Stories rooted in the past
Jane Bayly Vaughan 
As anyone who knows me personally or follows my career knows, discovering family history has been my obsession for many years. As I centered on a family member to write about, my attention gravitated toward by 4th great-grandmother from Cornwall. I longed to visit in person but despaired of ever having the chance. Those circumstances … Read more
Census records are arguably one of the most essential tools a family historian should access. Census taking is ancient, dating back to Biblical times and used to enumerate the population and glean other information the governmental authority may require. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word is from a Latin word that means to … Read more
Imagine you are a farmer living on a small inland holding in Cornwall. The soil here is poor, and it needs sand from the coast to make it produce a good crop. This alone requires a grueling overland haul that is not only time-consuming but adds to your overhead. Rocks are ubiquitous, and hedgerows are … Read more
A large part of any kind of writing includes research. The Wayne County Historical Society in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, has been an important influence in preserving history since 1917. Part of its mission is not only to preserve history but also to provide a research library and educate the public. Located at 810 Main Street in … Read more
I’d never heard of Carolina Day until I moved to South Carolina, and even then, I thought it commemorated South Carolina’s statehood. I didn’t give this much thought until this year, as I perused the events surrounding America’s 250th anniversary. On June 28th, 1776, the American Revolutionary War was in full swing, having started with the … Read more