Check out the recording of our recent Culture Conversation with Michael O'Malley on the NGS YouTube Channel. There's plenty more on the channel as well, including SLAM! Idea Showcase videos and other webinars.
14 October 2025
5 Things You Should Be Reading
While the weather in some places may disagree, most of us have already gotten our first taste of fall. With cooling temperatures, the temptation is great to curl up with a pumpkin-spiced beverage and a good read.
Whether you're just starting your family history journey or you're a seasoned genealogist, you’ve likely discovered that the key to unlocking new insights often lies in going beyond the usual records. Here are a few reading suggestions to help you dig deeper for clues to new avenues you haven’t explored. They may help add context, color, and interest to your family history.
1. Read Historical Newspapers
Curl up and read the Sunday paper the way your ancestors did. Beyond obituaries and birth announcements, newspapers are the diary of your ancestor’s community, offering glimpses into their lives through local news, crop and industry reports, weather events, anniversaries, advertisements, court reports, social columns (sometimes with juicy gossip), and so much more. You might find mentions of school achievements, business ventures, or even personal disputes.
Reading newspapers from your ancestors’ time and place can help you understand the world they lived in—and sometimes even uncover stories that lead to previously overlooked record collections.
Tip: There are many free and subscription-based digitized newspaper collections online just waiting to breathe new life into your research. NGS members enjoy free access to NewspaperArchives, one of the largest online newspaper databases. When searches for your ancestors’ names have been exhausted, use town and community names, businesses, or addresses to find stories based on location.
2. Read Local Histories & Social Histories
Local histories are often rich with biographical sketches of local residents; historical details about migrations to and from the area; the formation of municipalities; and details about the local economy and industries in the area. Going beyond the basic stuff you find in history books, you’ll find in-depth looks at your ancestors’ community and the history of various institutions such as churches, schools, cemeteries, etc.
On the other hand, social histories provide context about the customs, challenges, and daily life of people during a particular era or from a particular location or background. These resources help you move beyond names and dates to understand how your ancestors lived, worked, and interacted with their communities. Social histories can focus on a particular ethnic group—sometimes in a particular location—a religious community, or those engaged in a particular trade. Others may center around events (e.g., the Louisiana Purchase Exposition—aka the St. Louis World's Fair—of 1904) or eras (e.g., the Civil War, or the Great Depression).
Tip: Always verify personal details found in local histories. Authors and contributors sometimes stretched the truth for storytelling purposes or to please subscribers. That said, a fair amount of clues in these narratives can usually be verified with other resources.
3. Read a Map
OK, maybe it’s not “reading” in the traditional sense, but one of the best skills my dad ever taught me was how to read a map. The love that grew from following highlighted AAA maps on summer road trips turned into a family history obsession—making me an easy mark for historical map vendors at conferences.
Maps can reveal migration patterns, annotated national roads and trails, and in cities, ward boundaries that help locate census and other records. You can identify local industries, cultural neighborhoods, and institutions.
Land ownership maps show proximity to other families, making it easier to spot relatives with associated surnames. Transportation routes and natural features—rivers, valleys, mountains—may have influenced where residents conducted business or worshipped.
Tip: Compare historical maps from different years (and with contemporary maps) to see how places and boundaries have changed—or disappeared.
4. Re-read Records You’ve Forgotten
Take a trip down memory lane in your research. Revisiting sources you previously dismissed might reveal new leads when viewed with fresh eyes or in light of recent discoveries.
Take an inventory of all the records and details you’ve gathered for a particular ancestor. For longer documents, create extracts that pull out pertinent details and read every word. Note names and dates exactly as listed so you’ll recognize them when they reappear in future research.
Tip: Recheck databases you haven’t searched in a while. New details you’ve uncovered may help surface records you missed before.
5. Read the Directions
“If all else fails, follow directions.” True in many areas of life—and especially true in genealogy—when it comes to record creation, indexing, and digitization.
One essential set of directions for genealogists is the IPUMS USA Census Enumerator Instructions. These provide context for the information recorded in US federal censuses. For example, in 1870:
Property (column 8): “The value of all real estate owned by the person enumerated, without any deduction on account of mortgage or other incumbrance…”
Personal estate (column 9): “Inclusive of all bonds, stocks, mortgages, notes, livestock, plate, jewels, or furniture, but exclusive of wearing apparel. No report will be made when the personal property is under $100.”
These definitions help interpret the dollar amounts listed in census records.
Instructions also specified how Native Americans were to be recorded—depending on whether they were living “out of their tribal relations” or were “Indians not taxed,” residing on government reservations.
Tip: Always read the directions and descriptions in online collections and introductory materials in print publications. These often include search tips, reasons the records were created, arrangement details, provenance, and index limitations.
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Family history is more than just collecting names—it's about context and remembering lives lived. By taking the time to read about the times and places where your ancestors lived, you’ll gain a richer, more nuanced understanding of their lives. So, find a comfy sweater and curl up in your favorite corner to do some reading. Then watch as the stories unfold.
30 September 2025
America at 250: A Call to Action
The 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding is more than a historic milestone; it is a chance to highlight the importance of genealogy in understanding who we are as individuals, families, and communities. Whether you’re an individual genealogist or part of a society or organization, America at 250 provides a meaningful framework to engage others in the value of family history.
A Call to Action: Do One Thing
During the National Genealogical Society’s (NGS) annual meeting, which was held on 20 August 2025 (the recording is here), Executive Director Matt Menashes encouraged all of us to commit to at least one thing in 2026—something that inspires, educates, and encourages family history preservation and research. Even one action can make a lasting difference. Just think of the impact when multiplied across our community.
A Personal Contribution
We are the guardians of America’s story in the most meaningful way possible—history up close and personal. Now is the time to share the stories we’ve found with family and friends. As the spotlight shines on history in the upcoming year, we have the power to make it personal for our families. Here are some ways you can share family history and hopefully pique the interest of relatives.
Write biographical sketches. Keep it simple focus on one ancestor at a time and tell their story. They don’t have to be Revolutionary War patriots, just anyone with a connection to a chapter in American history.
Plot it on a map. Your family may not realize all the places where your ancestors once lived. Use maps to chart locations and routes taken during your family’s immigration or migration.
Use history to tell the story. Were your ancestors part of a large migration? What were the circumstances under which they relocated? If your ancestors didn’t move around, learn about the history of the area in which they lived. Check local histories to learn about local events that aren’t found in history books. City and county histories are widely available via sources like Internet Archive, Google Books, HathiTrust, FamilySearch, and Ancestry.com.
Include art where available. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so use photographs of people and places to illustrate your family story.
Share it! History is best preserved when shared. Short stories can be shared easily via email and social media (although be sure to use caution and don’t share details on living persons).
In the Community
Volunteer locally. Look for opportunities to volunteer with your local library, genealogical or historical society, or municipality. There will be plenty of events celebrating America’s 250th anniversary so join the fun.
Teach family history. You have a lot to offer. Create a presentation, workshop, or class on beginning family history that you can present through your local library or some other organization.
Write an editorial. Remind others through your local newspaper of the importance of recording our family stories and the preservation of the records and resources that are vital to and enrich our family stories.
Collaborate with cultural and educational institutions. Partner with museums and archives to highlight resources available and teach genealogy skills. Also, check to see if there is an interest in local schools, community centers, alumni organizations, or any group that might be interested in learning how to begin family history research.
Visit elderly people in your community. Humans are our most fragile archives. Look for opportunities to record the histories of our oldest friends and neighbors. Their stories are America’s story, too, and without someone taking the time to record their memories, that part of the story could be lost forever.
Our Collective Impact
Imagine the nationwide effect if we all did just one thing. From small-town libraries to major archives, from local societies to national organizations, together we can show the public the many ways family history research enriches our understanding of history and who we are.
For more ideas, see the NGS pamphlet (.pdf), Family History is America’s Story: An America250 Toolkit for Genealogy and Family History Organizations.
As we prepare to celebrate America at 250, let’s use this opportunity to make family history more visible, accessible, and meaningful for all. What’s your one thing going to be?
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