In this issue you will find the following feature articles, some which are from the archives, ending 2023 with a look back at five years of publishing Digging History Magazine:

● Mining Genealogical Gold: Finding Records of Your Territorial Ancestors (and the stories behind them). This article highlights a condensed history of territorial America and how it all came together, followed by the amazing records available, such as territorial censuses, abundant resources at Ancestry, FamilySearch, Internet Archive and the Territorial Papers of the United States.

● Thou Shalt Not Kill: A History of Conscientious Objection: Revolutionary War to World War II. The long history of conscientious objection in America stretches back to colonial times, years before the Revolutionary War, when some of the first Europeans to sail across the ocean came to escape religious persecution and forced military service. While we are regarded as a tolerant nation which values personal liberty and free expression, that hasn’t always been the case when it comes to those who, because of religious or moral reasons, decline to serve in times of war. World War I conscientious objectors (COs) were especially persecuted, one religious group, the Hutterites, in particular.

● 2018-2023: A Few of my Favorite Things Articles. Five stories from the archives (2018 and 2019) which I really enjoyed researching and writing. One in particular was a great “adventure in research”.

I hope you enjoy the issue! Even though it was rather late in coming out, I’m looking forward to 2024. The first two (or perhaps three) issues of 2024 will feature the 1930s and the Great Depression – lots of records to be discovered and lots of stories! Then, I plan to begin a special series, what I’m calling a “Parade of States”, taking a look at individual state history, unique stories and how to find records.