New Book New Information on My Family Tree

Elizabeth Fost/Frost Dill’s real last Name I recently purchased a new book for my own personal genealogy library. “Piscataqua Pioneers” is a collection of selected biographies of the early settlers of the Piscataqua River watershed in Southern Maine. Several of my early ancestors and their close relatives were listed. For the most part, their mini-biographies […]

Words of Wisdom From Mark Twain, Part 5

The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog. Never miss an opportunity to shut up. The trouble with the world is not that people know too little; it’s that they know so many things that just aren’t so. A little more kindness, a little less speed, a little more giving, a […]

Probate Records

Happy Spring. I hope everyone is able to get out and enjoy the beautiful spring weather. It is time for all genealogists to descend on their local cemeteries. In other words, action is now required because it is a short season for us Northerners to glean information from long-lost descendants’ gravestones. The bugs are coming, […]

From the Weekly Genealogist newsletter: A New York Times article in April and May explained that last year when Ireland did its census they left a box where people could write what they wanted. It can be seen 100 years from now. You should see some of what was written. It will be a gift […]

Ever look at the Sanborn Maps? They were used for fire insurance purposes. I looked at the Maine ones online at the Library of Congress and the Fogler Library. Perhaps your folks lived in an area they covered. It might give you an idea of where their home or business was situated. It’s worth a […]

Pathetic or sad?! A news item from wate.com refers to a OnePoll survey done for Ancestry which found that less than 50% of Americans can name their grandparents and only 4% could name their great grandparents.

From a conversation with member Frances Heales; my comment about the Picts painting their bodies; her explaining the dyes having medicinal value and me doing more research: Woad is a perennial called Isatis Tinctoria. Isatis comes from the Latin word Isazein and the Greek word Isadso and is linked to the ancient use of treating […]