150th Anniversary of the Explosion of the Confederate Ordnance Laboratory at Richmond

The following teaser if from the March 13, 2013 edition of the Washington Post. RICHMOND, Va. — They were little-known casualties of the Civil War: women and girls toiling over cartridges and primers for Confederate cannons when an explosion rocked Continue reading 150th Anniversary of the Explosion of the Confederate Ordnance Laboratory at Richmond

Civil War Sailors from the Turret of the USS Monitor Buried at Arlington National Cemetery

The following teaser is from an AP article printed in the March 10, 2013 edition of Redding.com: ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — More than 150 years after the USS Monitor sank off North Carolina during the Civil War, two unknown crewmen Continue reading Civil War Sailors from the Turret of the USS Monitor Buried at Arlington National Cemetery

Virginia State Senate Tables Recognition of Groups Claiming Cherokee Ancestry

The following exceprt is from an article posted in the February 26, 2013 edition of cherokeephoenix.org. TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Citing the need for a new evaluation process, the Virginia Senate Rules Committee on Feb. 12 tabled resolutions calling for state Continue reading Virginia State Senate Tables Recognition of Groups Claiming Cherokee Ancestry

National Genealogical Society Issues Call for Papers for the 2014 Family History Conference in Richmond, Virginia

The following was received from the National Genealogical Society: Beginning 1 January 2013, speakers as well as organizations interested in sponsoring lectures or tracks are invited to submit lecture proposals for the NGS 2014 Family History Conference, Virginia: The First Continue reading National Genealogical Society Issues Call for Papers for the 2014 Family History Conference in Richmond, Virginia

New Records Added at FamilySearch for Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, & the U.S.A.

FamilySearch added an additional 16.3 million new, free indexed records and images this week to its collection. Notable additions include the 1,984,100 records for the United States, World War I Draft Registration Cards from 1917-1918, the 2,056,187 added to U.S., Continue reading New Records Added at FamilySearch for Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, & the U.S.A.

Cavaliers and Pioneers: Virginia Genealgoy

Since its first printing in 1934, Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants 1623-1666, the book has proven to be one of the most important genealogical references for colonial Virginia. The book is effectively a directory of Continue reading Cavaliers and Pioneers: Virginia Genealgoy

Arlington National Cemetery Debuts New Database With Smartphone App

The following excerpt is from an AP article posted at the Sioux City Journal website. Arlington National Cemetery on Monday made available to the public a massive electronic database detailing the gravesites of the roughly 400,000 people buried there. Cemetery Continue reading Arlington National Cemetery Debuts New Database With Smartphone App

American Population Before the Federal Census of 1790

American Population Before the Federal Census of 1790 represents an exhaustive research project to extract population data for the area encompassed by the  United State as represented in 1790. Data was gathered from previous research studies, government studies, and independent Continue reading American Population Before the Federal Census of 1790

A Brief History of Roads in Virginia 1607-1840

“County court records relating to roads and transportation are collectively know as “road orders.” The Virginia Transportation Research Council’s published volumes of road orders and related materials contain not only information on early roads, but also the names of inhabitants Continue reading A Brief History of Roads in Virginia 1607-1840

76 New & Updated USA Vital Records, State & School Census, and Tax Record Databases Posted at FamilySearch.org

The following U.S.A. vital-records oriented databases have been recently added or updated at FamilySearch.org. This blog covers 76 new and updated entries. We’ve also updated four of our five of the GenealogyBlog Online Database Links Files. See: United States Birth Continue reading 76 New & Updated USA Vital Records, State & School Census, and Tax Record Databases Posted at FamilySearch.org

Growing Need for International FamilySearch Indexers

The following news release was received from FamilySearch.org: More than 120 projects are currently available from countries outside the U.S., representing 16 languages. Since the first of the year, new projects have been launched from Bolivia, Paraguay, Switzerland, and the Continue reading Growing Need for International FamilySearch Indexers

Leesburg’s Historic Thomas Balch Library Celebrates 90 Years

The following excerpt is from the Leesburg Patch. Leesburg’s [Virginia] historic Thomas Balch Library, located at 208 West Market Street, is celebrating its 90th anniversary this week. The Leesburg Town Council issued a proclamation on May 22nd in honor of Continue reading Leesburg’s Historic Thomas Balch Library Celebrates 90 Years

The 1940 U.S. Census Community Project has Indexed and Posted the 1940 Census for Delaware, Colorado, Kansas, Oregon, Virginia & New Hampshire

The most exciting news from the National Genealogical Society Conference in Cincinnati is that volunteers have now indexed over 30% of the 1940 U.S. Federal Census of 3.8 million records in just 37 days. Six states have now gone through Continue reading The 1940 U.S. Census Community Project has Indexed and Posted the 1940 Census for Delaware, Colorado, Kansas, Oregon, Virginia & New Hampshire

An Atlas of Appalachian Trails to the Ohio River

Standing between many of the early American colonies and the majority of the continent were the Appalachians. The entire mountainous region was thick with tree and undergrowth, hillsides and rivers, breached only by the game trails of buffalo and game. Continue reading An Atlas of Appalachian Trails to the Ohio River

FamilySearch Posts 1940 Census Images Plus 14 Million Additional Records for 19 Countries This Week

Click on the map to get a graphical view of indexing progress thus far on the 1940 Census. FamilySearch has begun publishing images online from the 1940 U.S. Federal Census to engage the army of volunteers who have been waiting Continue reading FamilySearch Posts 1940 Census Images Plus 14 Million Additional Records for 19 Countries This Week