Last night’s premiere of Genealogy Roadshow brought us to Albuquerque, New Mexico. The episode touched on a lot of interesting bits of American history that I wasn't entirely familiar with - from the funding of the American Revolution to local history in New Mexico. I don't personally have any ancestors that have come or gone through that part of the country (that I know of.) However, as I have mentioned before, these shows are great because they offer so many resources and tools that you can apply to your own family history research. Here is what I took away from last night’s episode:
- Check local newspapers: Kenyatta mentioned the Albuquerque Journal when searching for ancestors in the Wild West. Members can log into their Findmypast account to access the Albuquerque Journal. Members also have access to our research aid on searching for New York related newspapers.
- Listen to oral histories: Josh visited the University of New Mexico, Center for Southwest Research to search through the oral histories of the Navajo. Visit their website to learn more and to view their digital collections.
- Search the National Archives: Mary mentioned the National Archive’s declassified files - visit the National Archives website to learn more and to view collections and finding aids.
- Search for patent records: You can view patents from 1790 to the present at
the United States Patent and Trademark Office (tip: read the FAQs for help searching the collection.) I was able to find my 3GGF’s patent for the Leather Luggage Check. - Search old history books: The book Josh mentioned relating to the history of New Jersey that the contained the account of Penelope Stout is The History of the Colony of Nova Cæsaria, Or New Jersey: Containing, an Account of Its First Settlement, Progressive Improvements, the Original and Present Constitution, and Other Events to the Year 1721. With Some Particulars Since and a Short View of Its Present State by Samuel Smith. See page 65.
- You can also visit the Genealogy Roadshow website for more great tips!
Happy hunting!
Heather Hoffman
(Manager, Digital Collections and Online Services at the NYG&B)