Even Our Ancestors Enjoyed Ice Cream!

Yesterday, Sunday, July 16th, is probably not a date that you had circled on your calendar, unless, of course, there was a birthday in your family or in your circle of friends. So, in case you missed it, yesterday was National Ice Cream Day, giving us a perfect opportunity to celebrate a favorite summer treat that was likely enjoyed by most of our ancestors as well as by most of us!

Find Your Ancestors in the Newly-Released 1931 Canadian Census

If you have ancestors from Canada, you know that there is a Canadian census, like ours, conducted every ten years, but unlike ours, a complete national census is not available before 1871, since Canada did not become a confederation until 1867. The first census for the Confederation of Canada covers just the four original provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario. The next census, in 1881, covered the entire country as it existed then. There are earlier censuses for Canada, but they are for individual provinces and territories. All these early censuses are digitized and available online, most on FamilySearch for free and on Ancestry and Findmypast with a subscription. For a complete listing of available Canadian censuses and where they are located, see the article in the FamilySearch wiki, called “Canada Census.”

StLGS Office Update AND July Meetings and Classes

Happy Fourth of July! As we mentioned a few weeks ago, the StLGS office in Maplewood is getting a much-needed facelift, and work is in full swing. The painters have finished applying a double coat of a soft grayish-white paint on all the walls, a big improvement over the dull pink that was previously there. This last week, the carpet installers removed the old, faded pinkish/gray-blue carpet in the more traveled areas of the office and replaced it with a bright navy/mauve textured one. The next step will be a thorough top to bottom cleaning by a professional crew. This is, of course, taking time and hard work. Read on for more details!

Some of Our Ancestors' Killer Occupations: Part Two of Three

Our first post in this mini-series (published on 12 June 2023) highlighted the chemicals many of our ancestors smeared on and/or ingested as they sought to make themselves look better. This week, we'll focus on how they often endangered their health while working. The hazards of some jobs are obvious. We know that miners of all kinds faced multiple dangers: roof collapse, flooding, and constant inhaling of dust and debris that poisoned their lungs. Our ancestors who worked in factories regularly breathed particles of whatever substance was in the unventilated air, leading to permanent lung damage. The hazards of working in the early years of the industrial age were enormous, as most of the factories were unregulated. But let’s consider jobs that some of our ancestors had that were equally hard on their health but which we don’t often think were all that dangerous. 

Introducing the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Summer is a perfect time to pack up the car and take a genealogy road trip. Are you ready? How about a ride to northern Indiana through beautiful farmland (and just a few construction zones) to the second largest genealogy collection in the U.S.—the Allen County Public Library? Located in downtown Fort Wayne, the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library is second in size only to the FamilySearch (Family History) Library in Salt Lake City. At 367,000 square feet, it occupies a bright, spacious location on the second floor of a library that was entirely rebuilt in 2007. Here's why you might want to consider a trip there.

Our Ancestors' Killer Fashion Trends, Part I: What We Do for Vanity!

Over the centuries, fashion trends have come and gone, as have humans’ need to follow them. People have coated their faces in makeup, ingested all kinds of materials “guaranteed” to make them look and feel better, and worn clothing and accessories made from a wide assortment of materials. In doing so, they have also exposed themselves and the people who created all these products to an array of toxic chemicals, some of which eventually killed the makers, some the users, and some, both.

Free Genealogy Webinars Offered by the National Archives

Now that the weather has warmed up and spending hours outside might not be an attractive alternative if you live in a steamy summer climate like St. Louis, you may be looking for some online genealogy classes. Of course, we hope you will take advantage of the classes StLGS is offering this summer, and you can check them out on the “Classes” page on the StLGS website.  But if you are looking for more, we want to tell you about a free series of lectures sponsored by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).