by Katie Rebecca Garner | May 15, 2026
The American Civil War lasted from 1861 to 1865, an event that tore the country in half and ended with the freeing of African American slaves. Many men fought on both sides, some coming home permanently disabled – and others not coming home at all, leaving widows...
by Katie Rebecca Garner | May 8, 2026
Since 1790, the federal government has been counting of the population by taking a census every decade. Over the years, the information gathered in the censuses has changed, based on what the government felt was important to track at different times. This has left a...
by Katie Rebecca Garner | May 1, 2026
The 1850 census was not only the first to name every household member, but it was also the first to track each person’s age, race, gender, and birthplace. Because of all the details recorded in censuses beginning in 1850, the 1860 census brought to light a discrepancy...
by Katie Rebecca Garner | Apr 24, 2026
When the United States was formed, the U.S. Constitution stipulated that a population census be conducted every decade, beginning in 1790. The 1790 to 1840 censuses only named the heads of households, and they grouped household members by age brackets according to...
by Katie Rebecca Garner | Apr 17, 2026
Many American history classes begin with New England settlement in the early 1600s. Even though other colonies which are now part of the U.S. were being settled around that time, the colonies comprising New England were among the first to band together and eventually...
by Katie Rebecca Garner | Apr 10, 2026
Who likes taxes? Most people don’t. Our ancestors probably didn’t either, yet their tax records leave a genealogically valuable paper trail. We are taxed at various jurisdictional levels, including federal, state, and local. This was also the case for our ancestors,...
