By: Cheri Daniels, KAO Editor and KHS Head of Reference Services Genealogists are usually very cognizant of those odd moments, when we discover something during our research that sends a tiny little shiver down the spine…..or gives us goose bumps…..or makes us pass by it quickly because it’s just plain creepy....
Happy Halloween! Kentucky Historical Society staff has found this adorable photograph of eight girls wearing black cat costumes. Part of the Wolff, Gretter, Cusick and Hill Studios Negatives (Graphic 2), this image was taken in 1926 for the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE), which may have been hosting...
By Neil E. Mellen Mary Ann (Moore) Rains married Jacob Hudson on 21 November 1818 in Clark County, Kentucky. Almost exactly five years later, on 24 November 1823, Mary Ann filed for a divorce in the Clark County circuit court. She alleged that, “during the two years last past and...
Using Historical Newspapers to Solve a Genealogical Mystery By Kathy Reed My grandmother was secretive. Ask her how old she was. No definitive answer. What is your wedding anniversary? No answer for that, either. I remember one whispered conversation among older members of my family questioning whether or not my...
Where to start? Well, let’s first begin with introductions: your Kentucky Ancestors Online editorial team consists of Cheri Daniels and Louise Jones. Cheri, your friendly neighborhood Senior Librarian and Reference Specialist is also a 7th generation Kentuckian, blogger, bibliophile, technology/social media junkie and seasoned researcher who began her library and...
For several months, KHS staff has been puzzling over this 1930 photograph from the Wolff, Gretter, Cusick and Hill Studios Negatives Collection (Graphic 2). This image of a two story building, possibly located in Frankfort, KY, is mysteriously labeled “F.M.I. Col.” Research suggests this building might be part of the...
Wyanda and Bill Jones owned and operated the Jones Family Restaurant in Bardstown, KY in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. The couple and their fourteen, later fifteen, children advertised their restaurant with postcards showing the entire family and the slogan “15 good reasons for eating at Jones’ Restaurant.” KHS staff...
Kentucky Historical Society library staff recently rediscovered a photograph of the 1915 Exposition Commission from the Thomas T. Wendell Collection (MSS 167). The image features a group of African American men, including Green Pinckney Russell, Dr. Underwood and Thomas Wendell, outside of the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort, KY. KHS...
In 1913, Jennie V. Wendell and Dan Hunter, the children of Dr. Thomas T. Wendell and Dr. J.E. Hunter, posed for a photograph playing the roles of doctor and patient. The image was taken as part of an advertising campaign for the People’s Pharmacy, located on 118 North Broadway in...
Bluegrass Renaissance: The History and Culture of Central Kentucky, 1792-1852. James C. Klotter and Daniel Rowland, eds. (2012. Pp. 400. $40.00. Cloth. To purchase, order from Hopkins Fulfillment Service, P.O. Box 50370, Baltimore, MD 21211-4370; 1-800-537-5487 or 410-516-6956; Fax: 410-516-6998, or online at www.kentuckypress.com) Bluegrass Renaissance: The History and Culture...
