Decades of historical and genealogical research spanning three centuries, six countries, and hundreds of families reveals the epic story of the Creole inhabitants of the fabled “Isle of Canes” in Louisiana.
A World War II soldier, home on furlough, wrote the editor of th e Chicago Tribune in 1943:
Can someone tell me about a place called Cane River”Louisiana?
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service makes it possible for us to retrace our ancestor’s steps toward naturalization.
Among the family treasures framed and displayed next to an assortment of old photographs in my parents’ home is my great-grandmother’s certificate of naturalization.
In my mind, there’s only one thing nicer than a cemetery—a cemetery decorated for Memorial Day.
In my mind, there’s only one thing nicer than a cemetery—a cemetery decorated for Memorial Day.
In high spirits, I drove into the entrance of an Iowa cemetery on Memorial Day, intent on adorning my ancestors’ graves.
Who would imagine that the confusion in your family research is the result of the deliberate white lies of your ancestor?
Hard as it may be to believe, our ancestors weren’t always truthful about the information they supplied to clerks, enumerators, and other record makers.
If your home library is ever-expanding and maybe even ever-disorganized, consider the uses of the latest software.
You’re grazing at your favorite used bookstore and you come across a dog-eared copy of a 1917 yearbook for St. Swizzlestick’s Academy for Industrious Youth. You’ve been tracking various ancestors through St. Swizzlestick’s for years now.
Your ancestors’ churches likely kept more records than the birth and marriage documents you’re accustomed to searching. It may be time for a return visit.
Church records are among the most valuable historical documents for family historians.
We’re all about being helpful when it comes to genealogical research, but it often takes extra effort to share our most important work.
Nothing is more characteristic of genealogists than their enthusiasm for helping others.
Even before your ancestors said, “I do,” marriage records had already been created for the happy union. Finding those records is now up to you.
Imagine a beautiful spring day. The sun is shining and the faint scent of jasmine is in the breeze. The string quartet interrupts its soft backgr ound music to play the bride’s processional.
Learn about the latest family history publications.
Planting Your Family Tree Online: How to Create Your Own Family History Web Site
By Cyndi Howells. National Genealogical Society, 2003. 259 pages, softcover, $19.99. Order at www.ngsgenealogy.org.
What a difference three years makes! Until 17 April 2001, those of us researching our immigrant ancestors had to consult countless resources and—all too frequently—scroll through endless rolls of microfilm in the hope of finding our kin among millions of others.