"Crowdsourcing" Historic Documents

14 February 2014 Here's a valuable educational opportunity for all who love old documents and Alabama history: two document-transcription projects offered by the Archives Department of the University of Alabama. Do volunteer! It's a great way to share your skills while learning social nuances of past societies and building a mental repertoire of historical context.

War of 1812 Bounty Land Warrant

11 February 2014 A neighbor has asked you for help, knowing how experienced you are in historical research. He grew up in a nineteenth-century Kentucky farm house that supposedly was built by man named Thomas Cravens. Online, he stumbled upon today's document. Being curious about the history of his childhood home, he's wondering if this is the same Thomas Cravens.

Biographical Research: How to Turn a Gamble into a Big Win

10 February 2014 Biographical research is always a gamble. Our person of interest may not have been literate. Or, he belonged to one of the many classes of people who led quiet, impoverished, or otherwise low-profile lives. The records we expect to find for the time and place will likely have suffered some destruction. . . .