GenealogyBank - The Official Blog

GenealogyBank adds more 20th Century Newspapers

2009-11-19T12:47:00.011-05:00

GenealogyBank expands it's coverage adding more 20th Century newspapers.

We are pleased to announce even stronger 20th Century resources with the addition of these important newspapers from all parts of the United States.

Georgia, Augusta
Augusta Chronicle. Over 33 million articles. from 1793 to 1997
We just added 10, 835 issues from 1/1/1950 to 12/31/1981 Click here and start searching this newspaper.

Louisiana, New Orleans
Times Picayune. Over 16 million articles from 1837 to 1942
We just added 4,229 issues from 1/2/1923 to 12/6/1942
Click here and start searching this newspaper

New Jersey, Trenton
Trenton Evening Times . Over 17.8 million articles from 1883 to 1972
We just added 9,596 issues from 1/1/1950 to 12/29/1972
Click here and start searching this newspaper

Ohio, Cleveland
Plain-Dealer. Over 28.6 million articles from 1845 to 1955
We just added 2,720 issues from 1/1/1950 to 11/30/1967
Click here and start searching this newspaper

Texas, Dallas
Dallas Morning News. Over 10.5 million articles from 1885 to 1978
We just added 10,593 issues from 1/1/1950 to 9/15/1978
Click here and start searching this newspaper

Washington, Seattle
Seattle Daily Times. Over 6.3 million articles from 1923 to 1939
We just add 4,738 issues from 1/1/1923 to 11/30/1938
Click here and start searching this newspaper
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2009-11-18T08:26:00.003-05:00

FYI: GenealogyBank has already added 20 Million records & the month's only half over.

This is going to be a big month!

Click Here and Start Searching now!!

Fred Q. Bowman (1916-2009) Genealogist, Author

2009-11-10T16:35:00.004-05:00

Fred Q. Bowman (1916-2009)
Frederick Quimby Bowman, 93, passed away in Albany, NY earlier this week. Well known genealogist and author - Fred was a relied upon source of early New York vital records. He was a genealogist who made a lasting difference.

Obituary: Times Union (Albany, NY) - November 9, 2009
See: http://bit.ly/5gmzM7

He is survived by his wife, Eleanor (Wickham) Bowman; a son, Ronald Bowman (Janice); daughter-in-law, Yvonne and her daughter Arlene; two grandchildren, Lisa Wilson (David) and Michael Bowman (Jill Tierney); four great-grandchildren, Kayley and Brenna, Cody and Kyle; also several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by two sons, Raymond W. and Kenneth Bowman; a granddaughter, Brenda Bowman; a sister, Martha Schmidt; and a brother, William Bowman. Condolences may be sent to them c/o the A.J. Cunningham Funeral Home; 4898 SR81; Greenville, NY 12083.

He was the author of:
7,000 Hudson-Mohawk Valley (NY) vital records, 1808-1850
Index to 7,000 Hudson-Mohawk Valley New York vital records, 1808-1850

10,000 vital records of eastern New York, 1777-1834
Index to 10,000 vital records of eastern New York, 1774-1834
8,000 more vital records of eastern New York State, 1804-1850

10,000 vital records of central New York, 1813-1850
Index to 10,000 vital records of central New York, 1813-1850

10,000 vital records of western New York, 1809-1850
Index to 10,000 vital records of western New York, 1809-1850

Landholders of northeastern New York, 1739-1802
Directory to collections of New York vital records, 1726-1989, with rare gazetteer
New York's detailed census of 1855 : Greene County

GenealogyBank adds 66 more newspapers

2009-11-05T11:07:00.002-05:00

GenealogyBank adds more newpapers for 20 States - with 25 new titles and expanded coverage in 41 more.

See the complete list here:
GenealogyBank.com - Adds more newspapers - November 2009

More newspapers go online

2009-11-05T09:54:00.004-05:00

GenealogyBank today added 5 newspapers from 5 states: Arizona; Hawaii; Maryland; Mississippi; and North Dakota

Superior Sun, The (Superior, AZ)
Obituaries: 06/11/2002 - Current
Death Notices: 09/12/2001 - Current

Big Island Weekly (Hilo, HI)
Obituaries: 04/18/2007 - Current

Towson Times (Towson, MD)
Obituaries: 02/21/2001 - Current
Death Notices: 02/14/200...1 - Current

Winston County Journal (Louisville, MS)
Obituaries: 12/15/2004 - Current
Death Notices: 03/25/2003 - Current

Devils Lake Journal (Devils Lake, ND)
Obituaries: 08/26/2009 - Current
Death Notices: 08/27/2009 - Current

See: http://bit.ly/5gmzM

GenealogyBank adds 17 newspapers from 10 States

2009-10-23T10:47:00.004-04:00

GenealogyBank adds 17 newspapers from 10 States.

Arizona, Glendale. Glendale Star. Weekly. 12/13/2002 - Current
Arizona, Glendale. Peoria Times. Weekly. 01/17/2003 - Current

Georgia, Atlanta. Atlanta Jewish Times. Weekly. 01/11/2008 - Current

Indiana, Goshen. Goshen News. Daily. 11/10/2007 - Current
Indiana, Lebanon. Reporter. Daily. 06/25/2008 - Current
Indiana, Shelbyville. Shelbyville News. Daily. 06/02/2009 - Current

Kansas, Derby. Derby Reporter. Daily. 09/06/2000 - 12/30/2008
Kansas, Pratt. Pratt Tribune. Daily. 07/28/1999 - Current
Kansas, Wellington. Wellington Daily News. Daily. 04/04/2001 - Current

Kentucky, Somerset. Commonwealth-Journal. Daily. 08/12/2008 - Current
Kentucky, Taylorsville. Spencer Magnet. Weekly. 11/12/2008 - Current

Louisiana, Sulphur. Southwest Daily News. Daily. 03/26/2003 - Current

Maryland, Elkton. Cecil Whig. Daily. 01/06/2005 - Current

Massachusetts, Haverhill. Haverhill Gazette. Weekly. 01/10/2008 - Current
Massachusetts, Norwood. Norwood Bulletin. Weekly. 05/17/2007 - Current

Oklahoma, Norman. Norman Transcript. Daily. 06/06/2008 - Current

Washington, Aberdeen. Daily World. Daily. 01/20/2005 - Current

I am not finding my great-grandfather, what do I do now?

2009-10-20T12:00:00.008-04:00

The steady flow of newspapers, records and documents going online on GenealogyBank gives family historians a lot to search and comb through.

These newspapers and documents were published over the past 3 centuries - so sometimes it takes a little detective work to find our ancestors.

Here are a few tips:
1. First search for the person by name. Put in the person's last name and first name. Examine the results and see if you are able to quickly spot your relative. I had a person write me and ask why he couldn't find his relative Gayla Marie Jackson. By repeating the search & using only the first name: Gayla and last name: Jackson - her obituary came right up. TIP: Limit your search to only the first name and the surname.

2. If you don't find a person after the first or second attempt - step back and search on just the surname and slowly add additional facts.

I recently helped a person with the surname: Suárez.
Clearly that is a common surname and will produce too many hits - over 27,000 articles and records. So repeat the search and limit by the year of death. I did that for Suárez 1934 and was able to quickly spot his relatives. Funeral del joven Ricardo Suárez - Prensa (TX) 25 Aug 1940.

We have very few genealogists that write us saying that they cannot find their relatives but we are here to help. If you're not finding your relatives - alert me right away at: gbfeedback@genealogybank.com. Let me see what I can do to help you uncover your relatives and document your family tree.

We want you to have success in documenting your family and wish you all the best in using GenealogyBank.
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Happy Birthday GenealogyBank!

2009-10-16T10:12:00.008-04:00

GenealogyBank is 3 years old today!
Wow – and has it grown. GenealogyBank has gone from 1,300 newspapers to over 3,800 newspapers – that’s the equivalent of going from 160 million articles to 346 million articles, documents and reports – GenealogyBank now has more than 130 million obituaries and death records. If you haven’t checked GenealogyBank in awhile – you should celebrate its birthday and try it today.

In October we added:
41 newspapers from 22 states
21 new titles
8,052 issues added from 1800-Today
Added nearly 14 million records, articles, documents

In the past 3 years GenealogyBank has ....
= More than doubled in size since it launched
= Added 186 million more articles, records and reports
= Jumped from 1,300 newspapers to over 3,800 newspapers
= Added 92,000 reports & books in just the past 12 months
= 130 million obituaries & death records
= Best source of old newspapers on the planet
= Largest collection of US newspapers published in German, French, & Spanish languages

It's a great day for Genealogy!
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Vermont attacked during Civil War

2009-10-14T09:48:00.007-04:00

19 October 1864 the residents of St. Albans, Vermont were surprised when a band of 20 to 30 Confederate irregular troops attacked the village intent on robbing the bank and setting fire to the village.

You can read all about it in the St. Albans Daily Messenger 20 October 1864

"In front and on all sides we observe the attempts of the Rebels to kill and murder."

The Confederates fled to Canada where they were promptly arrested by the police and the $50,000 they had stolen was recovered.

Read the entire story of the attack, capture and trial as reported in the St. Albans Daily Messenger.

Our thanks to Dick Eastman for alerting us to the story.

More Newspapers Go Online - 41 newspapers, 23 states

2009-10-02T10:55:00.009-04:00

GenealogyBank adds and expands 41 newspapers from 23 states.

21 new titles.

That's nearly 14 million articles contained in 8,052 issues!

Click and search them right now!!

Connecticut. Middletown. American Sentinel. 326 issues. 1823-01-01 to 1833-04-24
Connecticut. Middletown. Constitution. 47 issues. 1854-12-13 to 1855-12-05
Connecticut. New London. New London Gazette. 160 issues. 1838-01-03 to 1843-03-22
Connecticut. Nor wich. True Republican. 49 issues. 1804-06-20 to 1806-10-01

Washington, DC. Daily National Intelligencer. 3,230 issues. 1842-07-01 to 1866-06-25

Florida. Gainesville. *Gainesville Sun. 1995-01-18 to Present

Illinois. Chicago. Chicago Metro News. 118 issues. 1974-07-06 to 1990-10-06
Illinois. Freeport. *Journal Standard. 2002-12-14 to Present

Indiana. Crawfordsville. *Paper of Montgomery County. 2004-11-26 to Present
Indiana. Noblesville. *Times. 2008-10-22 to Present

Kentucky. Paris. *Western Citizen. 45 issues. 1808-12-24 to 1814-12-31

Louisiana. New Orleans. Orleans Gazette. 1 issue. 1817-09-27
Louisiana. New Orleans. Times-Picayune. 30 issues. 1872-09-26 to 1900-11-15

Maine. Kennebunk. *Annals of the Times. 68 issues. 1803-01-13 to 1805-01-03

Maine. Portland. *Independent Statesman. 167 issues. 1821-07-14 to 1825-05-06

Massachusetts. Boston. *American Traveller. 19 issues. 1825-07-26 to 1836-03-25
Massachusetts. Gloucester. *Gloucester Democrat. 362 issues. 1834-08-19 to 1838-02-16
Massachusetts. Springfield. Federal Spy. 133 issues. 1800-01-07 to 1805-12-31
Massachusetts. Springfield. *Hampden Whig. 2 issues. 1831-05-11 to 1836-06-08

Maryland. Baltimore. *Baltimore Bulletin. 93 issues. 1872-04-20 to 1876-09-23

Michigan. Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids Press. 330 issues. 1893-01-19 to 1920-10-25

Mississippi. Columbia. *Columbian Progress. 2008-11-03 to Present

Montana. Great Falls. Montana Herold. 1 issue. 1896-09-03

New Hampshire. Concord. New Hampshire Patriot. 2 issues. 1881-02-24 to 1884-01-10

New Jersey. Trenton. Trenton State Gazette. 293 issues. 1847-01-12 to 1847-12-31

New York. Albany. Albany Evening Journal. 83 issues. 1850-09-19 to 1874-06-10
New York. Catskill. *Catskill Recorder. 143 issues. 1807-04-07 to 1833-04-18
New York. Goshen. *Goshen Repository. 37 issues. 1797-03-21 to 1798-12-25
New York. New York. Hodge's Banknote Reporter. 4 issues. 1861-06-01 to 1861-06-22
New York. New York. New York Herald. 1,121 issues. 1864-01-28 to 1871-11-04; 1874-10-04 to 1888-01-05
New York. New York. New York Herald-Tribune. 962 issues. 1856-10-30 to 1879-03-27
New York. Poughkeepsie. *Country Journal. 136 issues. 1785-12-15 to 1789-07-07

North Carolina. Forest City. *Daily Courier. 2005-01-01 to Present

Ohio. Cincinnati. *Advertiser and Journal. 9 issues. 1819-01-26 to 1827-09-26
Ohio. Cincinnati. *Cincinnati Daily Gazette. 722 issues. 1835-01-01 to 1845-06-25
Ohio. Warren. *Trump of Fame. 15 issues. 1812-11-05 to 1814-07-27

Rhode Island. Pawtucket. *Valley Breeze. 2009-08-19 to Present

South Carolina. Charleston. City Gazette. 206 issues. 1824-01-01 to 1824-08-31

Texas. Beaumont. Beaumont Enterprise & Journal. 14 issues. 1906-05-30 to 1911-09-01

Utah. Salt Lake City. Salt Lake Tribune. 1 issue. 1881-06-11

Vermont. Newport. *Newport Daily Express. 2008-07-24 to Present

George Washington gave his farewell address 17 September 1796.

2009-09-17T14:27:00.007-04:00

George Washington gave his farewell address September 17, 1796.

Think of it.

He had led the nation in war and unified us as a new and separate country. He had served as President since April 30, 1789 and now he was leaving office. He was the image of stability, security, a father figure. He was called the Father of our Country.

Read what the newspapers wrote - as it was happening:

"The President of the United States, has in an address worthy of his goodness and his greatness, announced to his fellow citizens, his resolution to decline being considered among the number of those, out of whom choice is to be made of a citizen to administer the Executive Government when the present period of office expires".

Washington Spy 28 September 1796.

You can read the complete address as it was printed in the New-Jersey Journal 28 September 1796.

He would would serve to the end of his term on March 4, 1797 and then passed away just a few years later on December 14, 1799.

Read the news as your ancestor's read it.

See it, day by day as it unfolded in their lives.

The uncertainty - the stories of their lives.

GenealogyBank - over 3,800 newspapers - 1690 to today - All 50 States.

No other site covers the Colonial period like GenealogyBank.

Joshua Hempstead (1678-1758) - I was blind but now I see.

2009-09-16T09:33:00.010-04:00

New London Historical Society (CT) is doing a terrific job serializing Joshua Hempstead's diary on their site.

Styled the Joshua Hempstead Blog - each entry of his diary captures the details of life in Colonial Connecticut. Hempstead's diary entries are dated from September 8, 1711 through November 3, 1758. He died 22 December 1758.

According to historian Bruce P. Stark, "The diary, the only one of its kind in Connecticut, fills over 700 tightly-packed, printed pages and provides a detailed picture of the life of Hempstead, his family, neighbors, and acquaintances. It also includes a great deal of information about events in New London and eastern Connecticut." See his complete article: Joshua Hempstead published on the Connecticut Heritage Gateway.
I am looking forward to reading his diary entries for the time his sight was restored in 1831. Here is the account from the newspaper Connecticut Courant 12 July 1831

According to the newspaper he was blind for ten years but being "of an industrious habit" he went to work in his fields every day.

One day after being "led into the field" ... "while at work, he placed, as usual, his staff in the centre of a hill of corn, as a guide when stooping with a quick motion, the top of the staff struck his eyebrow a violent blow and glanced over the eye, producing a severe pain." The blow restored his sight and he "hastened home alone, bearing the joyful tidings, to his astonished and happy family."

Now - that's a great family story. If you don't have your ancestor's diary passed down in the family or preserved at a historical society - check and see if the stories of their lives were recorded in one of the 3,800+ newspapers in GenealogyBank.

It's a Great Day for Genealogy!

Many thanks to Barbara Matthews for alerting me to the New London Historical Society's decision to put Joshua Hempstead's diary online.
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Two more newspapers added to GenealogyBank

2009-09-11T11:26:00.004-04:00

GenealogyBank adds more newspapers.

Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville Sun, The (Gainesville, FL)
Obituaries: 03/19/1995 - Current
Death Notices: 02/18/1995 - 08/31/2008

Newport, Vermont
Newport Daily Express, The (Newport, VT)
Obituaries: 07/24/2008 - Current
Death Notices: 07/25/2008 - Current

Newspapers from 23 states go online!

2009-09-01T14:01:00.016-04:00

GenealogyBank added and expanded 32 newspapers from 23 states.
16 new titles.

Click and search them right now.

California
Benecia. California Gazette*. 1 issue. 1851-07-12

Colorado
Denver. Denver Mirror* 33 issues. 1874-06-28 to 1875-05-30

Connecticut
Bristol. Bristol Press*. 2007-12-28 to Present
Manchester. Journal Inquirer*. 2004-03-08 to Present
Middletown. Constitution. 20 issues. 1856-12-31 to 1857-12-02
New London. New London Daily Star. 120 issues. 1837-01-05 to 1858-09-02

DC
Washington. Reconstructionist* 2 issues. 1866-02-10 to 1866-03-24

Idaho
Blackfoot. Morning News*. 2008-08-02 to Present

Illinois
Chicago. Chicago Times. 77 issues. 1855-01-16 to 1856-07-03

Indiana
Terre Haute. Wabash Courier. 18 issues. 1840-10-31 to 1841-12-25

Kansas
Kansas City. Kansas City Kansan*. 2008-08--12 to Current

Louisiana
New Orleans. New Orleans Argus*. 117 issues. 1828-01-19 to 1832-09-29

Maryland
Baltimore. American and Commercial Daily Advertiser. 3,722 issues. 1801-07-15 to 1820-12-30
Baltimore. Federal Republican. 66 issues. 1811-01-01 to 1811-03-18
Cumberland. Weekly Civilian. 126 issues. 1859-03-17 to 1861-09-26

Montana
Great Falls. Montana Herold. 260 issues. 1893-05-04 to 1899-05-25

Nevada
Carson City. Nevada Appeal*. 2000-07-04 to Present

New Hampshire
Concord. New Hampshire Patriot*. 545 issues. 1878-10-10 to 1890-04-10

New Jersey
Trenton. Trenton State Gazette. 602 issues. 1848-01-01 to 1850-12-31

New York
Albany. Albany Evening Journal. 1 issue. 1854-08-19
New York. Morning Telegraph*. 509 issues. 1870-01-02 to 1879-12-28
New York. New York Herald. 50 issues. 1871-06-18 to 1871-08-09
New York. New York Herald-Tribune*. 527 issues. 1858-01-01 to 1877-09-24

North Dakota
Valley City. Valley City Times-Record*. 2008-06-02 to Present

Ohio
Cincinnati. Cincinnati Daily Enquirer. 2,065 issues. 1861-01-04 to 1876-09-30

Oklahoma
Poteau. Poteau Daily News & Sun*. 2009-07-29 to Present

Pennsylvania
Philadelphia. National Gazette. 1,558 issues. 1822-12-03 to 1841-04-08
Philadelphia. Public Ledger. 1,103 issues. 1840-09-17 to 1868-05-30

Rhode Island
Providence. Manufacturers' and Farmers' Journal. 52 issues. 1820-08-07 to 1870-01-03

South Carolina
Charleston. City Gazette. 200 issues. 1826-01-02 to 1826-12-30

Vermont
Milton. Milton Independent*. 2009-01-08 to Present

West Virginia
Keyser. Mineral Daily*. 2009-04-05 to Present
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I can't find my ancestor - what am I doing wrong?

2009-08-31T11:11:00.003-04:00

For most searches on GenealogyBank it is easy to find your ancestor. You type in their name and in an instant you spot them in the search results list.

So - what do you do when your ancestor's name doesn't come right up in the search hits?
Just like any other genealogical resource you need to step back and see what your options are and try various ways to search on the site.

Consider your search strategy.
1. Sometimes less is more.
Be careful how you type in your ancestor's name.
His full name might have been: Willard Jacob Teskey .... but the newspaper article may have simply called him:
Willard Teskey
Willard J. Teskey
W.J. Teskey
Bill Teskey
or only: Teskey

Try typing in variations of the person's name.
I have found that typing in only the surname can quickly get you the best results.

Tip: You almost never want to type in a person's "middle" name. Newspapers rarely use a person's full name.

Be Careful How You Limit Your Search
It is tempting to limit your search to only one state or even to one newspaper. That can often be the most appropriate search strategy. However, if your searches did not locate the obituary or article about your ancestor - try your search again and this time do not limit your search geographically.

If that produces too many hits - then repeat your search and limit it by the likely starting and ending years when your ancestor. Be sure add a few years in both directions so you will bring up the most possible hits.

Tip: Newspapers often published brief biographies and articles years after a person died. So be careful how you limit your search or you might miss the articles you are looking for.

GenealogyBank brings together newspapers, books, reports and documents from over 300 years. During that time printers had access to varying qualities of newsprint; pieces of type and printing presses.

1. Newspapers have been printed on newsprint paper of varying quality. Some are smooth and some pages are rough.

2. Printers had only so many pieces of type and the newspaper had a deadline. It would be easy when they set the type for the day's newspaper to swap in an "m" for a "w" or switch a "d" and a "p" or a "1" and a "l". The reader in 1843 would hardly notice the difference. But a modern computer might struggle to interpret each word if the piece of type was a different letter or had been damaged.

Let me give you a similar example that has circulated on the Internet for years:

Cna yuo raed tihs?
i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotui t a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!
This is an extreme example that shows the problems that computers have reading the old newspapers and documents. Individuals reading an old newspaper quickly adjust to the look, feel of the newspaper and learn how to read it. GenealogyBank has been working on these issues for years and improved and enhanced our OCR capability.
GenealogyBank uses state of the art OCR software and we have teams of indexers that review and tag each item - focusing on names, obituaries, births, marriages and other data of high importance to genealogists.
3. Still can't find your ancestor? Then, its time to dig in and search the target newspapers, page by page. GenealogyBank makes it easy to bookmark a specific newspaper, combination of newspapers or locations. You could then go through the newspapers - month by month - clicking from page to page to quicly see if your ancestors were mentioned.

Washington, DC Captured - President Flees on Horseback

2009-08-24T06:48:00.003-04:00

Washington, DC was captured and burned August 24-25th, 1814.

Illustration: National Archives Identifier 531090

With British troops overwhelming the city "...a retreat was ordered, when the President, who had been on horseback, with the army the whole day, reared from the mortifying scene, and left the city on horseback accompanied by Gen. Mason and Mr. Carroll." (Baltimore Evening Post - 30 Aug 1814).

Follow your ancestor's lives through the War of 1812 - read the day's newspapers as they read them.

Click Here to read the entire account of the attack on Washington, DC in GenealogyBank - Baltimore Evening Post - 30 August 1814.

Joel Munsell - a genealogist & publisher who went to jail to protect his sources

2009-08-20T21:02:00.019-04:00

Joel Munsell was an active genealogist, publisher, printer and journalist. He's always been one of my "heroes" for his legendary contributions to genealogy and local history. (Photo - Munselle's Picassa Gallery)

I was looking on GenealogyBank and found his marriage to Jane Caroline Bigelow (1812-1854)

17 June 1834 Independent Inquirer 28 Jun 1834

And here is his obituary - (New York Herald - 17 Jan 1880).

Look at this article from the New Y ork Herald - 28 Feb 1845.

Munsell published a small pamphlet in 1845 - Pulpit Sketches, or Dreams of a Pew Holder. The author was not identified. The pamphlet by innuendo subjected prominent citizens to "libelous ridicule".

Real controversy erupted and following a Grand Jury Munsell was found in contempt and had a "choice to pay two hundred and fifty dollars or stand the imprisonment" .... all for not revealing the author's name. He went to jail.

This case is held up as one of the early cases where journalists went to jail rather than reveal their sources.

But dig a little deeper.

This pamphlet was pointed and barbed - on page 27 the new chapter compares "Rev Dr. J.N.C. to "Judas Iscariot". Tough stuff.

Who was the Rev. Dr. J.N.C.? Why attack him?

As in our day when the President's team had moral problems they called on the minister's of the day to resolve the issue. In Andrew Jackson's day his cabinet was deeply involved with a scandal involving Peggy Eaton - that drove cabinet members to resign.

The President called on the Rev. John Nicholson Campbell (1798-1864) to examine the situation and counsel with the parties involved. Read the details here in the San Jose Mercury 3 May 1903.

Those actions in 1831 resulted in Munsell's pamphlet in 1845.

But, who was the author?

Librarians and historians have concluded that the author was Henry Steel Olcott (1832-1937). So it was a 13 year old boy who wrote this pamphlet attacking the most learned and respected clergy of his day.

My question is: Did Joel Munsell refuse to say who the author was from journalistic zeal to protect his sources or because his source was a 13 year old boy? Or - was someone else the author of that pamphlet?

Write me and tell me what you think.

Most times I'm looking for just an obituary notice. How do I limit my search to just those articles?

2009-08-20T10:54:00.014-04:00

Yes - you can do that on GenealogyBank.

Step 1. Start your search. For example let's say your are researching the surname: Clapper. Press Search

Step 2. Limit your search results to: Obituaries. Click on the blue highlighted category: Obituary.

Your results will then be limited to only the obituaries for the name that you are searching.

Title Lists - Newspapers, Books & Documents on GenealogyBank

2009-08-19T18:18:00.010-04:00

You can quickly see what is included in GenealogyBank by looking at the title lists.

Click on the title list for each section to see what is included in GenealogyBank

Newspaper Title Lists

Historical Books Title List

Historical Documents Title List

For example - here is part of the title list for South Carolina newspapers in GenealogyBank.

Obituaries - From Annual Reports - Congress has chartered many national associations - among them the American Instructors of the Deaf.

2009-08-18T21:40:00.018-04:00

Congress has chartered many national associations - among them the American Instructors of the Deaf. Their annual reports routinely included details about the schools for the deaf and their faculty.

GenealogyBank has the back file of these reports.

Here are the obituaries that appeared in the 1908 report.

Deem, Charles S. (1861-1908). Jackson, Mississippi. p. 218

Israel, Ellen J. (1840-1908). Born - Morgan County, Ohio. Died - Brighton, Iowa. p. 218

Larson, Cora (Gunn). (1859-1905). Born - Buda, IL. p. 218-219

Mansur, Lida (O'Hara). (-1906). p. 219

Neal, J.C. (c. 1843- 1908). Died - Marion, NC. p. 219

Walker, Mary Ellen. (1852-1907). Born - Charlestown, MA. Died - Baton Rouge, LA p. 219

Yates, Frank B. (1863-1908). Born: Virginia. Died: Little Rock, AR. p. 219-220.

Tip: Associations routinely published detailed obituaries detailing the lives of their deceased members. GenealogyBank has information on more than 1 billion people - remember obituaries are not only in the newspapers. Be sure to search GenealogyBank's historical books and documents.

Proceedings of the eighteenth meeting of the Convention of American Instructors of the Deaf, held at the Utah School for the Deaf and the Blind, Ogden, Utah, July 4-10, 1908. January 8, 1909. -- Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor and ordered to be printed with illustrations. Date: 1909-01-08; Publication: Serial Set Vol. No. 5407, Session Vol. No.20; Report: S.Doc. 645

Obituaries - Routinely Published in Government Reports & Documents

2009-08-18T13:12:00.011-04:00

Get the most out of GenealogyBank!

The annual reports of the Department of the Interior are in GenealogyBank. They were published annually as part of the US Serial Set.

I didn't know that was in GenealogyBank!

What the Commissioner of Education did was publish the obituaries of teachers and educators at all levels. See this example of the obituary of Jeremiah Root Barnes (1809-1901).

What did we learn from this obituary?
Full Name: Jeremiah Root Barnes
Date/Place of Death: 1 Jan 1901 - Marietta, Ohio
Date/Place of Birth: 9 March 1809 - Southington, CT
Education: Yale College, 1834; Yale Theological Seminary - 2 years; Honorary Degree - Yale (1892).
Career: Pastor: Evansville, IN; Salem, IN; Piqua, OH; young ladies seminary (1850) suburbs of Cincinnati; founder of Carleton College in Northfield, MN; publisher of: Western Magazine
Military: Civil War - in the Freedmen's Bureau 1861-1865.

Tip: Obituaries were published not only in newspapers but also in government documents and reports.
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This example is from: Annual reports of the Department of the Interior for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1902. Report of the Commissioner of Education. Volume 1. Date: 1903-01-01; Publication: Serial Set Vol. No. 4464, Session Vol. No.25; Report: H.Doc. 5 pt. 5.1

Julia Child (1912-2004)

2009-08-14T11:21:00.021-04:00

This week the nation is remembering Julia Child - how much she contributed to our lives and how much fun she was to be with - via her books, newspaper columns, TV Show - The French Chef and interviews.

Julia Child was born Julia Carolyn McWilliams - this week - August 15, 1912 in Pasadena, California and died this week - August 13, 2004 in Montecido, California. She married Paul Cushing Child over a long Labor Day weekend - 1 September 1946. She had met Paul Child while stationed in Sri Lanka with the OSS during World War II. The OSS is now known as the CIA. For her life's work she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2003. She was 92 years old.

She is celebrated in Meryl Streep's new movie - Julie & Julia

and she is in GenealogyBank too - from her numerous recipes; articles about her books & TV series; numerous obituries published in newspapers across the country and her death record in the SSDI.

Cook like Julia Child

Napoleon’s Legendary Chicken
Dallas Morning News – 13 Oct 1977

Hard Boiled Eggs
Dallas Morning News – 15 Dec 1977

Spaghetti Marco Polo
Dallas Morning News – 29 Dec 1977

And be sure to read her interview with Carol Sewall, Food Editor of the Dallas Morning News - 21 Oct 1976.

Follow GenealogyBank on Twitter

2009-08-12T14:53:00.006-04:00

If you'd like, you may now follow GenealogyBank on Twitter.

Follow us on Twitter - Click Here
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Search Baltimore Sun Online

2009-08-12T13:12:00.006-04:00

Search the back issues of the Baltimore Sun - click here.

Go through every page - millions of articles - obituaries, birth announcements and wedding notices. GenealogyBank has Maryland covered.

Click on these links to search the back issues of other Baltimore newspapers:

American
American Farmer
American and Commercial Daily Advertiser
Baltimore American
Baltimore Daily Intelligencer
Baltimore Evening Post
Baltimore Gazette and Daily Advertiser
Baltimore Patriot
Baltimore Price-Current
Baltimore Recorder
Democratic Republican
Dunlap's Maryland Gazette
Federal Gazette
Federal Intelligencer
Federal Republican
Maryland Journal
Mechanic's Gazette; and Merchants Daily Advertiser
North American
Palladium of Freedom
Republican
Sun

Click here to search newspapers published in other Maryland towns:

Annapolis
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Tip: You can bookmark these links and quickly start your search in the back files of any Maryland newspaper.
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I am looking for my family tree. Can you tell me how to find it in GenealogyBank?

2009-08-06T06:53:00.005-04:00

GenealogyBank - is an online library of resources - millions of them. Like a library it has an index - in our case an index on every word making it easy to find references in each of the issues of the newspapers, books etc. It has over 1 billion names.

(Illustration: Wikipedia Commons)
Documenting your family tree is a lot like putting up the family Christmas tree. You have the bare tree and now you need to look in the boxes of Christmas decorations and put up each one.

It takes time to pick out and put the items in just the right place on the tree - but when you're done - wow - it always looks great.

So - let's get started on putting together your "family tree".

What do you know about the family?

Who are you looking for?

For example - what are your grandparents or great-grandparent's names?

When and where were the born?
When, where were they married?

So - you'll see who you are looking for and with the when/where of their birth, marriage and death - you can decide where in GenealogyBank will I be likely to find that information.

If they died in say, 1982 - then look in the Social Security Death Index and in the America's Obituaries section.

If they served in the Revolutionary War - then we'll look in the early newspapers for articles and in the Revolutionary War Grave Index in the "Historical Documents" section.

Tell me more about your family and we'll start researching in GenealogyBank to discover the original sources that document their lives.

Taking the time to gather together the facts to document your family tree is worth it - just like it is to take the time to put together the family Christmas tree each year.

We can do this.
Tell me more about your family.

Tom