Did you know that there are many Free Collections and Free Index Collections available on Ancestry dot com? And yes, you do not need a subscription to access them (but you need to have registered, which is free). Below is the list of the 1,391 Free and Free Index Collections (as of November 2025). How […]
Author: Kenneth R Marks
Kenneth R Marks was born and educated in the San Francisco Bay Area, receiving a BS in Mathematics in 1968. His career was in Information Technology; with the last 20 Years as a software executive with Boeing, Pearson, and NASA. His genealogy career began in 2004. He is an expert in newspaper research for genealogy, as well as additional genealogy topics. He regularly conducts webinars on the subject and has authored three genealogy books. See the About page for more details.
The Ancestor Hunt, founded in 2008, is focused on helping genealogy and family history researchers of all skill levels to achieve their goals, by providing links to free online genealogy collections, and search tips and techniques, largely via easy-to-understand Quick Reference Guides.
This past week (November 21, 2025 to November 27, 2025), the following additions were made to The Newspaper Research Academy: ✅ Free Resources – 0 New Articles were added – 83 Total ✅ Research Guides – 6 New Guides were added – 90 Total ✅ Video Guides – 0 New Videos – 19 Total ✅ […]
Long before large-scale passenger list systems were established, millions of immigrants and migrants moved inland across America using stagecoaches, railroads, wagons, and early road networks. Although these forms of travel rarely produced formal “passenger lists,” they generated an impressive variety of traces—tickets, baggage records, hotel registers, newspaper notices, timetables, accident reports, and local travel announcements. […]
Find a Grave is one of the most widely used genealogy websites in the world — and also one of the most misunderstood. Millions of memorial pages exist, but genealogists frequently treat each one as a quick lookup: a name, a date, maybe a headstone photo… and then they move on. This approach leaves an […]
Researching ancestors with common names is one of genealogy’s most difficult and time-consuming tasks. When dozens—or even hundreds—of people share the same name in the same state, county, or decade, traditional record-by-record searching quickly becomes overwhelming and misleading. But common-name problems are rarely impossible. The key is to stop relying on the name as your […]
Church and religious notices appeared frequently in historical newspapers through Sunday service listings, congregation news, society meetings, charity events, pastoral changes, and community religious observances. The language used in these sections often reflects denomination, social ties, migration patterns, and family participation in religious life. Understanding these terms helps genealogists uncover affiliations, identify clergy, confirm residences, […]
Families who moved frequently—whether across town, across counties, or across the country—leave scattered and inconsistent records that can frustrate genealogical research. But mobility also leaves patterns, paper trails, and clues that, once recognized, can reveal a surprisingly complete picture of a wandering family. This Quicksheet shows you where to look, what to document, and how […]
In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt launched the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to combat nationwide unemployment during the Great Depression. One major component—the WPA Historical Records Survey (HRS)—employed writers, teachers, historians, editors, and clerical workers to document America’s historical and cultural heritage. The purpose of the HRS was: However, in fulfilling this mission, the WPA […]
Divorce and separation terminology appears frequently in historical newspapers through legal notices, court reports, domestic relations filings, and announcements involving spouses and family members. These terms often reveal marital conflict, residence details, financial circumstances, and clues about children or extended family. Because divorce was socially sensitive and legally complex in many eras, newspapers frequently reported […]
Genealogy websites come and go—personal pages disappear, county project sites die, and archived lists vanish without notice. The Wayback Machine can resurrect these lost resources, restoring access to transcriptions, surname lists, photos, cemetery readings, and one-of-a-kind research notes no longer available anywhere else. Download the Quicksheet PDF To obtain a one-page Quicksheet PDF of this […]