Editorials

7 days ago

Passenger ship lists are useful

In the past I’ve debunked the claim that names were changed at Ellis Island.  You still hear this story but it never, ever happened.  Whatever name was on the passenger ship list was the name the passenger gave when they embarked.

2 weeks ago

Missing death notices

Recently I chanced upon what I call the Case of the Missing Death Certificate. In Maine it’s not unusual to be unable to find a death record prior to 1892. Town clerks usually recorded marriages, but death records were normally left to family Bibles and tombstones.

3 weeks ago

Henry Rolfe, early Aroostook potato farmer

There is no denying the importance of the potato as an agricultural crop to the economy of Aroostook County.  Did you know that Maine produces 4 percent of the national potato crop with Aroostook County producing 96 percent of that?  

1 month ago

The story of Presque Isle’s airport

In 1930, Presque Isle Merchants’ Association (which is now the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce) put together a subcommittee to explore establishing an air service. 

1 month ago

Consider offers carefully

Genealogy is a hobby, but for many of us it’s an obsession.  It’s a pursuit where you can spend as much or as little time and money as you like.  

1 month ago

The ‘gracious lady’ of Aroostook

Augusta Kalloch was born in Ashland on Oct. 28, 1887.  Her family had already played a role in local history as her grandfather, Rufus Kalloch, was the elderly sheriff at the time of the Jim Cullen lynching.  

1 month ago

Queries can help

If you’re stuck in your research, you might want to consider writing a query.  For those who might not know, a query is a request for information about an ancestor. Queries can be found on websites, blogs, journals, social media pages, genealogical newsletters, conference programs or query boards, lineage society publications, and other genealogically related communications.

2 months ago

Not’e français disparais

Notre belle langue française s’en va vite en p’tit pepére dans la Vallée Saint-Jean. Ont est rendu quissement au boute. Comme disent les anglais, we could be close to the 11th hour.

2 months ago

Wild cards

You most likely have been told that using wildcards can be helpful in genealogical searching.  But, do you know what they are and how they work?  Did anyone ever explain this to you?  Do you wonder if they’d help you?  So, let me try to answer these questions for you. 

2 months ago

More Phairs in Presque Isle history

In addition to the “Starch King of Aroostook County,” Thomas Phair, there were two additional family members who contributed significantly to the history of this community.