Chicago Northwest Suburbs September Genealogical Events (and Most are Free)

Every month, the first week of the month, I list genealogical events being held in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago for about the next six weeks.  Most events are free, but sometimes you will need to register in advance, especially sponsored by a public library.  If it is sponsored by a genealogy society, you probably will not need to register unless there is a fee (which is designated by the $).  Check the website listed for more information.

If you’d like individual help, the following public libraries’ websites state that you may make an appointment with a librarian or genealogy volunteer: Schaumburg, Palatine, Arlington Heights and Mount Prospect. On the first Thursday of the month from 3-4:30 PM, the Indian Trails Library, Wheeling has a genealogy question and answer session with the librarian.  The Bloomingdale Public Library has a similar group on the fourth Thursdays of the month at 6:30 PM.  See the library websites for more information.

Although I had originally posted this earlier in the month, I udating and adding a few more presentations. They were mostly from the Palatine Library.  If you know of any events that I have missed, please email me. I hope you see an event you’d like to attend.

September 2 9:30 AM
Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Hanover Military Records by Teresa McMillan
Elgin Genealogical Society, Elgin
 http://www.elginroots.com

September 6, 10:00 AM

Solving Mysteries and Legends by Teresa McMillan
Northwest Suburban Genealogy Society, Rolling Meadows
http://www.nwscg.com/

September 8 7:00 PM

Seeds to Tree – 8 week adult education genealogy class on Monday evenings $
Prospect High School, Mt. Prospect
http://ce.d214.org/adult_classes/

September 8

Start Your Genealogy – 3 week class, Mondays  $
Harper College, Palatine
http://goforward.harpercollege.edu/ce/

September 9

Break Out/Small Work Groups (No Speaker)
Ethnic Interest/Beginners Table/Tips to Create Family History Book Tables
Schaumburg Township District Library, Schaumburg
http://genealogywithtony.wordpress.com/2013-programs/

September 9 7:00 PM
Seeds to Tree – 7 week adult education genealogy class on Tuesday evenings $
Fremd High School, Palatine
http://adc.d211.org/academics/continuing-education/continuing-education-home/ and look for the course catalog at the bottom of the page.  Its on page 41. 

September 11 7:00 PM

Beginning Genealogy by Jacquie Schattner
Arlington Heights Memorial Library, Arlington Heights
http://www.ahml.info/ and go to the events calendar

 September 11 7:30 PM

Palatine Library Genealogy Group-Share Tips and Ideas
Palatine Public Library, Palatine
http://www.palatinelibrary.org/events

September 13  1:00 PM

Write Your Family History NOW! by Mike Karsen
Northbrook Historical Society, Northbrook, IL
http://nsgsil.org

 September 13, 10:00 AM-4:00 PM

10: 00 Don't Forget the Ladies - A Genealogist's Guide to Women and the Law $
11:15   The ABC’s of DNA $
1:30     Beyond X and Y: The Promise and Pitfalls of Autosomal DNA Testing $
2:45   Staying Out of Trouble-The Rights & Responsibilities of Today's Genealogists $
By Judy G. Russell
Seminar by Chicago Genealogical Society
Meeting at the Arlington Height Memorial Library, Arlington Heights
http://www.chicagogenealogy.org to register in advance

 September 17 7:00 PM

Genealogy: Internet Archive: The Amazing Genealogical Resource You're Not Using!
Indian Trails Library, Wheeling
http://www.indiantrailslibrary.org/

September 17 7:00 PM

Beyond Genealogy – Writing a Family History Book
Palatine Historical Society at the Palatine Public Library
http://www.palatinelibrary.org/events

September 17 9:30-5:00

Norwegian Genealogy
Held at the Arlington Height Memorial Library
Call library for more details

September 17

Swedish Genealogy – 90 minutes of 1 on 1 help by appointment
Held at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library
http://www.ahml.info/genealogy_appointments

September 18 1:30-3:00

Making Memories – A Free 8 week Class until November 6th
Arlington Heights Memorial Library, Arlington Heights
http://www.ahml.info/ and go to the events calendar

September 20 10:00 AM

Getting the Most Out of InternetArchive.org by Kristen McCallum
CAGGNI, TBD
http://caggni.shuttlepod.org/

September 24 6:30-8:00
Finding Your Roots Online
Palatine Public Library
http://www.palatinelibrary.org/events

September 28 2:00 PM
Using the Wilmette Family History Center to Find Unusual Resources by Judith Frazin
Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois, Northbrook IL
http://www.jgsi.org

October 4 10:00 AM

WWI &WWII Military Research by Jennifer Holik
Northwest Suburban Genealogy Society, Rolling Meadows
http://www.nwscg.com/

October 7 7:00 PM
Who Will Look at Your Family History Collection by Laura Cosgrove Lorenzana
Indian Trails Library, Wheeling
http://www.indiantrailslibrary.org/

October 9 7:00 PM

Beginning Genealogy class by Jacquie Schattner

Arlington Heights Memorial Library
http://www.ahml.info/ and go to the events calendar

October 9 7:00-9:00
Treasures in Print (Newspapers) by Robin Seidenberg
Palatine Public Library
http://www.palatinelibrary.org/events

October 9 7:30 PM
Palatine Library Genealogy Group-Share Tips and Ideas
Palatine Public Library, Palatine
http://www.palatinelibrary.org/events

October 10
Finding Your Ancestors Online  by Steve Szabados
Arlington Heights Memorial Library, Arlington Heights
http://www.ahml.info/ and go to the events calendar

 

More Than One French Flag – Which Image to Use

One way to enhance stories is to add images.  If you are writing about France, one of the most popular images is the French flag.  But are you using the correct flag?  If you were writing a story about the American Revolution, you would not use our modern 50 star flag as an image, you most likely would use the famous “Betsy Ross” 13 star flag that looks like this:

 The French flag has also had its own evolution over time.  If you are adding an image to a story about France, you might want to know which flag was used during  the time period.  Here is a list of time periods and the corresponding French flag.  For over 200 years during the monarchy, up until 1789, a variety of flags were used.  Most had a fleur-de-lis symbol with either a blue or white background like these:

 

Starting on Jul 13, 1789, during the revolt, the Paris militia used the color of red and blue which traditionally were associated with Paris.  It looked something like this:

Later in 1789 and early 1790, several changes were made. One lasted less than 24 hours, so I won’t list every version.  But soon, at the suggestion of Lafayette, the color white was added.  Lafayette wanted colors that could be used as a nation, as opposed to regional colors or in this example, the two colors identified with only Paris.  In October 1790, the simple flag design of three stripes of color was approved by the new government was the official flag until 1794.  The colors were reversed and it looked like this:

 

 

Even though this was the official French flag, other flags were more popular during the time period of 1790-1794.  Royalists used an all white flag, representing purity and the Revolutionists used an all red flag, symbolizing defiance.  If your family supported the monarchy (white) or supported Napoleon (red) the flag images look like this:

 

 

In 1794, at Napoleon’s urging, the flag colors were reversed so they are in the same order that is used today, with blue to the pole side, white in the middle and red to the outside.  Also the stripes were made to be of equal width, which was not always the case.  The acceptance of tri-color design indicated movement of the French people towards moderation. 

 

When Napoleon was defeated in 1815, the white flag was returned as a symbol of the monarchy.  In 1830, the traditional blue, white and red flag was returned as one of France’s induring symbols.  Here is a famous painting titled "Scenes of July 1830" by Leon Cogneit that shows this transformation.

 

By the 1880’s the tricolored became a proud tradition and is still used today.  Curiously, there is one variation, mostly used by the French Marines where the flag stripes are not equal.  The percentages from blue to red are: 30;33;37.  The red stripe on the outer end of the flag is larger so it can be seen at distance.  It looks like this.

 

 
Except for the brief period of time after Napoleon’s 1815 defeat, the French flag of blue, white and red has been a proud symbol of France for 200 years.  One of many Napoleon's legacies, it is easily identifiable and is a wonderful image to add to your stories about France. 

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Tommorrow is the first day of school, and it is a tradition in many classrooms to write an essay on your summer vacation.  For many years, we've driven east. We always look forward to visiting family in southwest New York state.  Playing with their grandchildren, and visiting with them and their children is always a highlight. 

They live just a mile from the Chautauqua Institution, a historical village on the shores of Lake Chautauqua. It is filled with stately homes lining brick roads used only by pedestrians, no cars.  For nine weeks each summer it comes alive with entertainment, interfaith services and presentations by famous speakers such as documentary film-maker, Ken Burns and Revolutionary War expert and Pulitzer Prize winner, Gordon S. Wood to name a few.  This year, we thoroughly enjoyed a house tour that included 12 mostly pre-Victorian and Victorian homes. We ate dinner at the Athenaeum Hotel's Heirloom Restaurant.  This is the hotel where Clinton stayed while writing his inaugural speech.  Built in 1881, its wide porch complete with rocking chairs overlooks the peaceful lake. Each summer over 100,000 visitors enjoy this treasure  of a place that takes you back to a kinder, gentler time period. For more information you may visit their website at http://www.ciweb.org/

About an hour north, is Buffalo, NY where my husband was born.  Most of his family history is in Erie County, NY.  We like to put aside a day or two for research.  There are many libraries (the downtown Buffalo Public Library has a fabulous genealogy collection) and historial museums to visit and explore.  (The Concord HIstorical Museum in Springville, NY is a favorite among many.) Luckily my husband is very patient.  I give him research jobs when he asks or he passes the time reading books, while I am using every precious  moment for research.  My husband laughingly tells friends that a highlight of this summer's vacation is that the libary was open one night until 8:00 PM instead of 5:00 PM. I think you library lovers understand my excitement of having three additional unplanned hours of research. 

Here is a typical vacation photo, me surrounded by books and I'm having a great time. I hope you too, enjoyed your summer vacation.

Twelve Favorite Belgium and Luxembourg Genealogy Websites

My ancestry is one quarter Belgian and one quarter Luxembourg.  Adding to that, my husband’s family is from Alsace Lorraine, France. My father was born in Belgium.  French was his first language. As a child, when relatives were over, that’s all I heard, even with an American mother.

 Luckily, way back in the 1950’s my public grade school (yes you read that right) began an experimental program of teaching French to all students starting in second grade.  It continued through high school.  All this has helped my research considerably, including hours and hours of translations.  Since most of my research is in French speaking countries, I teach French genealogy classes, covering the countries of Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, France, Northern Italy and their surrounding areas.

In the future, my blog entries will give you more information about these countries and the genealogy available.  To start, I will list my favorite websites for Belgium and Luxembourg genealogy research.  Let me know if you know of any more websites to add to this list: 

 Belgium

http://search.arch.be/ - The archives website.  It includes church, civil, military and notary records.

http://search.arch.be/fr/tips/98-registresparoissiaux - pre 1800 church records 

http://search.arch.be/fr/tips/101-etat-civil - Belgian civil records  beginning in 1797

Instructions for the above three websites:

Register and activate your registration after checking your email.

Then click on the link above and go to the town of your choice, then make sure you click on the second tab from the left "Archives Numeriques" It will load all the images for the particular register you want to see, so be patient. Then browse through the pages of the register. 

Not all towns are available, so keep checking back. They regularly add records

 http://belgium.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index.html - an active rootsweb site.  You may sign up to be on the mailing list which is also active.  Many times your question is answered by someone in Belgium, not an American which is extremely helpful, especially with place names and locations

 http://www.eupedia.com/belgium/belgian_surnames.shtml - information on Belgian surnames

 https://sites.google.com/site/belgiumancestry/ - a listing of free Belgian websites

 www.familienaam.be – put in surname to see the number and location currently

 https://familysearch.org/ - Many Belgian records available.  More about how to find them in later blogs

Luxembourg

http://www.deltgen.com/ – this is a little known site with lots of information.  A huge family tree and many (100ish) links.  Rob Deltgen is the webmaster.

 http://www.familux.org/ - lots of information on Luxembourg – American genealogy.  Try the genealogy resources tab

 http://www.eluxemburgensia.lu/R/J999RCSUEHI6XN3YHRCJ2UBK73S4VDMLV5RCCAPN21P1RE2FUD-01923?func=search Newspaper website which are in German or French.

 https://familysearch.org/ - Many records available, including census records.  More about how to find them in later blogs

 

Do you know of any others to add to this list?

A Most Unusual Birth Certificate and How I Found It

When I start looking  for information about a particular family at a website such as ancestry.com or familysearch.org  I generally use three different search methods.  (For this example, I’m using  the Cook County records available at familysearch.org.)

For the first method,  I won’t have to give you much explanation.  I fill in the first names and surnames and possibly the birth information, or “live in” information for variety and see what shows up.  (Usually census information that gives me family members names and ages.)My second method is when I leave the names of people I’m searching for blank, and fill in just the parents names.  I did this for Joseph Mondry and Julia Rhodes.

 

There is quite  a variety of information about some of their children.  And this is the result I received.  You can see that the spellings vary greatly, especially surnames. 

 

 

One child was missing in this search, and that was their son, Edward, born 1903, Cook County, IL. From census information, I knew a little about him already, he had married, served in the military and had a couple of children.  To find his birth certificate, I used my third search method, which takes some time but does yield results.  I put in the first name of the child, and the year he was born. My search looks like this:

 

 

This meant that I had to look through pages and pages of Edwards (12 pages in all) who were born in 1903 until I found my Edward Mondry, who was listed as” Eddie Mandri.”  What I found was probably my most unusual birth certificate.  It’s below:

 

What information is incorrect on this birth certificate?  Well, a lot. 

Line #	Error	Correct Information
1 Name	Eddie Mandri	Edward Mondry
2 Sex	FEMALE	MALE
3 Number of child by mother	24	8
4 Date of birth	Year filled in later	1903
8 Mother’s Name	Julyanna Roda	Julia Rhodes
Date	29 Oct 1903	30 October 1903

Why so many errors?  One explanation is that during this time period, in Cook County, IL, midwives and doctors were required to report the births only once a month.  Most kept the information in a notebook (or in their heads,) and came to the county building to complete the required paperwork the end of each month This midwife came to the county office on October 30^th.   She seems to not remember the details of this birth, including gender.  She probably used the more gender-neutral name “Eddie”  to cover up the fact.  She was correct that he was the eighth child, so  she probably had the birth recorded in a notebook.

Most of the other errors a probably due to her lack of education or English.  The poor spelling throughout the document indicates she probably  had difficulty reading and filling out the document properly. 

Whit for White       Germyn for German      Mandri for Mondry

I am sure this is the birth document for the Edward Mondry that I was researching.  I found  his birthdate elsewhere.  I hope that Josepha Garich was a better midwife that a record keeper!

Many times I ponder how Edward dealt with this?  I wonder if he had to show the document when he signed up for the military. (Embarrassing.) Did he ever have to “prove” he was a male?  Surprisingly he and/or his parents did not file to correct the document, which was an option.   

Have you ever found a strange document?  Tell us about it!

Pedigree Chart - With a ChristianTwist

My family is mixed – religiously.  While both my husband and I come from long lines strong Christian ancestors, he was baptized Lutheran and I was baptized Roman Catholic.  One thing we both agreed on was the importantance of to us taking our future family to church together, so I am now a Lutheran.  Our children, raised Lutheran, are adults and (I am happy to say) making their own decisions about churches that are comfortable for them.  Many people are in the same situation as my husband and I were, and end up with a great story about the religious paths their lives travelled.

Between my husband and I, our ancestors have come from many religious denominations:  Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, 7^th Day Baptist, Free Baptist, Christian Scientist to name just a few.  In the mid-1800’s, our Alsace Lorraine ancestors left their Lutheran home town of Oberhoffen-sur-Moder, France and  built two Lutheran churches in their new homes of Boston, NY and Colden, NY.  Another ancestor, Gustave Schattner, (German) donated his hard earned money for stained glass windows in his new Lutheran church in West Seneca, NY.  Barney Coffey (Irish Catholic) built a house for a priest in the 1870’s in Kansas.  Hiram and Jemima Dunbar, joined a Congregational church in Princeton, IL which strongly supported the underground railroad.  They named a son, Owen Lovejoy after a minister with the same name whose brother was killed for his anti-slavery beliefs.

For many of us, our families’ histories (and our research) come from church records.  So with that in mind I’d like to show you a chart that I have used many times that you can easily make in your database (such as Family Tree Maker) yourself.  It will help you in understanding the religious path your family has walked by using a pedigree chart.This is the one that I make and I hope it will be helpful to you.  You can fill out their religion at the various times in their lives:birth, confirmation, marriage, death. 

 

First I created an unrelated family with the surname “NAME”.  I find this “family” helpful when I am teaching beginning genealogy.  In this family are the following “people”:

NAME, Your

NAME, Father's
NAME, Mother’s Maiden
NAME, Father’s Father’s
NAME, Father’s Mother’s

 

I think you get the idea.  So my NAME pedigree chart looks like this:

To take this chart to the next stage I did the following in my database [1]starting with the person “ Name, Your”. As with any pedigree chart start by using “Publish” and selecting “Pedigree Chart”  and “Create Chart”.  (Pick the formats you like the best. You may vary the number of generations, overlap etc.)  Next to change the fields from the normal birth, marriage and death, you go to “Items to Include” which in this case is by clicking on notebook page icon right below the “P” in Pedigree. (circled)

I keep the name and blank lines but use the red “X” to delete what items are currently there (usually birth, marriage, death) and using the blue “+” sign and holding down the control key add:  Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage  (or Marriage Fact) and Religion and then hit the OK button.

You can add the corner decorations and change the name of the chart to your satisfaction. 

Next hit generate chart.  You might have to try this, using variations of the instructions to make it the way you’d like to see it.  Here's a snapshot of what my instructions look like in Family Tree Maker:

 

By filling out this chart, you will be able to follow your ancestors’ religious changes and paths travelled. I hope I have not offended any non-Christian readers.  I’m sure with these instructions and a little creativity, you can, if you like, create charts that meet your needs also.  You could also fill in the information on your family members already in the database and print it out.

 I have used this chart for all sorts of events.  When I teach genealogy at churches, I give a copy to each student in the class. I’ve used it while teaching confirmation classes, and as a craft at church picnics etc.  If you prefer, and you like the chart just the way it is, you can print the chart or email me for a PDF copy.(2) I hope you enjoy using it as much as I do.

---

[1] I use Family Tree Maker but you can do something similar in most an genealogical database programs.

[2] Please, it’s for personal use only, not for sale.

My 33 Favorite Genealogical Blogs for 2013-2014 School Year

By working in a school, my year in many ways runs from August to August – not January to January like the rest of the business world.  To add to this, as the newsletter editor for our local genealogy society, which does not meet in the summer, the newsletter for the year also begins each August.  In each issue. I include a list of my favorite blogs each month.  Below is my personal favorites for 2013-2014 in no particular order.  I hope I’m giving you a few you have not read.

 

Genealogical blogs are a great source for research information. Some are specific, about a particular country, or genealogical website. Or perhaps about computer data, programs or the “cloud”. You might find even more information in the blog’s comments which people leave after they’ve read the blog. Leaving a comment means lot to a blog writer.  So if you have the inclination to leave a comment, please do.

 

Once you start reading blogs, it’s difficult to stop, especially if you find a favorite writer. Each blog has instructions for you to sign up to receive a copy of the blog whenever it is updated. There may be several options, each blog is different. If you find a favorite writer, you might want to sign up. Blogs keep you up to date with new information or are just for you to enjoy!

Here are my favorite 33 in no particular order - except the last one!

 http://www.smashingapps.com/2014/04/15/9-intersting-word-cloud-generators.html - Lists several websites that will help you make word clouds, most for free.

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2014/04/18/9-crucial-tips-for-self-editing-your-blog-posts-that-every-blogger-can-use/- Tips for editing blogs but may be used for editing your family stories too.

http://www.familytree.com/blog/go-from-image-to-text/- OCR converter.  Changes words from other formats into text. It will also translate other languages to English. Check it out!

http://www.theancestorhunt.com/1/post/2014/02/8-places-to-do-online-city-directory-research.html#.Uxh02z9dXng – 8 places to find online directories. You’ll see that I commented with a 9^th place for Chicago directories.
http://ancestories1.blogspot.com/2014/02/tuesdays-tip-more-county-histories-and.html - I love mug books which tell the histories of an area or town. Sometimes you can find a biography of a relative in these wonderful resources.  This link is a state by state guide on where you can find mugbooks online.
http://www.famhist.us/2014/02/26/using-the-familysearch-wiki-to-find-ancestral-records/ - Do you know that the wiki at familysearch.org contains over 77,000 articles and records. It might have the birth or death index that you are looking for. Here’s some help on how to use it.

http://ancestryinsider.blogspot.com/2014/01/darned-all-american-family.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AncestryInsider+%28The+Ancestry+Insider%29  This is a funny blog about one family’s names which are listed in the census.

 http://www.theancestorhunt.com/lists.html - Do you love lists?  I do.  This is even better.  It’s a list of lists.  Titles include: “19 Ways to Find Ancestors Birth Records “and “33 Reasons You Should be Searching Old Newspapers”.  Great ideas.

 http://www.theancestorhunt.com/1/post/2014/02/illinois-online-historical-newspapers-summary.html#.UwFiLmJdXnj – Everything you’d want to know about online Illinois historical newspapers.  Maybe you’ll find something about someone you recognize.

http://genejourneys.com/2014/01/08/twenty-tips-for-living-with-the-obsessed-genealogist/ - 20 Tips for living with an obsessed genealogist.  This is very funny and SO true.  I’m keeping this one.

 http://bloodandfrogs.com/2014/01/ordering-a-ss-5-social-security-application.html - Remember the old days when you could order an SS-5 (Social Security application form) for anyone you wanted, and it cost $7.  Those days are long gone.  This is a very complete article on how to order, the current limitations and how surprisingly simple they are to order.

 http://dsl.richmond.edu/historicalatlas/ - Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States  website is a very plain name for a most interesting map source.  There are 100s of maps of interest to genealogist.  For example, maps for several decades of where improved land is located.  It’s amazing to see the changes between 1850, 1860 all the way to the 1900s.  There are maps from the 1500’s that are surprisingly accurate. Maps of wealth, or Indian (their name) tribe locations, or locations of battles.  A great resource for historical information or to use as interesting additions to your family’s history.

https://familysearch.org/blog/en/google-books-free-copies-pages-family-history-library-books/ - Did you know that familysearch.org will copy pages of their books, previously available only at the library for free?  Here’s how.

http://www.genealogyblog.com/?p=29610- The third of three articles by Dollarhide about getting your papers organized.  Links to articles 1 and 2.

http://familycherished.com/2013/11/the-2013-awards-for-top-genealogyfamily-history-boards-on-pinterest.html - Have you used Pinterest for genealogy?  Here are some great boards that might inspire you.

http://growingupinwillowcreek.blogspot.com/2013/12/state-census-years-valuable-list.html - Did you know that state censuses can be a valuable source of information?  Here is a list of all 50 states, and the years a state census was recorded. 

http://chicagogenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/10/guide-to-online-death-indexes-for.html - Information on finding death records in Chicago, Cook County, and in Illinois. 

 http://cyndislist.blogspot.com/2013/10/why-genealogy-on-tv-is-good-thing.html - Cyndi Ingle of Cyndi’s List fame has a great way to explain why Genealogy Roadshow is a good thing to all of the nay-sayers.

 http://www.nostorytoosmall.com/posts/two-worthless-brothers/ - A very short story about two brothers as they are listed in a census.

 http://www.famhist.us/2013/10/13/ancestral-stories-you-cant-make-this-stuff-up/ - Ancestral serendipity.  Our ancestors want to be found.

http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2013/08/search-historical-newspaper-archives-with-elephindcom.html - Information on the new website Elephind, which contains many historical newspapers.

http://www.theancestorhunt.com/1/post/2013/09/14-ways-to-find-someones-death-information.html#.UkHAXdKsjLQ - 14 ways to find death records

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/savannah/obituary.aspx?n=william-mccullough&pid=166950349#fbLoggedOut – An obituary that will make you smile.

http://genealogy.about.com/b/2013/09/17/5-online-places-to-begin-your-search-for-czech-ancestors.htm - Czech research?  Here are some online websites for you.

http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/08/five-cloud-storage-services-revisited.html - Have you considered storing your information in the cloud?  Here’s a great article about the different services.

http://blog.genealogybank.com/top-13-genealogy-websites-pt-1-google.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GenealogyBankTheOfficialBlog+%28GenealogyBank+-+The+Official+Blog%29 – Google is a top genealogical information site.  I tried one of these tips and found a photo of my 3x gr-grandfather.  Picture is circa 1870  when he was about 70 years old. 

http://blog.genealogybank.com/tips-tricks-to-search-online-newspapers-at-genealogybank.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GenealogyBankTheOfficialBlog+%28GenealogyBank+-+The+Official+Blog%29 – Tips and tricks for researching newspapers by GenealogyBank.

 http://www.theancestorhunt.com/1/post/2013/07/what-did-my-ancestor-look-like-5-ways-to-find-physical-characteristics.html - Five ways to find out physical characteristics of an ancestor.  Some good ideas if you don’t have a photo.

http://www.genealogycircle.com/2013/07/25/my-top-5-resources-for-researching-your-civil-war-ancestor-all-online-and-all-free/ - Five free online resources for Civil War Records, and www.fold3.com is not listed!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2361731/The-house-time-forgot-Red-brick-semi-frozen-1920s-original-decoration-food-furniture-untouched-90-YEARS.html - A man (both a husband and a father) suddenly died in the 1930’s and the family decides to keep the house exactly the way it looked on the day he died as a tribute to him.  In 1985, the last survivor left the house unchanged.  It’s now a historical site.  See photos here.

http://www.archives.com/experts/holik-urban-jennifer/immigrants-history-and-the-second-city-resources-for-chicago-genealogy.html - A list of resources for Chicago genealogy. You could find a few websites that are new to your search.

http://www.cluewagon.com/2013/09/check-your-genea-horoscope-here/#comments – In my opinion this is an all time favorite that was re-energized in 2014.  Cluewagon is oneof my  favorite blogs.  This one is spot-on funny. I’ve included a link to the comments.  Even more giggles. This is one of my personal favorites.  I save the best for last.

Enjoy!