Author Archives: Janette Silverman

But what does it mean?

Posted on February 20, 2014 by Janette Silverman

So, you have a photo, and it’s interesting, and it’s old.  But, the photo without interpretation is meaningless without context.  Who is in this photo?  Where is it from?  What is the context?  What exactly is going on here?  The … Continue reading →

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News from Ancestry and the Italian Genealogy Group

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Janette Silverman

Today I received an email from John Martino, the Project Coordinator for the Italian Genealogy Group  (IGG) that “Ancestry has made arrangements with New York City Municipal Archives to link to their vital records….This was done to promote the records … Continue reading →

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Dutch records and resources

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Janette Silverman

Many thanks to Jan Meisels Allen and to Gershon Lehrer for passing on information to her about these resources: Jan pointed out https://www.wiewaswie.nl/ as a site with free access to newspapers in the Netherlands, and then Gershon sent her another … Continue reading →

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Researching West Indies?

Posted on December 26, 2013 by Janette Silverman

Some places seem shrouded in mystery – details of residents are inaccessible via the internet, and research often requires hiring costly researchers  on the ground, or sending payments to foreign governments or researchers with whom contact is often difficult. Good … Continue reading →

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Where would we be without our connections?

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Janette Silverman

Genealogical research is a wonderful way for those of us who love jigsaw puzzles to work on a large-scale picture that has practical use.   However, just like in the TV show, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” we often need … Continue reading →

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Truth – the next great frontier

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Janette Silverman

About a month ago I got a call from a gentleman living in Chicago who is very ill.  He was looking for his biological daughter who was put up for adoption under duress in 1964-1965.  His goal was to locate … Continue reading →

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Importance of having a plan and knowing your resources

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Janette Silverman

The other day, I was sitting in the New York City Municipal Archives on Chambers Street.  Actually, I was sitting there researching records for two solid days.  On the first day, a woman came into the archives.  It was clear, … Continue reading →

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Untangling Family Stories

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Janette Silverman

Remember playing telephone as a kid?  Perhaps you did it with cans strung together or perhaps you whispered a message to a person near you who repeated that message to someone else and so on – by the time the … Continue reading →

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News from Canada – possibility of charges for accessing Canadian records

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Janette Silverman

Thanks once again to Jan Meisels Allen for alerting us to the following article posted on June 11, 2013 by CBC Canada –  The article begins with the statement “An internal document from Library and Archives Canada suggests the department … Continue reading →

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Posted on May 19, 2013 by Janette Silverman

Thanks to Jan Meisels Allen, recent recipient of the National Genealogical Society’s 2013 President’ Citation for her work in preserving access to genealogical records for alerting us to the National Archives of Ireland’s news.  Jan wrote: “The National Archives of … Continue reading →

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