When Dorothy Lamon Teillard died in 1953, at age 95, the Commercial-News noted that the last local living link to Abraham Lincoln was broken.

Genealogists today seem to be bombarded with news and articles about DNA tests and their effectiveness in solving crimes and reuniting family members. Some additional bits of related information are included here.

Good Sunday morning everyone, and Happy Father’s Day!! The nation’s first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in the state of Washington. However, it was not until 1972, 58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day official, that the day honoring fathers became a natio…

The U.S. World War I Centennial Commission, with the support of the Doughboy Foundation and others, is making available a free digital download of Debra M. Dudek’s World War I Genealogy Research Guide: Tracing American Military and Non-Combatant Ancestors.

“Are you going to be part of the solution, or are you going to be part of the problem?”

As a practicing veterinarian, my heart breaks when I see clients forced to skip necessary, even life-saving treatments for their pets based on the cost. Yes, vet bills are expensive. I am a veterinarian, and I, too, have felt the blow of an expensive trip to the veterinary emergency room fol…

Good Sunday morning, everyone! Have you heard of "The Latte Factor"? It’s a book written with the idea in mind that we spend to much money on fancy drinks like a latte and not enough is going into saving for a rainy day. It’s phrased “Say later to the latte.”

When Conkey asked young Bill Pate to look after his store in Conkeytown for a few hours, the youth readily agreed. It was the social center of the community and also an official U.S. Post office.

Good Sunday morning, everyone! In my Mother’s Day column, I talked about no one handing you a book to help you raise your child. So, I want to change that statement because we do hand new parents that very book.

The Indiana Historical Society’s (IHS) genealogical conference, Midwestern Roots, scheduled for July 19-20 in Indianapolis, promises to offer something for researchers at every level of expertise. IHS has posted an article on the Top 10 Reasons to Attend, at http://tinyurl.com/y3tlc4vd, but …

The 75th anniversary of D-Day will be marked this week with parades, tours, concerts, films, memorial services, fireworks, conferences, sea landings, battle reenactments and receptions for the veterans, most of whom are in their 90s.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Warren County 4-H. The first year, the county’s 4-H'ers displayed their projects at the Covington fair. The following year it was held at the Clint Butler farm at Carbondale, Ind.

Good Sunday morning, everyone! Do you have a smartphone? Silly question, right? Have you given much thought to how it has changed your life?

Megan Smolenyak’s Honoring Our Ancestors Newsletters continue to post tidbits of interesting information. The April 17 issue tells of the town of Story, Ind., that is for sale for $3.8 million.

Good Sunday morning, everyone! Each of us make hundreds of choices each day. Starting with what to have for breakfast. What to wear today. So, most are inconsequential, but some choices are significant. No matter your choices, one after the other, they have gotten you to where you are today.

Last week, I came face-to-face with Danville history in Berkeley County, West Virginia.

There was quite a bit of grumbling among the regulars who frequented his service station when Illinois passed a law requiring citizens to purchase a driver’s license in 1939, Hons Shafer recalled.

Access to adoption information varies depending on the particular state. The American Adoption Congress has posted a helpful chart that provides information on access to adoption records at https://tinyurl.com/y4kk4jfv.

In June 2001, my car caught on fire and my brakes gave out while I was driving 80-pius mph on Tri-State Tollway. By the grace of God I escaped without a scratch … on my body. Although I appeared fine outwardly, I had suffered some sort of break.

Anyone interested in researching an ancestor’s participation in the Civil War could be greatly helped by the information provided by the National Archives’ article, Civil War Records: Basic Research, which can be found at https://tinyurl.com/y24qgjlp.

Last month I said the college you attend doesn’t matter – and I’ll stick to that – but the teachers who staff schools can make all the difference in the world.

Good Sunday morning, everyone, and, most of all, happy Mother’s Day! I love Mother’s Day because I love being a mom more than anything else in life.

The new Hudson was a splendid automobile. Gordon Bridgman recalled his Uncle Abe was very careful with the new 1914 touring car. Abe was born in mid-19th century and he never fully accepted the machines that put the horses out to pasture.

In October 1979, as a young reporter, I wrote an “open letter” feature story that began, “Dear Christopher Columbus … ”

The 1940 U.S. Census has been an important resource for researchers, due, in part, to the fact that it is the most recent census available to the public. Gena Philbert-Ortega has written a useful article about this census and includes points to consider when using its data.

Good Sunday morning, everyone! It’s May 5. Do you know what this day represents? Today is Cinco de Mayo. So, let’s taco ‘bout Cinco de Mayo, shall we? I bet I just made you hungry for a good Mexican dish, today didn’t I?

The Revolutionary War was fought by individuals — thousands of them — men and women — black and white — each of whom had a story to tell after the war. History teacher Jack Darrell Crowder has used such Revolutionary War stories to make the war relevant to his students and also has included …

In 1934, the Indiana Extension Homemakers Association organized the Indiana Home Economics Chorus. Its goal was “to enrich our communities and create a bond with other people throughout the state of Indiana while providing the opportunity to foster healthy relationships through the medium of…

If you’re a yard sale junkie like me, you can fondly recall things that grabbed your hand and wouldn’t let go … things that touched your heart … things that whispered, “C’mon, big boy … you know ya want me.”

When the woodland trout lilies and bluebells announced spring had arrived at Belle McDougal’s Horseshoe Bottom farm, she knew it was time to rebuild her flock of chickens.

Genealogists have realized the importance of U.S. census records as a valuable source of family information, but little has been known about Germany’s census records. Roger P. Minert spent six months in Europe in 2015 to learn more about such documents and has just published "German Census R…

Spring is a time of hope where we celebrate growth and change. At the Survivor Resource Center, formerly the Vermilion County Rape Crisis Center, we recently changed our name to better reflect the services that we provide and moved to a spacious building on Vermilion that is welcoming to all.

“I am able to look fear in the face and move anyway.” — Tricia Teague (from my daily affirmations)

Spring is in the air and, unfortunately, so are the mosquitoes.

The Daviess County Museum at 212 E. Main St., Washington, Ind., will open a new research room on April 25 and will make available the Daviess County Historical Society’s (DCHS) collection of genealogical materials which include “genealogy scrapbooks from hundreds of local families, high scho…

Good Sunday morning, everyone! April is National Distracted Driving Month and law enforcement officers are encouraging drivers to keep their eyes on the road.

Local history took a huge hit recently with the deaths of two real historians. Father John Flattery, 89, was a priest, a scholar and an author; Eugene “Radio” Thompson, 93, was a politician, a social activist and a witness.

A small slip of paper was behind the picture of the river boat City of Terre Haute in a metal frame. The men on the vessel posed for a photographer on some long ago day. The picture is undated, but the trees appear to be in full leaf. Four people are wading in the water on the far side of th…

Leland Meitzler writes that it was “like a punch in the gut,” when he read Dick Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter that posted the news of the upcoming bankruptcy to be filed by F&W Media.

Good Sunday morning, everyone! Today is World Health Day. World Health Day is celebrated every year on the 7th of April.

John Thomas Wilder, born in 1830, was a native of New York. He started a foundry in Greensburg, Ind., in 1857. By 1861, his business sold equipment and erected mills in six states.

Good Sunday morning, everyone! As I am writing this, I just had the privilege to sit in two meetings with people who truly want to make a difference in the lives of others and especially in our own communities. With so much negativity about our community, I love that I get to see this first hand.

Donald and Susan Richter, Vermilion County historians, will be presented with the Historical Preservation Award by the Illiana Genealogical & Historical Society (IGHS) Foundation at a special banquet. The event will be April 25 at Turtle Run, 322 E. Liberty Lane, Danville. The cost is $4…

Family and friends gathered last week to say farewell to Eugene "Radio" Thompson, a longtime community activist, World War II veteran, former Vermilion County Board and Danville City Council member, and — this is meant fondly — agitator. He liked it when people became upset with him because …

The picture is faded, but Carole Landis is still visible, posing for a soldier to snap a picture on an April day nearly 76 years ago.

More than 20,000 attendees from 38 countries and all 50 states in the U.S. flocked to the genealogical conference, RootsTech 2019, in Salt Lake City recently.

Fifteen years ago, when we finally got our first computer, I let my wife select an email address for me. She chose “irishhiker,” because, well, I always was going hiking, and, well, “Cullen” is my last name, which makes me Irish.

Until recently, dog flu was not something that most dog owners worried about for their canine companions. For a good reason, dog flu has been a hot topic in recent years. Just four years ago, the spread of a new canine influenza virus began only a few hours north of us in Chicago. Since then…

Good Sunday morning, everyone! How superstitious are you? Years ago when I was much younger, whenever I found a penny lying heads up, I would pick it up for good luck. Only the penny lying heads up was lucky though. Many times, when having a bad day, after finding a penny did it make me feel…