John Glover—Holy Rolling
To hear John Glover tell it, there’s nothing like a good earthquake to improve public morals. He explained in his interview with Federal Writers Project members how the earth thundered and rolled until folks thought the Judgment had come. People were praying, and the cows and chickens were making a racket. He said the world… Read more
Jack Peterson—Patriot
You’ve heard of Benedict Arnold, but what about Jack Peterson? According to the October 9, 1859, Weekly Anglo-African, if Jack Peterson and Moses Sherwood hadn’t decided to take on a landing party from the British sloop of war Vulture by themselves, thereby frustrating Major Andre’s escape, Arnold might have given away West Point… Read more
William Christy—First Casualty
In June 1867, William Christy, a farmer from Pennsylvania, enlisted in the 10th Cavalry. The 10th was a black regiment whose men would soon be referred to as “buffalo soldiers” after they were sent to take part in the Indian Wars of the latter 19th century. Christy’s tenure with the unit was short. The 10th… Read more
Las Vegas: The Marriage Capital of the World
The Vegas wedding has become an iconic part of pop culture since 1931, when the new marriage law in Nevada was passed allowing couples to marry on the spot with no wait times or requirements. Since then couples of all kinds including celebrities have been getting hitched in Sin City. With the convenience of time… Read more
AncestryDNA discoveries made easier with the help of the shaky leaf.
The new AncestryDNA™ service is continually being updated and improved upon—it’s just a part of the overall experience. One exciting new feature of the DNA test is the addition of the shaky leaf hint on your DNA results page. This new kind of hint will help you easily spot a DNA match who shares an… Read more
Discovering True Love
There’s a story behind that marriage date. But unless the tale has been passed down through family lore or you’re the proud owner of a collection of torrid love letters, you’re never going to get it, right? Don’t give up so easily. Turns out that story of true love could be hiding in a yearbook… Read more
The Great, Great, Great Grand Adventure: Earth, Wind, Fire & Rain
Three months on the road and time is flashing by so fast that we are starting to panic a little. We have been planning for February for so long and now that it is here it almost seems surreal, but there is nothing we can do to slow time down so we just keep planning… Read more
Kris Williams: Painted with the Same Brush
From a very young age it was not uncommon to find me with my head buried in a coloring book surrounded by crayons. As I got older, I traded my coloring books and crayons for sketchpads, canvas, colored pencils, pastels, paints and an assortment of other mediums. Art was something I loved and, in many… Read more
Discover Your Family Connections At RootsTech
RootsTech, hosted by FamilySearch and sponsored by Ancestry.com, offers a unique opportunity to learn about the latest technology to start or accelerate your efforts to find, organize, preserve, and share your family’s connections, stories, and history. What Does RootsTech Offer? In addition to over 250 informative classes and hands-on workshops available for those from beginner to… Read more
John and Vada Sommerville—Civil Rights Dynamic Duo
Born in Jamaica, John Somerville got his first taste of Jim Crowe-era discrimination the day he got off a ship in San Francisco in 1902 and couldn’t find a decent room or meal. He didn’t like it. This Who’s Who bio explains how John and his wife, Vada, spent the rest of their lives… Read more
Here you will find informational, and sometimes fun, posts from the folks behind the scenes here at Ancestry.com. We hope you’ll notice just how passionate we are about family history and about the products we’re building to help connect families over distance and time.
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