Your Pennsylvania Ancestors
89 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 22 ratingsThe Your Pennsylvania Ancestors podcast helps you discover your family history in PA. Join Denys Allen for behind-the-scenes look into archives, genealogy research, and highlights of PA history. See supporting information for each episode at PAancestors.com
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Episodes
The Pennsylvania Dutch Language with Mark Louden
April 13, 2023 15:32 - 40 minutes - 76.6 MBOne of the largest ethnic groups in early Pennsylvania spoke German. But today we call their language Pennsylvania Dutch. My guest, Professor of Germanic Linguistics Mark Louden calls Pennsylvania Dutch a truly American language. Learn why he says that and learn a little PA Dutch to share with family and friends. Pennsylvania Dutch: The Story of an American Language, by Mark L. Louden Don’t miss Mark’s website https://padutch.net
Meet the Lenape of Pennsylvania
April 05, 2023 22:18 - 44 minutes - 83.5 MBWhat is the history of the Lenape who lived across much of Pennsylvania? How were they impacted by the waves of immigration to the colony? And what is their future? Meet Adam Waterbearer DePaul, Tribal Storykeeper of the Lenape of Pennsylvania who fills in a big gap in our shared history here and provides hope through the Prophecy of the Four Crows. Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania https://www.lenape-nation.org Fulfilling a Prophecy Exhibit https://www.penn.museum/sites/fap/index.shtml En...
Target Your Research with Genetic Communities
March 24, 2023 10:00 - 7 minutes - 15.2 MBAncestryDNA has the largest DNA database in the world for genealogy. Their data on genetic communities can help you target your research if you take an extra step with it. I explain that step in this episode. Sign up for my newsletter at https://welcome.paancestors.com Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:11 AncestryDNA Genetic Communities 03:38 Walkthrough of Map Overlays 06:13 Furthering Your Research Resources mentioned in video: AncestryDNA https://www.ancestry.com/dna/ ...
Do You Know This Early Pennsylvania History?
March 15, 2023 19:13 - 12 minutes - 23.4 MBIf you have ancestors in Pennsylvania in the 17th & 18th century, knowing these four things will help your understanding of our records (and our history!). Free Friday newsletter https://welcome.paancestors.com 00:00 Intro 01:48 Pennsylvania in the Revolutionary War 05:16 The landless in Pennsylvania 07:46 Religions in Pennsylvania 09:35 Pennsylvania and the Book of Revelation Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/E6to8YkpSVk Books mentioned: Beyond P...
The Big Announcements You Missed at RootsTech 2023
March 10, 2023 12:49 - 19 minutes - 36.8 MBDid you hear about the new things coming to genealogy in 2023? Here's the announcements of what's rolling out in 2023 from Ancestry and FamilySearch. Get the latest in Pennsylvania genealogy research with my newsletter 00:00 Intro 04:00 Innovation & Tech Forum 05:45 What's New at Ancestry 11:29 What's New at FamilySearch Links mentioned in the video: Watch this episode on YouTube Previous podcast episode #75 "Get the Most Out of RootsTech" - check it out Innovation & Tech ...
Get the Most Out of RootsTech in 2023
March 03, 2023 15:06 - 10 minutes - 9.65 MBRootsTech is the largest family history conference in the world. You can attend virtually again in 2023. Here's how to make the most of everything RootsTech offers. Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries newsletter https://welcome.paancestors.com Register for RootsTech https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/ Music: "Achaidh Cheide" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
Unique & Rare Pennsylvania Birth Records That Few Know About
October 06, 2022 22:00 - 14 minutes - 10.2 MBWhat if I told you that in the 1700’s and 1800’s in Pennsylvania, there were unique and beautiful birth records created? These are not official government records and not church records. It is what we call fraktur and I explain what it is and where to find it in this episode. Links: My Inner Circle Members get a resource sheet with links to digital collections of fraktur. The example shown is “Birth and Marriage Record (Geburts und Trauschein) for Catharina Stutzmann and Daniel Esch,” ...
10 Ways to Get Birth and Death Information for Your Ancestors
October 06, 2022 13:00 - 15 minutes - 10.9 MBSometimes we can't find birth certificates, death certificates, or marriage licenses on our ancestors. These are the 10 records I look for as a substitute for vital records for my ancestors. Subscribe to **PA Ancestors Discoveries** Newsletter [https://welcome.paancestors.com](https://welcome.paancestors.com/) Become an **Inner Circle Member** [https://www.paancestors.com/members/](https://www.paancestors.com/members/) Music: *My Days Have Been So Wondrous and Free*, composed by ...
Search Strategies for Vital Records
August 04, 2022 18:00 - 12 minutes - 8.93 MBIf you've tried and tried to find a vital record in Pennsylvania, and keep running into a brick wall, this episode is for you. Here's 4 search strategies you can use to find birth, death, and marriage records - or really any record - in PA. Ancestry's tips to use wild cards in searches https://support.ancestry.com/s/topic/0TO150000004cAdGAI/search-records Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter [https://welcome.paancestors.com]https://welcome.paancestors.com/ Make a disc...
3 Times When Vital Records Went Wrong
July 28, 2022 20:00 - 11 minutes - 7.93 MBPennsylvania had a few attempts at birth records and death records that didn't work out as expected. Some failed, and some.....well, I explain what happened in this episode. Genealogists can use these record attempts to find their ancestors in PA. Pennsylvania Archives Series (books) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Archives Subscribe to **PA Ancestors Discoveries** Newsletter [https://welcome.paancestors.com](https://welcome.paancestors.com/) Make a discovery about you...
My Favorite Pennsylvania Genealogy Record
July 21, 2022 21:00 - 11 minutes - 8.2 MBGenealogists get to research in a variety of records. But I have one absolute favorite record, and its a hard-to-find vital record. Listen in to what it is and where to find it. Subscribe to **PA Ancestors Discoveries** Newsletter [https://welcome.paancestors.com](https://welcome.paancestors.com/) Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! [https://paancestors.com/testimonials/](https://paancestors.com/testimonials/) Become an **Inner Circle Member** [http...
All About 19th Century Vital Records in Pennsylvania
July 14, 2022 22:00 - 15 minutes - 10.4 MBThe 19th Century was a time of change and vital records were tried, failed, and tried again in various ways. It's confusing and and I'll clear it up in this episode. Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? Submit it here for the Research Q & A Become an Inner Circle Member and get exclusive content while supporting the podcast Catch-up on all the past episodes Music:...
How to Get Free Vital Records in Pennsylvania
July 07, 2022 20:00 - 8 minutes - 5.81 MBGenealogists don't need to order certified copies or pay monthly subscription fees to get the records they want. Here are three ways to get birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage licenses for free. Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? Submit it here for the Research Q & A Become an Inner Circle Member and get exclusive content while supporting the podcas...
3 Key PA Vital Records and Where to Find Them
June 30, 2022 19:00 - 12 minutes - 8.5 MBThere are three vital records family historians need for each ancestor. What are they and where do you find them? Free access to public Pennsylvania birth and death certificates for PA residents PA Department of Health to order non-public vital records 9/11 hijackers used fake identification Ancestry. com and FamilySearch.org to search for marriage licenses Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! H...
Getting Starting in Pennsylvania Genealogy Research
June 23, 2022 21:00 - 11 minutes - 7.8 MBNew to genealogy research in Pennsylvania? Here’s three ways to get started the right way on your family history. Links: Free access to public Pennsylvania birth and death certificates for PA residents PA Department of Health to order non-public vital records Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? Submit it here for the Research Q & A Become an Inner Circle Memb...
Season 7 Trailer
June 16, 2022 21:00 - 1 minute - 1.13 MBSo excited to be back with a new season. This season is all about vital records of Pennsylvania from 1682 to present day. Join in and discover more about your Pennsylvania ancestors. Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? Submit it here for the Research Q & A Become an Inner Circle Member and get exclusive content while supporting the podcast Catch-up on all the past ...
Irish Presbyterians of Western Pennsylvania with Author Peter Gilmore
January 19, 2022 11:00 - 44 minutes - 30.7 MBThe book Irish Presbyterians and the Shaping of Western Pennsylvania, 1770–1830 is a favorite of mine and author Peter Gilmore shares highlights of the book in this episode. Learn what life was like for our early Irish Presbyterian ancestors. Links: Irish Presbyterians and the Shaping of Western Pennsylvania, 1770–1830, by Peter Gilmore - Univeristy of Pittsburgh Press Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it...
How to Research Presbyterian Church Records
January 12, 2022 10:00 - 34 minutes - 23.4 MBResearching our ancestors’ religion can deepen our understanding of their lives. I’m thrilled to feature the Presbyterian Historical Society in this episode. The Presbyterians were some of the first to arrive in Pennsylvania and have churches all over the state. Get tips on researching in their original congregational records direct from their experts! Links Presbyterian Historical Society https://www.history.pcusa.org Current Active Presbyterian Churches https://pcusa.org Brief Hi...
Setting Genealogy Goals with Julie Cahill Tarr
January 05, 2022 20:00 - 31 minutes - 21.3 MBThinking about setting goals for you genealogy inn 2022? Julie Cahill Tarr of Genealogy in Action is my guest this week and she shares how to set SMART goals for genealogy, get over perfectionism, and set a schedule that works for you. Julie Cahill Tarr at Genealogy in Action See my genealogy goals for 2022 Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? Submit it here for ...
Easy Family History Gifts with Clémence Scouten
December 03, 2021 12:00 - 28 minutes - 19.4 MBGenealogists often struggle with how to share everything they found in their research with family. Clémence Scouten of Memoirs and More shares three easy family history gifts you can do for the holiday or anytime! Links : Clémence Scouten, Memoirs and More, LLC https://www.memoirsandmore.com Book of family history questions for interviews: Recording Your Family History, by William Fletcher Blurb.com BookWright on Blurb.com https://www.blurb.com/bookmaking-tools Mixbook.com Sa...
Researching Scots-Irish Ancestors with William Roulston
November 19, 2021 13:00 - 32 minutes - 22 MBResearching the Scots Irish in early Pennsylvania is challenging. Determining when and where they came from in Northern Ireland is even more so! Author Dr. William Roulston shares some history of the Ulster Irish and his book Researching Scots-Irish Ancestors: The Essential Genealogical Guide to Early Modern Ulster, 1600–1800 in this episode. Ulster Historical Foundation ancestryireland.com Researching Scots-Irish Ancestors by William J. Roulston https://smile.amazon.com/Researching-Sc...
All About PA Military Records with Aaron McWilliams
November 12, 2021 13:00 - 47 minutes - 32.8 MBThrough out Pennsylvania's history, the state has kept many different kinds of records on military service members. Find out all about these records with Aaron McWilliams of the Pennsylvania State Archive. Links Pennsylvania State Archive https://www.phmc.pa.gov/archives/pages/default.aspx Digitized PA State Archive records on Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/ai/collections/PA/StateArchives Digitized PA State Archive records on Power Library https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org...
Journal Your History - Collect Your Stories for the Future
November 05, 2021 10:00 - 11 minutes - 8.25 MBAs genealogists we often wonder what our ancestors felt about historical events. Few of us know! Denys offers ways to journal about our current events for our descendants. Books mentioned: A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard Based on Her Diary 1785-1812, by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich; and The Worst Hard Time, by Timothy Egan. Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? ...
Getting the Most Out of Newspapers in Genealogy Research
October 29, 2021 10:00 - 24 minutes - 17 MBNewspapers can give us so much more than obituaries of our ancestors. James Beidler gives us some new ideas on how to use them from his book The Family Tree Historical Newspaper Guide. Links for all of Jim's books at jamesmbeidler.com (Plus his weekly genealogy post!) The Family Tree Historical Newspaper Guide: How to find Your Ancestors in Archived Newspapers Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a...
Sharing Family Stories with Clémence Scouten
October 22, 2021 10:00 - 32 minutes - 22.4 MBHave you been meaning to collect some of your family's stories? Need some energy and inspiration to get started? This is the podcast episode for you! Clémence Scouten of Memoirs and More, LLC joins Denys to give tips on how to start compiling your family's stories. Visit her website http://www.memoirsandmore.com for free worksheets and questions to ask family members. Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! ...
Season 6 Trailer
October 15, 2021 12:00 - 3 minutes - 2.45 MBSeason 6 begins a new theme. Listen in and subscribe to catch all the new episodes, including bonus episodes between the regular Friday releases. Links: Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? Submit it here for the Research Q & A Become an Inner Circle Member and get exclusive content while supporting the podcast Catch-up on all the past episodes Music: My Days H...
Season 5 Wrap Up - What's Next?
August 27, 2021 10:00 - 10 minutes - 7.25 MBResearch often doesn't go the way we expect in genealogy. Wrapping up Season 5 and sharing what's next in the research of the Curry family. Links: Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? Submit it here for the Research Q & A Become an Inner Circle Member and get exclusive content while supporting the podcast Catch-up on all the past episodes Music: My Days Have Be...
A Surprise at the Local Historical Society
August 20, 2021 10:00 - 11 minutes - 7.7 MBEvery county in Pennsylvania has a locally run historical society. Denys visited Clearfield County Historical Society and had an unexpected find. Links: Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? Submit it here for the Research Q & A Become an Inner Circle Member and get exclusive content while supporting the podcast Catch-up on all the past episodes Music: My Days H...
What I Found at the County Courthouse
August 13, 2021 10:00 - 11 minutes - 7.68 MBA visit to the county courthouse has both expected and unexpected finds for genealogists. Learn what Denys found in her visit to learn about the Curry family. Links: Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? Submit it here for the Research Q & A Become an Inner Circle Member and get exclusive content while supporting the podcast Catch-up on all the past episodes Mus...
Why I Did a Genealogy Research Trip
August 06, 2021 11:38 - 11 minutes - 8.05 MBDenys completed a genealogy research trip in July. Was it worth the the time and effort to do a genealogy research trip? This episode also features tips on how to find ancestors in cemeteries. Links: Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? Submit it here for the Research Q & A Become an Inner Circle Member and get exclusive content while supporting the podcast ...
All About Early Philadelphia Vital Records
July 30, 2021 10:00 - 2 minutes - 2.07 MBJoshua Blay details the early 1800's vital records available at the Philadelphia City Archive. Links: Philadelphia City Archives Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? Submit it here for the Research Q & A Become an Inner Circle Member and get exclusive content while supporting the podcast Catch-up on all the past episodes Music: My Days Have Been So Wondrous...
How to Search Philly Area Archives
July 23, 2021 10:00 - 4 minutes - 3.16 MBHolly Jo Mengel of PASCAL shares what is in Philadelphia area archives for genealogists. Links: PASCAL PAARP Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? Submit it here for the Research Q & A Become an Inner Circle Member and get exclusive content while supporting the podcast Catch-up on all the past episodes Music: My Days Have Been So Wondrous and Free, composed by Francis ...
How to Search Philadelphia Area Archives
July 23, 2021 10:00 - 4 minutes - 3.16 MBHolly Jo Mengel of PACSCL shares what is in Philadelphia area archives for genealogists. Links: PACSCL PAARP Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? Submit it here for the Research Q & A Become an Inner Circle Member and get exclusive content while supporting the podcast Catch-up on all the past episodes Music: My Days Have Been So Wondrous and Free, composed by Franci...
Are Archives Worth the Trip?
July 16, 2021 10:00 - 3 minutes - 2.48 MBWhat kinds of discoveries can you make at an archive like the Historical Society of Pennsylvania? Lee Arnold tells us. Links: Historical Society of Pennsylvania hsp.org Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? Submit it here for the Research Q & A Become an Inner Circle Member and get exclusive content while supporting the podcast Catch-up on all the past episodes ...
What to Know Before You Go to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
July 13, 2021 09:00 - 5 minutes - 3.9 MBLee Arnold of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania tells you what to expect when you go to HSP. Links: Historical Society of Pennsylvania hsp.org Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? Submit it here for the Research Q & A Become an Inner Circle Member and get exclusive content while supporting the podcast Catch-up on all the past episodes Music: My Days Have ...
Story of Finding an Ancestor in Court Records
July 09, 2021 10:00 - 5 minutes - 3.75 MBAn exciting story of finding an ancestor in court records from Aaron McWilliams of the Pennsylvania State Archives. Links: More from the Pennsylvania State Archives pastatearchives.org Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? Submit it here for the Research Q & A Become an Inner Circle Member and get exclusive content while supporting the podcast Catch-up on all the ...
Free Digital Records from the PA State Archive
July 07, 2021 13:33 - 3 minutes - 2.38 MBWhat digitized genealogy records can you access at home for free? Listen in as Aaron McWilliams tells me. Links: More from the Pennsylvania State Archives pastatearchives.org Listen to Podcast Episode 1: Pennsylvania State Archives Also see my blog post on Updates from the PA State Archives Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? Submit it here for the Research Q ...
Must See Records at the PA State Archive
July 02, 2021 10:00 - 4 minutes - 3.35 MBHighlights of my conversation with Aaron McWilliams at the Pennsylvania State Archive on their most popular genealogy records. Links: More from the Pennsylvania State Archives pastatearchives.org Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? Submit it here for the Research Q & A Become an Inner Circle Member and get exclusive content while supporting the podcast Catch-up ...
Making a Research Plan
June 25, 2021 10:00 - 13 minutes - 9.37 MBGoing back in time in genealogy means fewer and fewer records to search. For me to be effective at researching John Curry's family, I need to make a research plan. I did it in three steps looking at all the possible records I could chose from. Inner Circle Members gets access to my Research Plan template and my personal written plan as an example. Links: Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a questio...
Ulster Surnames with Author Robert Bell
June 18, 2021 10:00 - 23 minutes - 16 MBKnowing the history of our ancestor's surnames can help us in research, particularly Irish research. In this episode I interview author Robert Bell of The Book of Ulster Surnames, reissued in 2021. Robert share why surname research matters and some pieces of Scots Irish history you won't want to miss. Links: The Book of Ulster Surnames by Robert Bell The History of Ulster by Jonathan Bardon Place Names of Ulster by Jonathan Bardon A Dictionary of English Surnames by P.H. Reaney...
Looking for PA County Histories
June 11, 2021 10:00 - 14 minutes - 10.1 MBLooking in PA county histories is often recommended for genealogists. But how useful are these books? What will I find in county history books and is it useful for my research of John Curry's ancestors? Links: Find county histories for any county on the Internet Archive Read my blog post on 9 Ways to Use County Histories in Genealogy Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how resea...
Searching Siblings for Clues
June 04, 2021 10:00 - 10 minutes - 7.48 MBJohn Curry died suddenly at age 33 leaving little information about his life. Can researching his children and his siblings provide some clues to his life? Is it worth the time to do all this extra research? Let's find out! Links: PA State Archive Vital Records Indexes for publicly accessible state birth and death certificates not yet digitized and indexed on Ancestry. Newspapers.com for obituary searches Landex for courthouse records - Some PA counties have digitized deeds, wills...
Finding PA Marriage Licenses
May 28, 2021 10:00 - 17 minutes - 12.2 MBNot every genealogy record we want is online and indexed for easy searching. In fact the majority of records are not even digitized! This is certainly the case for marriage licenses in PA, and in this episode I start online to look for John Curry's marriage record before contacting the county to get it. Links: Ancestry's two largest marriage license databases Pennsylvania, U.S., Marriages, 1852-1968 https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61381/ Pennsylvania, U.S., County Marri...
Success with 20th Century Census Records
May 21, 2021 10:00 - 15 minutes - 10.4 MBSearching through 20th century census records seems like it should be easy. Can I find John Curry in the 1920, 1910, and 1900 census? Not without some challenges. See how I figured it out in this episode. Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? Submit it here for the Research Q & A Become an Inner Circle Member and get exclusive content while supporting the podcast Cat...
Starting with a 20th Century Death Certificate
May 14, 2021 05:00 - 11 minutes - 8.02 MBThe first step in genealogy research often means starting with a 20th century death certificate. Follow along as Denys analyzes a 1923 Pennsylvania death certificate to start the research for John Curry's ancestors. Links PA Death Certificates on Ancestry.com Learn how to get free access if you live in Pennsylvania Historical International Classification of Diseases on Wolfbane.com Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love ...
Season 5 Trailer
May 07, 2021 14:05 - 1 minute - 819 KBJoin me as I research some of my family history and share the process through out the season! Subscribe to PA Ancestors Discoveries Newsletter Make a discovery about your ancestors? I’d love to hear about it! Have a question on how research in PA? Submit it here for the Research Q & A Become an Inner Circle Member and get exclusive content while supporting the podcast Catch-up on all the past episodes Music: My Days Have Been So Wondrous and Free, composed by Francis Hopkinson i...
Two Must Read History Books for PA Research
March 26, 2021 05:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBDenys spent the winter doing a lot of reading and has two history books to recommend. Ready to break the narrative of what you know about American history? These books will do it! Sometimes when you can’t make progress in genealogy research, its because you don’t understand the history of the time and place you are searching. In public schools we learned a simple version of history because every school used the same textbooks across all states. Fortunately we have authors who look at th...
PA Food Traditions with Author William Woys Weaver
March 19, 2021 05:00 - 28 minutes - 19.4 MBHave you ever wondered what your ancestors ate? Food ethnographer and author William Woys Weaver shares why food traditions and food culture matter in understanding our past. William’s Roughwood Table is preserving our food history. Also a special preview of Don Yoder’s future genealogy archive. Topics Discussed: What is food ethnography Why food traditions and culture matter in understanding our past Some food tractions around Pennsylvania Don Yoder and his impact on genealogy and...
PA Farming History with Professor Sally McMurry
March 12, 2021 06:00 - 19 minutes - 13.6 MBTo understand Pennsylvania’s past, genealogists need knowledge of PA farming. Most of PA’s first immigrants were farmers and agriculture dominated the economy for 200 years. Dr. Sally McMurry, professor emerita of history of Penn State University shares highlights from her comprehensive book, Pennsylvania Farming: A History in Landscapes. Topics Discussed: The impact of agriculture on the PA economy How farms operated - indentures, tenancy, redemptioner, and slaves The impact of wome...
Researching German Americans with James Beidler
March 05, 2021 06:00 - 29 minutes - 20.3 MBMillions of American have German ancestry that can be traced to early Pennsylvania. Author James Beidler shares good practices and common mistakes in researching our German American ancestors. Topics Discussed: The two waves of German immigrants into Pennsylvania Underutilized resources in genealogy research Common mistakes in German research Why you need good maps of the right time period The upcoming International German Genealogy Conference And a big surprise for me at the ...