Free Webinars to Celebrate Black History Month!

This mild and so far un-winter-like February brings us Valentine’s Day, Presidents’ Day, and, perhaps most importantly, Black History Month. Regardless of your cultural or ethnic heritage, if you are an American, then the experiences of everyone who has lived, worked, and sacrificed for this country are yours too. And the uptick in DNA testing during the past few decades has made it very clear that many of us are more diverse than we had ever imagined.

Google Patents May Add to Your Family History AND StLGS Members, It's Time to Vote!

We already know that many of our ancestors were hard-working and industrious. They often had to be in order to survive. A lot of our ancestors were also extremely creative as they made their way through what often was a difficult world. Not satisfied with the status quo, they looked for ways to improve their lives. A few weeks ago, we told you about a woman named Nancy Donaldson Johnson, who invented and patented an ice cream freezer in 1843. (Did you miss that post? You can find it here.) How can you learn more about your own ancestors who might have been inventors? Once again, Google is your friend. Read on to learn about one of its best-kept secrets, Google Patents. (And if you are a member of StLGS, be sure to check out the information at the end of this post; it's voting time again!)