Footnote Press in The Tampa Tribune

Footnote.com was featured in an article in The Tampa Tribune over the weekend. It's a good overview of the site and includes a personal example of how the site helped the author, Sharon Tate Moody, to find information on her ancestors.

The files often are the only surviving records of a soldier's birth date. I have already been able to scratch off one of the tasks on my to-do list - something that would have required a trip to a facility that houses National Archives microfilm series M804.

Instead, sitting right here at my computer, I learned that John Blankenship of Virginia "was born in the county of Lunenburg in the state of Virginia I suppose in the year of 1760. I have no record of my age but know that I was about 20 years old when I first entered the service of the United States." Elsewhere in this affidavit, created as part of a pension claim, Blankenship reveals that his father's name also was John Blankenship. After the war, he returned to Lunenburg County, but three or four years later moved to Pittsylvania County, Va.

One of the exciting parts of press like this is that even if those that read this article don't subscribe, hopefully many will come to the site, become members and share their own stories, adding to the value for all that visit the site.

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