Whenever I research someone’s family history, whether it’s for fun or for profit, I try to find out how they feel about “skeletons in the closet” before I start. Everyone thinks they want me to find a few—but perhaps that’s one of those things that sounds better in theory than it turns out to be in practice.
Known as the “Gun that Won the West,” the Winchester Model 1873 was a very popular rifle in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. More than 720,610 were manufactured between 1873 and 1916, selling for about $50 when they first came out. The guns reduced in price to $25 in 1882 making them increasingly accessible.
My Uncle Bob was a champion plowman, back when that kind of thing was a big deal here in the Midwest. I don’t want his story to be forgotten. How many young men of his generation ended up meeting four presidents, and competing in Europe (twice!) solely because of a remarkable ability to plow a straight furrow?
Family Stories Collection: This special collection contains a selection of family history stories submitted by our readers. Originally published Jan 02, 2015. My grandfather, Sture Nels Wallin (1892-1979) was a Nebraska farm boy, son of Swedish immigrants. But somewhere along …
Family Stories Collection: This special collection contains a selection of family history stories submitted by our readers. Originally published Dec 22, 2014. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to believe. I love a good skeleton in the closet as much …
Mystery Monday: The Anderson Boys – Reputations in Need of Rescue .
At some point or other in their research, every family historian will likely discover the sad fate of the 1890 census. A critical time of population growth and change in America’s history, the 11th census of the United States should have contained the detailed records of more than 60 million individuals. But instead, we have but a few thousand left.
Family Stories Collection: This special collection contains a selection of family history stories submitted by our readers. Originally published Feb 27, 2014. My father, Robert Milo Wallin (1923-1993) spent nearly all of his life thinking he was the oldest child …
Family Stories Collection: This special collection contains a selection of family history stories submitted by our readers. Originally published Jan 06, 2014. I am fortunate enough to have the letters my father wrote home during World War II. One of …
Family Stories Collection: This special collection contains a selection of family history stories submitted by our readers. Originally published April 30, 2014. Once you become known as the Official Family Historian, a wonderful phenomenon begins to occur. Relatives, especially older …
Family Stories Collection: This special collection contains a selection of family history stories submitted by our readers. Originally published April 21, 2014. I am looking for someone. But this time, for a change, it’s not a dead person! I have …