Family research has been a passion of mine for many years. I started looking for genealogy records on my grandparents and their ancestors in the early 1980’s. I worked feverishly for several years, traveling backward in time, collecting information on my family. I spent many hours at the North Independence Branch going through countless old books and microfilm rolls in search of census records; birth, marriage and death records; etc. I have talked with numerous family members to c
On my recent trip to St. Augustine, Florida, I discovered that my history books omitted an important detail about early American history. I toured the oldest fort in continental North America: the Castillo de San Marcos, located in St. Augustine. During the tour, the park ranger shocked me with important information...
Are you ready for this? Prepare to be upset. I certainly was.
Dearborn has an interesting history that dates back to the late nineteenth century when it was platted for use by Rock Island Railroad. There's a lot of dispute over how the town got its name. Some took to calling it "Lick Skillet", but the townsfolk wanted a more dignified name. Whether it was dubbed Dearborn after Revolutionary War hero Henry Dearborn or because it was "dearly born," people are proud to call it home.
Ever wonder what life was like way back when? For me, it’s fun to read about events and happenings, especially in the town where I work. That’s what I can do by researching the Raytown News/Raytown Tribune/Raytown News Dispatch on microfilm. The Raytown Branch recently acquired microfilm from the Raytown Historical Society for the Raytown News from January 2, 1930—November 29, 1962.
I would really like for all of you Irish researchers out there to learn how to begin your Irish research, but first things first. If you don’t know where in Ireland your ancestor came from, you must do a very thorough search of records in the place or places where your ancestor immigrated. You are looking for any evidence of where he or she came from—marriage records, church records, tombstones, obituaries, etc.
Have you ever wondered what the America of the past was like? On February 23rd, Barbara Hughes will be at the Colbern Road Branch to take us on a journey through our history. Come learn more about the birth of our nation through the stirring tale of Anna Mary Kersallen, an indentured servant, who moved from England to America and became an American revolutionary figure. Our presenter will portray Anna Mary through music, historic replicas, and a PowerPoint presentation.
Let's Talk About It! Making Sense of the American Civil War
Coming up on Sunday, March 4th at 2:00 p.m. at the Midwest Genealogy Center is Imagining War, the first conversation we’ll have in an attempt to make sense of one of the defining wars in our nation’s history. Altogether, there will be five discussions on different themes designed to help us explore different facets of the Civil War experience. The entire series has been made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association.
I found out that running through the West Bottoms can be quite trance inducing. The soundtrack from Far and Away shuffles onto my mp3 as I run past block after block of dilapidated brick facades and boarded windows, watching me desperately, pleadingly, begging me to notice them.
So, I was listening to the radio the other day when I heard someone say that they never knew the Titanic was a real ship. That she hit a real iceberg, and real people died.
