Kate Townsend, Genealogist

04/16/2026

Did you know that the Returns of Marriages in the City of Pittsburgh, covering the period of 1875 to 1909, have now been digitized and are available on Ancestry.com?

Even if you have a copy of the marriage license and a return from the Allegheny County Courthouse, additional details might be found on these records. Therefore, they are worth exploring!

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Return of a Marriage in the City of Pittsburgh, Hugh McKissick and Mary Deary, 3 April 1902; “Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S., Marriage Returns, 1875-1909,” database and digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/63168/records/90047978 : accessed 23 March 2026); citing City of Pittsburgh Marriage Returns, 1875-1909, Box 10; Detre Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh.

04/14/2026

Last week, Cecelia McFadden and I were on the Heritage Hunters podcast. We discussed all things related to the 1890 Census loss and how our course, GRIP Genealogy Institute, will help students learn how to overcome record loss and orient themselves with additional record resources. Be sure to listen!

What happened to the 1890 U.S. Census—and why does it matter so much for your family history?In this episode, we sit down with certified genealogist Kate Tow...

04/09/2026

I recently stumbled upon this incredible early City of Pittsburgh, Registration of Death, record for Lara Derry, a presumably formerly enslaved woman.

The record indicated that she passed away on 7 June 1876, at the age of ninety-nine, revealing an inferred birth-year of approximately 1777. Since she was born in “Africa,” she was seemingly brought to this country as part of the slave trade, before it was banned on 1 January 1808, with the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves.

Finding a record such as this is a small window into the life of someone who likely survived the middle passage, enslavement, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. And yet, her life recently resurfaced again and is remembered 150 years later.

City of Pittsburgh, Registration of Deaths, Vol. 14, p. 582, entry for Lara Deary, 7 June 1876; “Pittsburgh City Deaths, 1870-1905,” database and digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939V-8L96-R8 : accessed 6 April 2026); citing digital film 4672699, imaged from Family History Library film 505823.

04/07/2026

The vast majority of the 1890 U.S. Census may be gone, but your ancestors’ stories aren’t.

*Surrogates and Substitutes: The 1890 U.S. Census Exemplar* is a weeklong GRIP Genealogy Institute course at the University of Pittsburgh designed to help genealogists break through one of the toughest gaps in American genealogical research. Learn how to rebuild households, trace migrations, and uncover context using powerful substitute records.

Registration is now open for this in-person course in July 2026!

1890 U.S. Census, McDonough County, Illinois, population and social statistics schedule, Mount Township, enumeration district (ED) 174, page 854 (stamped).

04/06/2026

I am so proud that my article, "Honoring Blue-Collar Ancestors: Inclusive Programming in Practice," discussing the "Blue-Collar Ancestry" series at the Heinz History Center, is featured in this month's National Genealogical Society Magazine. If you are a National Genealogical Society member, please check it out! If not, consider joining the National Genealogical Society.

The April to June 2026 issue of NGS Magazine is now available and ready for you to explore. Each issue offers trusted research guidance, case studies, and insights from leading genealogists to help you build your skills and confidence.

One of the benefits of NGS membership is free access to every new issue as soon as it is released. If you are already a member, log in and start reading today. If you are not yet a member, now is a great time to join.

Visit the NGS website to read the latest issue or learn more about membership: https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/magazine/

03/27/2026

Did you know that the first comprehensive nationwide federal requirement for non-citizens ("aliens") in the United States to register and be documented came in 1940 with the passage of the Alien Registration Act, also known as the Smith Act?

Under this law, all non-citizens aged 14 and older were required to complete Alien Registration (AR-2) forms.

Katherine Golden, who arrived in the United States in May 1892, was one such individual who completed an AR-2 form in accordance with this law.

US Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Alien Registration Form, No. 4583223, Katherine Aloysia Golden; Alien Registration Files, August 1, 1940 to March 31, 1944, Historical Records Series, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Washington, DC.

03/25/2026

Did you know that you once had to apply for a Social Security number?

Maurice Francis Murphy applied for his Social Security number on 4 January 1943.

These documents, which are requested via a Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA") request, are an excellent genealogical resource, because they asked the applicant to give details including their date of birth, place of birth, and parents' names.

Maurice Francis Murphy, SS no.172-20-5563, 4 June 1943, Application for Account Number (Form SS-5); Social Security Administration, Baltimore, Maryland.

03/25/2026

If you’re thinking about or planning to come to , in July 2026, in Pittsburgh, check out this video to see where classes will be held!

03/24/2026

I am excited to be part of this wonderful event in August. I will be giving two lectures:

-The People Who Built America: Researching Your Blue Collar Ancestors
-Charting Out the Company Town in Pennsylvania: Researching Coal Industry Communities

I would love to see you there!

OUR PENNSYLVANIA STORY - LEARN, SHARE, CONNECT

03/20/2026

Did you know that a woman’s citizenship in the United States was once tied to marriage?

Under the Nationality Act of 1855, foreign women could automatically gain U.S. citizenship by marrying an American man, while the Expatriation Act of 1907 caused American women to lose their citizenship if they married foreign nationals. This system was partially reformed by the Cable Act of 1922, which ended automatic citizenship through marriage and began treating women’s nationality as independent of their husbands.

That is why on this passenger manifest from 1923, the citizenship status of returning United States citizen, Anna Frena, was substantiated with her marriage on 29 December 1915.

Manifest, Ship Voldendam, Rotterdam to New York, arrival date 29 September 1923, p. 160, lines 1-3, entries for Anna Frena, Mary Frena, and John Frena; “New York, Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1925,” database and digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9TK-CVP8 : accessed 18 March 2026); citing National Archives microfilm publication T715, Roll 3381.

03/18/2026

The recording from the most recent installment of the Heinz History Center's "Blue Collar Lecture" series is now available for free online!

It gives a glimpse into the kinds of real-world research challenges, strategies, and constraints we’ll tackle in my upcoming course at the GRIP Genealogy Institute.

Take a deep dive into the lives of your coal miner ancestorsIn this lecture from the History Center’s Blue-Collar Ancestry series, professional genealogist K...

03/17/2026

There’s nothing like learning in-person with fellow genealogists.

Join us this July in Pittsburgh at the GRIP Genealogy Institute at the University of Pittsburgh for an immersive week focused on solving one of genealogy’s problems: the missing 1890 U.S. Census. The research strategies and record sets that will be delved into will be applicable to your research elsewhere.

More details, including a registration link, are available here: https://grip.ngsgenealogy.org/courses/surrogates-and-substitutes-the-1890-us-census-exemplar/

Visit the post for more.