A recent episode of Jeopardy! had one of the greatest instances of coincidence in the Final Jeopardy clue, where the answer was: In 1896, the Vassar-educated wife of this man wrote, “thousands of dollars may be paid for a copy of Shakespeare.” Emily Croke was the only..
Continue readingA young woman repairs a bicycle while three others watch and help, c. 1895. From Montana State University Library, via Wikimedia Commons.
Along the rutted, moonlit roads just north of Leeds, England, a cyclist in skirts pedals to her local pub. After a pint, she..
Continue reading →I spent over a decade volunteering at the Custom House Maritime Museum in Newburyport, Massachusetts. During that time I’ve helped with many projects, but one of the most exciting began when I uncovered a ship log with an unusual provenance. Unlike the vast majority of..
Continue reading →Some people might plan a trip to New York City to see a Broadway show or go shopping. For me, my true thrill is hopping the ferry and visiting Ellis Island.
As the ferry was docking on my first visit, I had tears in my eyes. Though I don’t personally have any ancestors..
Continue reading →Stored in the archival collection of the Dorchester (MA) Historical Society is a ring, brown in color and lightweight, with the number forty-four carved into it. Until recently, not much was known about the ring’s origins. An old label stored with the ring lists it as..
Continue reading →It’s really hard for me to go on vacation without being tempted to do genealogy. I don’t mean my own family—that’s its own problem—I mean researching the history of the place I’m visiting, or the family history of the people..
Continue reading →Have you ever wondered if a favorite song of yours had a basis in fact?
In the song “The Green Fields of France,” the narrator reflects upon the grave of Willie McBride, a young man who died as a soldier in World War I. In one verse, he asks Willie:
Continue reading →Or are you a..
Thank you to everyone who answered our call for submissions! I had so much fun going through the treasure trove of strange, poignant, and even funny..
Continue reading →Plenty of people own Shaker furniture or have heard of Shaker-style craftsmanship, but it's less common to find someone with Shaker ancestry. There’s good reason for that: the Shakers, or the United Society of..
Continue reading →As anyone who as ever spent time doing genealogical research can tell you, searching through historical records can oftentimes feel like a little bit of a treasure hunt. When I noticed an unusual headline..
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