Few things capture the feeling of summer like a stop at Dairy Queen. Whether it’s a soft-serve cone after a ballgame or a burger on the way home from church, DQ has been stitched into the fabric of American family life for generations. But like so many beloved things from the mid-20th century, the Dairy Queen we grew up with has changed—and one of the clearest signs of that change is a sign itself.

If you’ve ever passed through Grafton, West Virginia, you might’ve seen her—perched on the roof of the local Dairy Queen. A girl in a white parka, mittens on, holding up a soft-serve cone like a beacon. Her nickname? The Eskimo Girl. And she’s the last of her kind, still right where she started in 1957.

Her story—and the story of Dairy Queen itself—isn’t just a slice of brand history. It’s about small towns, family traditions, design, and how even the quietest fixtures can become part of our lives in ways we don’t always notice—until they’re gone...

Podcast Notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/frozen-in-time-last-eskimo-girl/

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I’m holding a postcard today that feels different from most of the others in my collection. It doesn’t show a grand hotel, a busy beach, or a flashy tourist attraction. No, this one shows something quieter—two hand-built huts sitting in the dirt beneath a wide Texas sky.

They’re simple. The one on the left looks to be made of thick mud with a thick palm-thatched roof. The one on the right? A little taller and more open, woven from sticks and palm fronds. Between them, a crooked tree leans toward the camera, its branches rustling above a bench made from a rough-cut board. There’s no pavement, no electricity, no cars—just silence.

The caption on the back reads:

“Palm leaves, mud, and branches of trees are about all that is necessary to build La Chozas (The Huts). These homes are now very rare and are known to withstand severe storms and rains.”

That line stayed with me: “These homes are now very rare.”

Podcast Notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/the-la-choza-huts-postcards-from-the-past/

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The 1900 U.S. Census marks the beginning of a new era. It was the first census of the 20th century—and it knew it. By 1900, America had changed dramatically. Cities were growing faster than ever. Immigrants from Italy, Poland, Russia, and other parts of Eastern Europe were arriving in record numbers. The American frontier was nearly closed. Families were moving, industries were booming, and the pace of life had quickened. This census tried to capture all of that.

And for genealogists, it’s one of the richest federal records available. With just one census page, you can estimate a birthdate, find an immigration year, see how many children a woman had, and even figure out how long a couple had been married. In a single glance, you get a snapshot of relationships, household structure, and a family’s trajectory at the start of a new century...

Podcast Notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/inside-the-1900-census/

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The 1890 census may be gone, but your ancestors aren’t. This worksheet aims to help you rebuild the missing years—one clue at a time. Whether your ancestors were settling in a new state, welcoming children, remarrying, or passing on, they left traces in other records. This worksheet gives you a place to follow those trails, ask the right questions, and close the gap between 1880 and 1900.

Podcast Notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/navigating-the-1890-census-gap/

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The 1890 U.S. Census is one of the most heartbreaking gaps in American records. It leaves a missing chapter for family historians—twenty years between 1880 and 1900 when so much changed. Children grew up and left home, elders passed on, families relocated, and new generations were born. But the record meant to capture it all is mostly gone. The story of how we lost the 1890 census and how we’ve learned to work around it still has much to teach us.

Podcast Notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/inside-the-1890-census/

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I really love looking at and collecting postcards—especially vintage postcards. Here at Ancestral Findings, I’ve collected thousands and thousands of them over the years.

People have sent me postcards from their hometowns, old pictures of places that meant something to them, and scenes from all across the country—and it’s been exciting to receive each and every one of them.

So, I decided to set aside a little time to talk about some of these postcards and the stories they tell. I’m calling it Postcards from the Past.

It’s not going to be a continuous project—just something I’ll add to now and then whenever a postcard really catches my eye or sparks some curiosity.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I’ve enjoyed putting it together.

Thanks for joining me—now let’s get started...

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The 1880 census is one of my favorite records—not just because of what it tells us, but because of what it helps us feel. This is the first census where we can see families take shape on paper. For the first time, we know how everyone in the household is related to each other. We can watch grandparents living with grown children, sons-in-law starting new farms, and widowed mothers moving in with their daughters. It’s where the people we’ve been tracing start to become real.

When I first found my great-great-grandfather in the 1880 census, I expected just the usual names and ages. But what I saw was a household that stretched across generations—a father who had survived the war, a mother who couldn’t read or write but raised a schoolteacher, and a younger sister I’d never heard of, who later married the farmer down the road. That one census page led me to three new counties, a pension file, and a whole branch of the family I didn’t know existed.

This worksheet is based on that kind of experience. It’s meant to help you look deeper—not just at names, but at stories. Use it to slow down, ask good questions, and notice things you might miss in a quick search...

Podcast notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/mastering-the-1880-census-for-family-historians/

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When people talk about the U.S. Census, most think of it as just a headcount. But by 1880, the census had become something far more powerful. It wasn’t just about population totals or determining how many representatives each state should send to Congress—although that was still its constitutional purpose. The 1880 census was the most detailed snapshot of American life ever taken up to that point. It didn’t just tell the government how many people were living in the country. It told them who those people were, what they did, their challenges, and where the country was headed.

For family historians, this census is a goldmine. It’s the first to name relationships to the head of household, which completely changes how we understand family structure. It also includes one of the earliest and most detailed efforts to record parents' medical conditions, occupations, and birthplaces—opening doors to trace ancestors back another generation.

But to truly appreciate the 1880 census, you must understand what made it different—and why it still matters.

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