I get hot under the collar when I hear young people called “snowflakes.” I know it’s just the 21st Century version of “rock and roll will be the end of civilization as we know it,” but it still riles me. I wonder whether the complainer has ever known one of those kids, or are they judging an…

The U.S. Census Bureau has been hosting meetings around the country to answer questions about jobs and the hiring process in preparation for the taking of the 2020 census. A website at https://tinyurl.com/y4v3zr3v provides job details — overview and job qualifications — and answers to freque…

Good Sunday morning, everyone! As we go out, asking for our community to support our local United Way again this year, it is important for our residents to understand what and why we fund certain programs through local agencies.

If you owned one of the many saloons on Danville’s Main Street, or Westville’s State Street, you were facing ruin 100 years ago. Uncle Sam was putting you out of business.

Good Sunday morning, everyone! These days with all us of being pulled in many different directions, and life being so busy, we need to make sure we take care of our minds.

The sweet gum tree was losing battles with time and the elements. Three years ago, more than half the tree’s mast gave in to a thunderstorm. Last week, the remainder of top and a portion of the trunk was blown away by a strong south wind that swept across the prairie.

Genealogist Amy Johnson Crow has written a useful article, “Using the 1890 Civil War Veterans’ Census,” which can be read at https://tinyurl.com/y93letzh. Since most of the 1890 U.S. Population Census was destroyed, it is important to locate other sources that can provide helpful data for th…

The State of Illinois is noted for its free online access to the state’s genealogical records — including military records. For a better understanding of its collections of military records, a pamphlet, Genealogical Research Series Pamphlet No. 3: Military Records, available at https://tinyu…

Good Sunday morning, everyone! I always like to keep our PATH Crisis 2-1-1 line in the front of everyone’s mind.

“Do not judge my story by the chapter you walked in on.” — Unknown

The recent reopening of the restored Fischer Theater brings to mind the grand opening of the same building – then known as the Grand Opera House – on Nov. 5, 1884.

The fires from the distant burning buildings reminded Captain Joe Truax of the prairie fires he had seen back in Vermilion County. He was an officer in the 35th Illinois Volunteer Infantry and was fighting his way across the South in the Civil War.

Dick Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter recently reported on “a valuable gem.” The website called Unsplash “(dedicated to sharing stock photography) … claims over 110,000 contributing photographers and generates more than 9 billion photo impressions per month.”

Good Sunday morning, everyone! It’s happening all the time. Nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States according to the National Statistics Domestic Violence Fact Sheet. That is more than 10 million women and men a year.

Good Sunday morning, everyone! It is Mental Illness Awareness Month so let’s talk about our mental health.

“This is the best rest area I stop in, and I stop in a lot of them,” the Arizona truck driver said as he ate a snack at a picnic table at the Salt Kettle Rest Area on Interstate 74 west of Danville. He was a long-haul driver and he appreciated the park-like setting. He had just returned to t…

Utah’s governor recently signed a law that prevents law enforcement officials from obtaining user data from such DNA testing companies as Ancestry.com and 23AndMe without a search warrant. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/y6souswh.

My Grandfather Dawless died in 1959. I was only 4, but I remember him. A few photos show that he was mighty proud of his seven little grandchildren.

Good Sunday morning, everyone! We are asking individuals in Danville and surrounding communities to help us determine what our focus should be in the coming years.

Ghost stories and haunted houses are hardly related to genealogical research — or are they? On a personal note, an ancestor of mine, Rebecca Cornell, appeared as a ghost to her brother, John Briggs, to reveal her murderer. This was all documented in Rhode Island court records and detailed in…

Good Sunday morning, everyone! October is upon us this week and there is a lot about October and the beginning of fall that we can all love. Although the topic for today isn’t as pretty and popular, it is truly needed.

Danville’s new high school opened 95 years ago this month. When Francis Watkins walked in the new school on opening day in 1924. she recalled her first impression was, “This is grand!”

Good Sunday morning, everyone! A woman, a priest, two ministers and a rabbi walked into a restaurant …

The most recent issue of the Iliana Genealogical & Historical Society’s (IGHS) quarterly publication, Illiana Genealogist (Vol. 55, No. 3, Fall 2019), has been sent to the society’s members and is available to view or purchase at the Iliana Genealogy Library, 215 W. North St., Danville, …

A college student needs a special place to read … some quiet, comfy little nest, far from blaring stereos, overheard conversations and other annoyances.

Mike Rodriguez purchased a photo album at a flea market in Texas for $8 and then realized its pages were filled with family information and photographs — all pertaining to people in Madison County, Illinois.

“I’m not a programmer, but I play one on TV.”

Good Sunday morning everyone! In the last couple of weeks, myself and my two volunteers, they are the ones with the physical strength and truck and trailer, made life a little easier for several families in the Vermilion County area. I think I need a name for this duo besides Dave1 an Dave2.…

He was an unusual archeologist, but he was well-equipped for a dig. Those sharp front claws made him the leading backhoe of the small mammals that frequented the farm from time to time.

The Illinois State Genealogical Society’s (ISGS) website (www.ilgensoc.org) provides a link to “How Lincoln Saved Her Husband,” an article in the ISGS Quarterly (Summer 2019) that tells of a long-forgotten document that is finally in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

The Vermilion County Administration Building, 201 N. Vermilion St., is an architectural gem and a tribute to Danville’s most-renowned permanent resident: U.S. House Speaker Joseph G. Cannon.

Good Sunday morning, everyone! We live every day in the pursuit of happiness, each of us with our own idea as to what that is and how we are going to get there.

It was unusual to see a service station with an attractive flower garden in front. Those flowers were an

Genealogist Joe Beine has posted his Genealogy Roots Blog, at https://tinyurl.com/no4wptt, notifying researchers he has updated his Online Searchable Death Indexes & Records Website (USA). Included in this update is Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947 at FamilySearch. (Conduct a s…

Not that long ago, our family fleet consisted of three vehicles, all with manual transmissions: Laurie’s 5-speed Toyota Camry, my 3-speed Ford pickup and my weekend toy, a 4-speed Chevy, built in 1930.

More than 500,000 temporary or part-time jobs, side jobs — so-called gigs — will be available as the U.S. Census Bureau makes plans to conduct the 2020 census next year.

Good Sunday morning, everyone! I came across the topic of waiting, not patiently waiting, unfortunately. It was very eye opening of how we have become this hurry, instant gratification kind of society.

Progress in the city of Danville, and America’ s love affair with the automobile, ended the tenure of one of the city’s landmarks in 1932.

Good Sunday morning, everyone! Last weekend was one of those horrific weekends. Mass shootings, taking innocent lives and affecting the lives of countless others for years to come.

Dear America,

Genealogist Megan Smolenyak has created a brief video assembled “from bits and pieces” that Megan and her husband, Brian, and friend, Michael Mills, had recorded on their iPhones when they attended the opening of the new Statue of Liberty Museum.

Do you ever scan the obituaries, see a familiar name, then slowly realize that yes … that was someone who was important to you, years ago?

The major Christian denomination churches in the U.S. kept records that are often overlooked by genealogical researchers. Perhaps because these records are not always easily obtainable, or because a specific church may not be known, genealogists often neglect to pursue their availability.

Good Sunday morning, everyone! I’m going to talk about a topic that makes us somewhat uncomfortable … integrity. I often think of integrity as doing the right thing even when no one is looking.

The statement from the C&EI Railroad for the work crew was $500. That was a crushing amount for a high school student working a summer job in 1956 to pay.

Growing up in Danville, I had parents who set the example for the importance of volunteering within our community.

Anyone old enough to remember the day 50 years ago on June 20, 1969, when America’s astronauts walked on the moon, has the unique opportunity to share personal memories of that day.

It was eight years after the March 1, 1920, fire that destroyed the elaborate Mudlavia that a new hotel began being erected by Windsor J. Weaver of Indianapolis.

Genealogist Joe Beine’s many websites offer a wealth of information for genealogical researchers — both beginners and advanced — as well as other topics of interest.