Ancestral Finding

Ancestral Findings
Kathryn Brannigan Walizer


While browsing Genealogy sites, I hit on a site named Ancestralfindings.com
http://www.ancestralfindings.com/

This is a site sponsored by Ancestry.com and is a gateway and a conduit to many other sites. associated with Ancestry For instance, the link to Family Tree Online Class will direct you to the Genealogy.Com genealogy class

The Getting Started link will bring up the Ancestry.com learning center.
The Library of Congress Photo Center, was listed in the section ,Free Databases.
http://www.loc.gov/library/libarch-digital.html The Photo database covers the years 1840-2000 and contains photos and prints from throughout the world, however, the majority are from the U.S. You may search for a photo or print by year or place, and/or by using keywords or names that may be found in the title or notes sections of the pictures.
This database contains a collection of approximately 340,000 public domain photographs and prints. The pictures have been collected from a variety of sources and places but today are held by the U.S. Library of Congress' Prints and Photographs Division. This database includes prints and photos from 11 collections contained within the Prints and Photograph Division

An example of how this site works, by putting in the general search term "breaker boys" many photos appeared including the one on Neil Gallagher, not only the photo, but it was accompanied by the file from the National Child Labor Committee which stated: “Neil Gallagher, Wilkes Barre, Pa. Born January 14, 1891. Went to work at about 9 years. Worked about two years in breaker. Went inside at about 11 years. "Tripper," tending door. 83 cents [a] day. Injured May 2, 1904. Leg crushed between cars. Amputated at Mercy Hospital, Wilkes Barre. "Baltimore Tunnell" - "Black Diamond" D. & H. Co. Thomas Lewellin Superintendent (inside boys); Samuel Morgan, Superintendent. In Hospital 9 weeks. Amputated twice. No charge. Received nothing from company. "Was riding between cars and we aren't supposed to ride between them." No written rules, but they tell you not to. Mule driver (who was on for first day) had taken his lamp and he tried to reach across car to get it. Slipped between bumpers. Been working in breakers since. Same place $1.10 a day. Work only about 1/2 time. Work about 6 hour day. Left 3 months ago. Been in N.Y. - no work. Trying to get work in Poolroom. Applicant at Bureau for Handicapped, 105 E. 22nd Street, N.Y. Nov. 1, 1909. Father living, (Mother dead.) Miner same place. Hurt month ago Rock fall. 2 brothers 25, 27. Home 15 Pennsylvania St. Location: Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania.”
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ncl2004000817/PP/

What a great source of information this photo turned out to be.
Searching this site further, on the top of page there are links to various sections. each of these sections takes you to a myriad of links with pages of information many with free lookups. Sections are:Birth Records | Census Records | Death Records | Divorce Records | Land Records | Marriage Records | Military Records | Passenger & Immigration Records | State Records
Clicking on any of these sections brings up a new page with additional links. This looks to be a site that could take weeks if not months to explore and if you are fortunate to have access to Ancestry.com many of the links will give you an index to sites related to your surnames to explore.

One great link is the Genealogy Learning Center . I found it on the Free Genealogy lookup page, but if you can’t find it paste this link into your internet browser.
http://www.ancestralfindings.com/library.htm
This link will bring up a page of links that rival any genealogy course. I guarantee you will not find this information on any other site. Many of the links bring up articles by George Morgan, a noted genealogist., that in turn lead you to other interesting and useful sites. I did notice that a few of the articles were abbreviated , for example the Sunny Nash article was pulled, but by putting the title and author in your browser It will bring up a mirad of sites relating to the author

Remember to use that browser it is a genealogists best friend. I hope you will find this site the treasure that I did. Enjoy!!!