and weekly newspapers. These historic newspapers hold the key…
DetailsBy Jill Moore When I lived in Ohio, I spent many crisp autumn afternoons at the Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus, walking the peaceful grounds and snapping some of the most beautiful and haunting cemetery pictures I have ever taken. These cherished photographs became even more meaningful when my genealogy work revealed that so many…
DetailsBy Anne Sherman Christmas is widely believed to have originally been a mid-winter festival celebrating the Winter Solstice (shortest day of the year), and as such was celebrated at different times of the year around the world. It was the Christians who changed it to a religious festival to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the…
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