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The bane (one of many, I might add) of genealogists everywhere is the brick wall known as the “courthouse fire destroyed my ancestor’s (whatever) record”.  While many of these fires occurred during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, I was reminded again after seeing a headline this morning about a fire at a historic court house in Mason County, Texas.  While today the county’s records are stored “off-site”, it is a reminder that sometimes we have to find other ways to find the records we need.  No doubt, many fires were nefariously set by arsonists in days gone by.

Last year the first issue of 2020 (2020 being a census year) highlighted the census.  It was a massive issue filled with not only what you’ll find in census records dating back to 1790, but the stories behind them.  Here’s the Jan-Feb 2020 Table of Contents.  As you can see it contains other stories of interest to both lovers of history and genealogy.  Besides the articles related to the census, my favorite one of this issue was “OK, I give up . . . what is it?  Did My Ancestors Ever Violate Intercourse(!) Laws?”.  Purchase the January-February 2020 issue in the magazine store or better yet become a subscriber!

FYI, there is a great promotion currently running for subscriptions and a chance to win you very own custom-designed family history chart (worth up to $350).  Magazine samples are available for free if you’d like to review first.  The current promotion ends on Valentine’s Day, February 14, so the clock is ticking!

Have a great day . . , someday it will be history!

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