Ancestry PI

04/13/2026

Useful tip.

It was not only widows who got Union Civil War pensions from the US Civil War. In specific cases, children of veterans or even their parents could get them. Parents could qualify in specific situations where it was deemed that the parent was dependent upon the deceased veteran for their support. There can be significant information in the application---even if the claim was denied. These pensions (approved and other wise) are at the US National Archives.

This is part of one for my aunt who filed a claim based on her deceased son's Civil War service.

--Michael

04/13/2026

🥖. No unnecessary additives in these baguettes.

A delivery man with bags filled with baguettes on a snowy street in Quebec, Canada. (1977)

04/13/2026

Missouri ancestors?

A family outside their tent in Missouri. 1940

04/13/2026

Can’t wait.

Just five days to go…⏰

Now’s the time to start thinking about who you’ll search for first…

Tell us, who will you be looking up? A grandparent, great-grandparent, or someone further back?

04/13/2026

Yes. I had one of these.

Our old school satchel

04/13/2026

Maps are essential in genealogy. This explains why I have so much Viking from my Yorkshire father.

A border drawn over 1,000 years ago still shows up in the names of towns and cities across England today.

04/12/2026

Glad I taped it. Going to watch this one.

On the next “Finding Your Roots,” host Henry Louis Gates Jr. traces the “very complicated roots” of actress Danielle Deadwyler. Researchers reached back to her great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. The show airs Tues., April 7, at 8 p.m. (ET) on PBS.

See comment below.

04/12/2026

I grew up in the boot 👢 and shoe 👞 capital or England. 👠

Etching of a Cordwainer, Shoe Advertising, 1950s.
A cordwainer is a skilled artisan who makes new shoes from high-quality new leather, distinct from a cobbler, who traditionally repairs old leather. Originating from the medieval period, they were highly trained to craft shoes from scratch, including shaping lasts, cutting, and stitching. The term derives from Cordovan leather (from Córdoba, Spain) and the French cordonnier
Still today, many makers of bespoke shoes will also repair their own work, but shoe repairers are not normally in a position to manufacture new footwear.

04/07/2026

Happened to me. Take care!

03/15/2026

It’s all intriguing 🧐