For the family historian, DNA is one more type of evidence. Used together with the names and associated dates and places of events obtained from traditional sources, it can help us identify an individual uniquely, and also distinguish a person from other people with similar names or ages who were in the same place at the same time.
The Italian kisses his children but scarcely speaks to his wife, never embraces or kisses her in public. The Hungarian and Slavish people put their arms around one another and weep.
Each year Black History Month reminds all of us of how many ethnic resources are available to assist us in our genealogical pursuits, regardless of our ancestral origins.
Institutionalized. The term alone brings a host of images to mind. Poorhouses, asylums, orphanages, mental hospitals, reformatories, jails, penitentiaries, veterans homes, hospitals—learning that an ancestor spent time in any of these can lead to a seeming deadend in your family history research, unless you know how and where to look.
A woman was diagnosed with breast cancer at 60. At that age, no one really thought much about it, except one daughter who wasn’t even 30 and at little risk herself. She realized that two of her mother’s aunts had also had breast cancer—one of them at age 37.
Three people with cancer in two generations? That raised a genetic red flag.
Have you ever wondered what your ancestors did when they wanted food on the go? While grabbing a fast meal back then wasn’t as easy as it is today, our ancestors had their share of fast food options, too.
79 A.D.—Thermopolium
You can still see the remnants of ancient Rome’s “corner bars,” the thermopolium, in the ruins of Pompeii, Italy.
Remember the days when snapshots from the dinner party featured a room full of revelers relaxing with a cigarette? When ashtrays adorned office desks? When everyone from Lucy Ricardo to Archie Bunker graced the small screen with a smoke?
Not long ago, nearly everywhere you turned, someone—and at times almost everyone—was smoking.
Tell us what you learned about the lives of your mothers — and what those women would say about your life today.
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How far back do you have to go to connect your branches to the rest of the world’s? Says science writer Steve Olson, only about 3,000 years.
Olson, author of Mapping Human History, began his quest to find the most recent common ancestor after hearing about Mitochondrial Eve—a female believed to have lived 150,000 years ago, who can be found in every family tree.
Let me show you slides from my vacation. Did you just groan? It’s a universal reaction to home movies and slide shows, especially when yours is not the family on display. Thanks to Microsoft PowerPoint, that ubiquitous reaction has migrated to the office and classroom as slide presentations are used to sell, educate, or simply bore us with things we really don’t care about.
