William Ellery is one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, although he is not as well known as some of the others. He was a prominent politician in his time, and was an especially...
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Abraham Clark: Signers of the Declaration of Independence
Abraham Clark is not one of the best known signers of the Declaration of Independence. In fact, he was well known for his rejection of artifice and pretense during his life, being the only member of...
Carleton Watkins and Mammoth Plate Photography
Carleton Watkins was a well-known American photographer of the mid to late 1800s. Carleton is most famous for his use of mammoth plate photography in photographing Yosemite, as well as the giant...
Melania Knavs Trump: America’s First Ladies, Part 45
Melania Knavs would one day become First Lady of the United States. Born in Slovenia to a middle class family, she began modeling as a small child, and turned it into a successful career in Europe...
William Henry Jackson and the Wonders of Yellowstone
William Henry Jackson was a famous American artist and photographer. Most known for his work photographing Yellowstone before anyone else, William proved to the world that the wonders of the natural...
The 1900 US Federal Census: A Closer Look
The 1900 US federal census is one of the most beloved and richly detailed of any of the US census records. It provides a treasure trove of valuable information that you can use to fill in some...
Nancy Robbins Davis Reagan: America’s First Ladies, Part 40
Anne Frances Robbins, who later changed her name to Nancy Davis, married fellow actor Ronald Reagan, and enjoyed a Hollywood life that later became a political one. She went from First Lady of...
Rosalynn Smith Carter: America’s First Ladies, #39
Rosalynn Smith Carter was our thirty-ninth First Lady, wife of former President Jimmy Carter. Growing up in poverty as the daughter of a farmer and a dressmaker, she entered the political sphere when...
The History of the Bodie Island Lighthouse
The Bodie Island lighthouse is an important historical landmark in the Outer Banks region of North Carolina. It is actually the third lighthouse to sit on that island, and has recently undergone...
The 1820 US Federal Census — A Closer Look
The 1820 US federal census is the last one to not use pre-printed forms. Because enumerators often drew their own columns, it can sometimes be challenging to interpret the results of this census...