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August 2012 Newsletter

GenealogyBank Just Added 17 Million More Records!

We constantly add more newspapers and obituaries to our online archive. Currently, GenealogyBank features over 6,100 newspapers from all 50 states, with more than 215 million obituaries and death records. Here are some details about our most recent additions (we actually added new content to thousands of titles, but the following is a representative sample): a total of 65 newspaper titles from 27 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. We've shown the date ranges so that you can determine if the new content is relevant to your personal research.

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Family History Clue Found in Old Bicycle Ad

You never know where an important family history clue will turn up. In this case, an 1891 newspaper advertisement offering free bicycles, and featuring a drawing of a boy holding his shiny new bike, contained a name and address that lead to an interesting chain of discovery.

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What Are 'Old Style' v. 'New Style' Dates?

Occasionally in your family history research you will see that a date is called "Old Style" or "New Style"—but what does that mean? It is important to understand this date designation because it may help you accurately calculate the birth and death dates of your ancestors.

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Reminiscence of the Boston Tea Party

Historical U.S. newspapers preserve many stories that would otherwise be lost forever, especially the stories of ordinary men and women throughout American history. Here is an example, an 1837 newspaper article in which John Wyeth tells what it was like to participate in the Boston Tea Party.

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Ask the Genealogist

Q: I am stumped. I have my "Fernald" ancestor living in Kansas, but one census said that my ancestor was from New York and the other said he was born in Massachusetts. What do I do now?

A: Like any good mystery you need to gather the conflicting facts and clues, sort them out, and see which ones point you to the correct answer. Here's an approach that you can use in many of your searches.

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