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May 1, 2020
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 | Ellis Island's Passenger Database Under normal circumstances, Ellis Island is a place for guests to learn about the history of immigration in New York City and potentially dive into their own family's past. The site is currently closed due to the COVID-19 crisis, but that doesn't mean its records are off-limits to the public. With Ellis Island's online passenger database, you can view historical immigration documents dating back to the 19th century. According to the Downtown Alliance, approximately 12 million people immigrated to the U.S. through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954. If a branch of your family tree landed in the country during this period, the move may be documented on the Ellis Island Foundation's database. While the tool will tell you who in the database shares your last name, it can't confirm if they're related to you or not. For that, you'll need to reach out to your oldest surviving relatives. A genealogy project is a great excuse to schedule a video chat with grandparents, aunts, and uncles and learn more about your family tree at the same time. You can also search your public library's website to find many genealogy research tools. Learn more and check out these titles |
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 | Books on the Air An overview of talked-about books and authors. This weekly update, published every Friday, provides descriptions of recent TV and radio appearances by authors and their recently released books. See the hot titles from the media this week. |
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 | Christina Lauren Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners and best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The #1 international bestselling coauthor duo writes both Young Adult and Adult Fiction, and together has produced fifteen New York Times bestselling novels. Lauren Billings (but everyone calls her Lo) has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and before she made writing her full-time job, would spend her days doing nerdy research-type things wearing a lab coat and goggles. She is silly Mommy to two littles, wife to one mountain biking homebrewing scientist, and an unabashed lover of YA and romance. Christina Hobbs (but you'll always hear Lo call her PQ) used to spend her days in a junior high counseling office surrounded by teenagers. These days you can find her at her desk, writing or watching BTS videos. She lives in Utah with her husband and daughter, thinks she's the luckiest person in the world to write books with her best friend, and is an unapologetic lover of boy bands and glitter. Check out their books here. |
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 | Edgar Awards Mystery Writers of America announced the Winners for the 2020 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction and television published or produced in 2019. Check out the winners here |
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| We did not ask for this room or this music; we were invited in. Therefore, because the dark surrounds us, let us turn our faces toward the light. Let us endure hardship to be grateful for plenty...We did not ask for this room or this music. But because we are here, let us dance.-Stephen King
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