Reading Old Documents: The Long S
Q. I noticed that the hornbook pictured on page 12 of the May 2008 Family Tree Magazine has a 27-letter alphabet, with a unknown letter between r and s. What’s the story? A. The 18th-century English hornbook shown in our May 2008 History Matters column (here’s the hornbook—it’s from the Library of Congress Rare Book […]
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Using WWII Army Enlistment Records for Genealogy Research
How do you use the numbers found on WWII army enlistment records to find the actual document? Our expert has the answer.
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Strategies for Finding Problem Ancestors Premium
Strategies for finding mysterious ancestors, such as black sheep, immigrants, drifters, adoptees and orphans.
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Which Genealogy Database Site Is Worth Your Money?
Q. How do subscription genealogy Web sites, such as Ancestry.com, Genealogy.com and Footnote, compare? In today’s economy I want to get the most value for my money, and I can only subscribe to one. A. When people ask us which genealogy data site is the best, our answer is “The one that has the records […]
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Finding Incarcerated Ancestors
Q. My mother told us repeatedly that she thought our paternal grandfather spent time in various jails and/or prisons in the Deep South. Is there any way to track criminal incarcerations in first quarter of the 20th century without going to each individual district? A. I don’t know of any comprehensive prison indexes, though you […]
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This Brick Wall is Murder
Q. I have a great aunt who was murdered in San Francisco, July 18, 1918, at age 30. Her husband had died four months before and she had a 3-year-old son. I was able to find the date of death, but I really want to know the facts behind the case. How did it happen? […]
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Investigating an Ancestor’s Presidential Award
Q. My grandfather, a lawyer, received a Certificate of Appreciation from President Roosevelt on April 15, 1943, “in grateful recognition of patriotic services rendered in aiding in the administration of the Selective Training and Service Act.” The governor of Maryland also signed it. I’d like to find out what he did to earn this certificate. […]
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Researching a Merchant Mariner’s Overseas Death
Q. Is there a central repository where the death of a merchant seamen who died abroad would be recorded? My ancestor is rumored to have died in Peru, possibly between 1875 and 1890. (This question comes from the FamilyTreeMagazine.com Forum.) A. The merchant marine is a civilian auxiliary of the US Navy. Mariners transport cargo […]
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Skeletons in the Closet Premium
A good scandal can liven up your family history, but how do you get the dirt without rattling your relatives? Follow these five tips for bringing old family secrets to light.
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Make No Mistake Premium
Save time, money and your sanity with our advice for avoiding 10 common genealogy traps.
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