Since its creation in 2019, the Kentucky Digitization Grant has helped preserve rare, one-of-a-kind Kentucky primary source records and made them accessible to the public. Including this round, a total of 18 projects have been funded totaling $56,700.
The Brothers Grimm—Jacob and Wilhelm—are celebrated for preserving German folklore and bringing stories like Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel into the cultural consciousness. Born in 18th-century Germany, the brothers faced early hardships but developed a passion for linguistics and folklore, traveling the countryside to gather oral tales that might otherwise have been lost. Their work, culminating in Grimm’s Fairy Tales (1812), aimed to capture the essence of German cultural heritage.
In my family, one grandmother was a landscape artist, one grandmother was a card player, one grandfather was a storyteller, and one grandfather was a furniture maker. So aesthetics, storytelling, and chance are core values that run in my family—values I hold close to my heart. The klediments I treasure reflect these values and keep my ancestors' lives vividly present.
Genealogical research has been a complex and rewarding journey for me, requiring a combination of passive and active research techniques. While passive methods such as online databases and family trees provide valuable information, active techniques like visiting archives and interviewing relatives offer a more hands-on approach to uncovering my family history. In this blog post, I'll explore the importance of both passive and active research in genealogy and how they work together to create a comprehensive picture of my lineage.
On June 26, 2024, the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA) and FamilySearch.org finalized an agreement to allow FamilySearch to digitize tens of thousands of microfilm reels of Kentucky’s county records of genealogical significance stored at KDLA’s Frankfort facility. This agreement allows FamilySearch to digitize records pending permission from the county clerks, who are the official custodians of these records.
My favorite part of research is discovering something new about an ancestor. It's my way of saying to them: "See, you are not forgotten. I may not know all about you, but I know something of you."
When conducting my genealogical research, understanding the different types of evidence is crucial for piecing together my family history accurately. Each type of evidence has a unique role in verifying, corroborating, or challenging the information I find. Here is a breakdown of the main types of evidence I use in genealogy...
Society Co-President Susan Court recently met with Peter Ehrmann, the Archivar at the Stadtarchiv und Museen in Rottenburg a.N., Baden-Württemberg, Germany, the birthplace of her paternal great-grandfather, Bernhard Vollmer (1829-1919).
The Kentucky Genealogical Society occasionally receives donated items of genealogical interest from its members and their families. These items often include ledgers, yearbooks, family group sheets and photos, just to name a few.
Guess what happened when I recently dropped into a Society Front Porch Talk—Kentucky Ancestors Pre-1850? I discovered one of the newest and coolest research tools from FamilySearch.org. In February, several of the participants had attended RootsTech where it was introduced and were excited to talk about it. And I soon learned why.
Get in the Game: Score Big with Genealogical Research Madness!
Just like in March Madness, expanding your ...
What do you enjoy about researching Kentucky ancestors?
Putting stories to the ...