Wish you could see
how your ancestors lived?

“It isn’t enough to wade through all the written records,” a county historian told Suzanne recently, referring to her genealogy searches. “I need to visit historical places. Whether my ancestors lived there or not, such spots give me a context for understanding their lives. Through them, I am getting in touch with my roots and gaining a window into myself as well. I can see where I came from...the behaviors and skills passed down through many generations...some of the reasons why I am the way I am.”


One of the challenges for anyone exploring their family heritage is to get beyond a bunch of names, dates and places. The search for more information becomes a quest to learn about the everyday lives of our ancestors and their families. For many of us, visits to historical sites truly do provide answers. They enable us to envision our forebears in a world that is quite unlike our own.

Of course, the destinations must be relevant. That’s one of the reasons why America’s Living History-The Early Years is organized the way it is - by chapters in history and by cultural groups - so that readers like you can easily find key places.

The chapter titled “European Colonization,” for example, is divided into the early Spanish, French and English settlements. Similarly, “Religious & Secular Groups” is organized according to a wide range of additional cultural backgrounds. Within these chapters, you will discover top-quality attractions that bring you face-to-face with a very remarkable past. They range from forts to whole villages and are frequently peopled by costumed interpreters.

If your family came to America before the Civil War, the chances are high you will find places in our book that help piece together your own family puzzle.

America’s Rural Heritage.
In 1790, when the first U.S. Census was taken, the American people had only 24 cities with a population of 2,500 or more. They were a nation of farm families who grew their own food, built their own homes and harvested their own wool to make clothing. Today, you can step into their world - complete with heritage breeds of farm animals and heirloom gardens - at living history museums.