Articles by Paul Rawlins
Ernest Borgnine: Do They Make ’em Like That Anymore?
Do they make ’em like that anymore? That’s what I found myself asking as I read Ernest Borgnine’s biography last year while digging into a batch of U.S. Navy muster rolls. Ernest Borgnine—still Ermes Effron Borgnino—wasn’t famous when he came to the United States from Italy with his mother in 1923 aboard the Dante Alighieri.… Read more
Ray Bradbury: A Legacy Remembered
While I was glancing at headlines yesterday, I saw that Ray Bradbury passed away. I read “All of Summer in a Day” back in elementary school and have never forgotten it. I re-read Fahrenheit 451 a year or so ago and was startled by some of the details Bradbury included in his future world that… Read more
U.S. City Directories: One Database, a Billion Records, and a Lot of Answers
If you’re like me, the 1940 census was full of surprises—like my own parents not living where they were supposed to be living. Enter U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 (Beta). We’ve had city directories on the site for years. They can be a great source for names, addresses, and occupations. They’re printed more often than censuses.… Read more
New Kansas Collections: There’s No Place Like Home
If you have ties to the Sunflower State, count yourself lucky. We’ve had three Kansas collections go live on Ancestry.com recently: Kansas, Registration Affidavits of Alien Enemies, 1917–1918; Kansas, World War I Veteran Collection, 1917–1919; and Russell County, Kansas, Vitals and Newspaper Records, 1800-1937. Though they’re relatively specific, they contain some interesting records and are well… Read more
The 1930 Mexico Census and the Mexican Melting Pot
One thing I learned as we launched the 1930 Mexico Census online is that Mexico is much more of a melting pot than I realized. Mexico’s 1930 national census (“El Quinto Censo General de Población y Vivienda 1930, México”) is called the Fifth General Census of Housing and Population based on the first formally recognized… Read more
Take a Free Ride with Immigration Records
If you haven’t noticed the banners, just in time for the end of the summer vacation season, Ancestry.com is offering free access to our Immigration and Travel databases for a week. To give you an idea of what’s included, here are a few numbers. We divide our travel and immigration databases into six categories: Category… Read more
The Ballots Are in on California Voter Registers
Anybody know whether Jack London had gray eyes? The California Voter Registers, 1866-1898, database just released on Ancestry.com takes you back to a time before you presented a picture ID at the voting booth, which may explain some of the unexpected details you may find in these records. Preventing Voter Fraud Statewide voter registration in… Read more
Finding Your Star in Motion Picture Studio Directories
Does your family lore include the story of an ancestor who ran off to make it big in the movies? The Motion Picture Studio Directories, 1919 and 1921, database that went live last week could be a fun place to take a look if you’re trying to vet that story about Grandma’s brush with Rudolph… Read more
Found at Sea with Navy Muster Rolls and Cruise Books
Odds are, if you had an ancestor who served as enlisted personnel aboard a U.S. Navy vessel in WWII, you’ll most likely find him—or her—in the U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938–1949, database that recently went live on Ancestry.com. You’ll also find some civilian passengers and a few officers here and there among the… Read more
U.S. Consular Reports of Birth: The Donaldsons, Part Deux
Last month, I wrote about the marriage of Elaine Strang and Frederick Donaldson as recorded in the Consular Reports of Marriage, 1910–1949, database (and elsewhere). With the release of the U.S. Consular Reports of Births, 1910–1949, records this month, it seems only natural to take up the story again. All the Little Donaldsons From 1927… Read more
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