Blogs

1 July 2014
Among the particularly valuable resources published by the National Archives is the preliminary inventory to Record Group 109, the so-called "Captured Confederate Records." On occasion, in one teaching venue or another, EE has invoked this guide. On occasion, then, a student has expressed dismay ...

26 June 2014
Those of you who accepted yesterday's challenge—here at the blog and at our FB page—caught several good points, especially the misidentified microfilm publication. ... Beyond that, EE’s suggested model reflects several other citation needs ...

23 June 2014
We love them—but can we trust them? When we're fortunate enough to find diaries or memoirs that relate to the subject of our research, we should pose at least the following questions ...

19 June 2014
Peer-review is not just a mark of excellence, it's a pathway to excellence. It's also a path with dual lanes. As researchers, we need peer review to help us identify our blind spots, remove our warts, and sharpen our ideas. As we gain expertise, we’ll also be called upon to give that peer-review to others. Are we ...

29 June 2014
It's a frustration we all know much too well in our census research. Whether we use an online provider of digital images or consult the old-timey microfilm, we find the needed county and state, search for our person of interest, and find nobody by that name. In fact, we find nobody with names—at least not given names. Page after page, there's nothing but initials—not just for heads of households, not just for grown males who may have preferred to be called I.J. rather than Ichabod Jehosophat, but for wives and children to boot. What's the problem? What's the fix? ...