James Beidler
Lebanon Daily News
Pennsylvania, United States
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Past articles by James:
Roots & Branches: A look back – and forward – at a genealogical life
It’ll be just few months until “Roots & Branches” celebrates weekly column No. 1,000, and next year will mark 20 years of existence. → Read More
Roots & Branches: Elite lecturer to present at Delaware conference
One of the things that gets a genealogist through wintertime is thinking about spring conferences. → Read More
Roots & Branches: New name, longer conference touted by German partnership
There are a bunch of things in today’s world that seem to shrink – how far a dollar goes or that most elusive of concepts known as “spare time.” → Read More
Roots & Branches: Retired doctor still dabbles in genealogy
I first encountered Dr. Jim Tibbitts some 25 years ago when he was the town doctor (charging something ridiculously old fashioned like $8 for an office visit) in Jonestown, where I lived at the time. → Read More
Roots & Branches: Dick Eastman's timeless newsletter
Dick Eastman has become one of the leading lights of the world’s genealogy scene, in no short measure because of his “Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter.” → Read More
Roots & Branches: A vigilante in the family?
It was my dad, the late Richard L. Beidler, who first told me about the vigilante in the family. → Read More
Roots & Branches: Genealogist’s war diary packaged by son
“Roots & Branches” gave a shout out to the late Floyd Hoenstine, one of the giants of Pennsylvania genealogy of the 20th century. → Read More
Roots & Branches: Insights aplenty in prayer book record
“This beginning is made in the name of the Lord.” So begins the translation of family information recorded by hand in a German prayer book by members of the Daniel Hiester family, collateral ancestors of my mother Mildred Hiester Beidler. In last week’s “Roots & Branches” column, I talked about how this translation was included in Valeria E. Clymer Hill’s privately published genealogy of the… → Read More
Roots & Branches: It all began with a list and a book
Before I was a genealogist, I was exposed to just a little bit of my genealogy – enough, I suppose, that when the time came in my 20s, that I decided to tackle it. I was primed and ready to take things further. → Read More
Roots & Branches: Knowledge about records varies by county
Despite us being in a season of joy, I’m going to talk about some county courthouses in Pennsylvania that do some awfully genealogist-unfriendly things. → Read More
Roots & Branches: Colonial ‘oaths lists’ mimic passenger lists
We’ve been talking about passenger arrival lists for several weeks here at “Roots & Branches,” specifically those that the Federal government mandated to be kept starting 1820 and therefore are an outstanding set of records for those researching immi → Read More
Roots & Branches: What about deaths on board ship?
We’ve been taking about passenger arrival lists for the last few weeks in “Roots & Branches,” and this fascinating record group has many angles to it. → Read More
Roots & Branches: Off-beat spelling variant identifies immigrant
In continuing a series of “Roots & Branches” columns about passenger arrival lists, last week detailed many of the reasons why finding immigrants on those manifests can be difficult. → Read More
Roots & Branches: Many factors can hide names on passenger lists
Last week’s “Roots & Branches” column went over the basics of the passenger arrival lists preserved by the National Archives and Records Administration, digital copies of which can be found on both FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com. → Read More
Roots & Branches: Those elusive names on passenger arrival lists
In the world of hobbyist genealogy, it’s often the case that the types of records that you learn about the most (unsurprisingly) are the ones that are most useful in your personal research. → Read More
Roots & Branches: Letters from father to mother show charm
In just a few weeks, it will be 20 years since my father, Richard Lee Beidler, died of cancer. → Read More
Roots & Branches: German guild records fill in gaps
Last weekend’s Mid-Atlantic Germanic Society was a bit of a “back to the future” experience for me. → Read More
Roots & Branches: Lantz origins revealed through documents
A few years ago, Heritage Books published Raymond C. Lantz’s book titled "Descendants of Johann Jacob Lantz, 1721-1789: Immigrant Settler of Albany Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania." → Read More
Roots & Branches: Celebrate Archives Month
We’re right smack dab in the middle of American Archives Month and there’s few of the designated “days,” “weeks” or “months” that deserve genealogists’ attention more than this one. → Read More
Roots & Branches: Which Neustadt is which?
Well, at least I had hedged my bets. → Read More