Tips

If you have ever been to New England, specifically Maine, you probably saw at least one Hannaford Brothers grocery store. Until today, I had no idea that my family narrowly missed out on being Hannaford. What did your relatives witness? Did they compete with any brands that you see or use daily? Chances are, they might have.

Among my favorite discoveries is one of the simplest. Finding out in the newspaper that my great-great-grandfather, Jacob Westermeyer, had a dog in 1908 when he was just 19! Did your ancestors have dogs? Here’s a way you could find out!

Maybe your ancestors walked down Main Street in your town a hundred years ago when it was a dirt road. A house they built from scratch could still stand. Did your ancestors leave a legacy in your area that you might not know yet?

Picture a 40,000 ton boat — 8,000 adult elephants — sliding down this ramp into the harbor in 1919. Looks pretty sturdy, right? Did your ancestors help build the Titanic?

You might not have to go to a museum to see a breathtaking slice of history — it might be sitting in your attic. It sounds far-fetched, but what is above your head or below your feet could surprise you.

One of my friends has the last name, Keefe. I have gotten into a habit of calling her O’Keefe to try and make her laugh. I am not very funny. Recently, mid-FaceTime, I had an idea. Could we find out if her ancestors were O’Keefe’s?

An estimated 3,000,000 people served in the Civil War. Were your ancestors among them?

I bet you haven’t seen many elevator tenders (operated elevators), hostlers (watched people’s horses at inns), or milkmen (delivered milk multiple times per day before refrigerators were common in homes) on the streets recently. What did your ancestors do to make a living 100 years ago?