Arthur Middleton was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Also, he was a politician in South Carolina, an accomplished student, a man who studied law, a rice plantation owner, a husband, and a father. He is also the descendant of some interesting, and sometimes infamous, people. This is his unique, interesting story...

Marriage bonds are more common than marriage licenses in early colonial marriage records. Licenses didn’t become common until the mid to late 1800s. Bonds were usually used prior to that. This is what a bond is, how it differs from a license, and what type of information you may find in one of them...

The Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution is the first of three so-called Civil War amendments, added to the Constitution right after the end of the war, to ensure the former slaves maintained their newfound freedom, and were given the same rights as those who had never been slaves...

The Fourteenth Amendment is the second of the three so-called Civil War (or Reconstruction) amendments. It is also one of the amendments most frequently cited in US case law. It was adamantly opposed by the Confederate states, but they were required to ratify it in order to regain Congressional representation after the Civil War. Let’s learn about this famous amendment to the Constitution...

Was your ancestor present at an important or famous Christmas Day event in history? It is always fun to be able to connect your family to a famous event or person. One famous Christmas Day event was the coronation in 1066 A.D. of William the Conqueror in England. This is why this coronation was so important to England.

There’s a common refrain we’ve probably all heard, whether it’s in regards to photography or to something else. You’ll hear people say, “I haven’t found the time to do X thing.” Most of the time when people say this, it’s just an offhand remark. But offhand remarks can be telling of our mindsets.

 

I’m bringing this up because to my mind, it’s not always about finding the time to do things. Don’t get me wrong—found time, like a snow day, is a wonderful thing. But for most of us, with our busy lifestyles, it’s instead about making the time we need to pursue our passions.

 

So how do you make time?