started reading "The Taylor's Civil War" by Lowell F. Volk and had a hard time putting the book down. The Taylor family captured my interest from the very beginning. The background of the story is the Civil War, but there is much more to this story than the War.

Families come in all types and races. The one thing they all have in common is that they all have ancestors who came before them. It is important to learn something about our ancestors and feel their strength.

Charles Strother Smith was my great grandfather. For many years the Smith Family researchers pondered on his middle name, Strother. We assumed it was a mother or grandmother’s maiden name, but research proved that theory incorrect.

In the mid 1800’s there was a problem that was getting continually worse in the large cities such as New York and Chicago, among others. Many children were living on the streets, some of them just young kids with nowhere to live, sleep or eat. These kids eventually became known as Orphan Train Kids.

Memorial article on Richard Hightower "Champion" Cox, celebrating his life's accomplishments and struggles. This article was written for a Cox Reunion by Dr. Larry Cox.

Learn how to prepare to interview for genealogical research.

I attended a seminar led by Michael John Neill. He mentioned something that I had not thought much about-the importance of noting the type of document you are looking at – is it an original or a copy? Have you ever thought about why this is so important and how it might apply to your research?

Just what is Mother´s Day based on? When was Mother´s Day first held? And what are the special celebrations held around the world?

We now have a new resource in using FamilySearch, The Guide to FamilySearch Online. FamilySearch has been a great research tool for many genealogists. Its website states “FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Come learn how this great book can help you!

The Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) meets every June at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Students meet to take genealogical courses. This past week was a great informative week and I wanted to share a database I learned about in my Researching African-American class.