Today, the State of Kansas marks its 150th anniversary of statehood. Modern pop culture regards Kansas as quiet, flat, ordinary, and even boring; alternatively it’s portrayed as an idyllic land of sunflower fields. But neither depiction reflects the reality of historical Kansas. Statehood did not come easy to Kansas. In the 1850′s, Kansas was the [...]
In the last post, we told how our friend Sheri Fenley had been approached by a publisher who asked permission to use a photograph of her grandmother which had appeared on Sheri’s blog. The publisher apparently had no intent to compensate Sheri although the publisher stood to make a fine sum of money from the [...]
Continue reading about How to Sell Your Grandmother Guilt-Free
A certain genealogist and blogger (no names, please, but her initials are s.h.e.r.i.f.e.n.l.e.y.) a few months ago had an interesting proposition: she had a chance to sell her grandmother! What would you have done? Here’s the tale: Sher, I mean, s.h.e.r.i., had some time ago written a post about her grandmother, Maryellen Harris Skillman, who [...]
Half a century ago, in 1961, my family lived in West Germany (a name of a state now washed away by history), as my father, an Army captain at the time, finished a tour of duty there. It was time for him, in Armyspeak, to “rotate back to CONUS” (i.e., to return to the continental [...]
Continue reading about On this King Holiday, Some Personal Memories
Last week we reported about PACER, the federal courts’ Public Access to Court Electronic Records system. We demonstrated how it works, and suggested that it may have some genealogical research value. Reader Martin has some issues with that post. In the comments Martin says: How many genealogical brick walls have been broken down via federal [...]
Continue reading about Federal Court Research Useless to Genealogists? We Report, You Decide
Sometimes it seems as if ancestors choose to reveal themselves a little bit at a time. The records and evidence may be out there somewhere, but they may not be apparent for years. We have noted in this space several times before that I trace my paternal lineage to a Scots woman named Charlotte Manson. [...]
Continue reading about A Little Bit Closer to Charlotte Manson
“Court records” can mean literally anything of public interest filed with the courts. But some of the juiciest stuff is to be found in criminal cases and civil lawsuits. Ron Arons has an excellent book out called Wanted:US Criminal Records–Sources & Research Methodology. He describes the state and federal repositories for these records. I’ve used [...]
Continue reading about Finding Federal Court Records for Free [Mostly!]
What’s coming up on this blog? It goes without saying that here at GeneaBlogie, we regard the passing of 2010 with the attitude, “good riddance!” It was certainly not one of our better years. But as the great Satchel Paige said, “Don’t look back, [it] may be gaining on you.” So we look forward the [...]
