Background Historical Occupation Profiles explain what ancestors actually did for a living and how those occupations shaped the records genealogists rely on today. Occupation Overview Machinists were skilled industrial workers who operated and maintained machine tools used to manufacture metal parts. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, machinists played a central role in railroads, […]
Source: Northern New York Library Network If you follow this website at all, you know that I, from time to time, update the free online historical newspapers that are available for you to search. I originally posted the New York Online Historical Newspapers Summary in February 2014 and have added many updates, the latest in November 2024. The largest collection […]
The Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection regularly adds or updates newspaper titles to the collection. Last month, 76 titles were added or updated (Information provided by Veridian Software, which powers the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection website). Here is the list of titles: To access the site, go to Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection
Veridian Software has many clients with collections of digitized newspapers that can be searched for free. Over 250 million pages currently. They power the newspaper collections of California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. And country-wide collections, such as Estonia, Israel, New Zealand, Singapore, and Switzerland. Veridian is the name of […]
An ancestor’s economic condition may not always be directly stated, but financial standing often appears through property ownership, taxation, debt, institutional care, and social participation. The records below highlight where wealth, poverty, or financial stability may be documented or implied. Property and Land Records Probate and Estate Records Court and Debt Records Institutional and Relief […]
Legal notices published in newspapers often serve as substitutes when original courthouse or vital records are missing. Because publication was frequently required by law, these notices may preserve information that no longer survives in official files. Probate and Estate NoticesProbate proceedings were commonly published to notify creditors and heirs. Divorce and Court SummonsMany jurisdictions required […]
Prison and jail records often contain specialized legal and institutional terminology. These terms may appear in commitment registers, inmate case files, court minutes, pardon records, and newspaper crime reports. Understanding them can clarify an ancestor’s legal situation and custody status. Term Definition Admission Register Log recording entry of prisoners into custody. Appeal Request for higher […]
Chronicling America, the newspaper collection, is available for online research of United States historical newspapers, and it regularly updates its collection. Here are the updated titles for last month. Some are new titles, and some are added to an existing title’s pages in the database. There are 10 in total. Important Note: These links are […]
MyHeritage continues to add or update its record collections at a fast pace for us to search. For February 1-28, 2026, there are 3 new and 23 updated collections. The new and updated collections are: I hope that some of these are what you have been waiting for! Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
Ancestry.com continues to add or update its record collections at a fast pace for us to search. For the period of February 1-28, 2026, the new and updated collections are: I hope that some of these are what you have been waiting for! Good Luck and Happy Hunting!