What if Your House History Appeared on the House?

Having just returned from a two week genealogical research trip to Germany and Switzerland, I was amazed at the writing that appears on the old houses in the villages I visited. At first I did not understand what they meant. But then I visited the town of Steinweiler,...

Researching House History through Probate Records

If you have been looking through deeds for your homeowners and are stuck, it could be because ownership of the property transferred by inheritance rather than by sale. Probate records, which are court proceedings to pass a deceased person’s property to the heirs, fall...

Google’s Historic Newspaper Collection

When researching the history of a house or property, historic newspapers are sometimes overlooked as a resource. Not only can the papers provide some historical context for what was going on in the community when the house was built, they also are a great place to...