Babies, no matter where they are born or what they look like, come to us without language or social norms. They need our love and nurturing to grow and our soothing voices and touch to calm their fears. For centuries, parents around the globe have sung and hummed to their little ones, and as spring approaches with its promise of new life, we thought we'd share with you the origins of some of the lullabies we've raised our babies with for centuries. So, hum away as you read more about where those iconic tunes came from, why so many refer to unpleasant situations, and why we have them in the first place.
The official blog of the St. Louis Genealogical Society. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter! Send news to publications@stlgs.org .
16 March 2026
16 June 2025
Happy Belated Father's Day!
If you are lucky enough to have a father in your life, we hope you had a wonderful day this past weekend enjoying his company and celebrating his accomplishments. We also thought you might like to know how Father's Day came about, and you might be surprised to learn how far back the tradition goes.
26 December 2022
Happy Boxing Day!
It’s December 26th, and for most of us that means that we have made it through Chanukah and Christmas. We can thaw out from the extremely cold weekend and think ahead to celebrating the new year. But did you know that for many people around the world, December 26th is a holiday called Boxing Day? And it is very likely that some of our ancestors were active participants in that extra day of giving and receiving. The modern celebration of Boxing Day only began during the 1830s when Queen Victoria reigned in Great Britain, but the origin of the holiday goes much further back in time.