Different generations are often defined by the tragedies that shatter their collective innocence. The Hindenburg Disaster The Zeppelin LZ 129 Hindenburg catching fire on May 6 , 1937 at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey . For my father, the defining moment wasn't the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941—even though he was a high school senior at the time, and his two older brothers were immediately mobilized to train troops because of their military school experience. Instead, it was the unexpected shock of the Hindenburg crash in 1937 that left the deepest mark on him.   President John F. Kennedy Assassination The Polaroid photo taken by Mary Ann Moorman a fraction of a second after the fatal shot  For me, that loss of innocence came with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, a man who represented a bright, optimistic future. I clearly remember that cold, sunny day, walking home for lunch a few short blocks from school. There was still ice...

BOOK REVIEW Millard, Candice.  Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President.    New York:  Anchor Books, A Division of Random House, Inc. 2012. Elizabeth Shown Mills reminds us that as genealogists we must understand the patterns of the time in which events took place. [1]   Patterns of History If you are studying ancestors in the period immediately following the Civil War, this non-fiction account of a little known event in American History may increase your understanding of the societal norms of the time.   Death of General James A. Garfield. Lithograph by Currier & Ives. From the Library of Congress President James A. Garfield was shot by Charles J. Guiteau on July 2, 1881.   Ignoring Evidence This is a story of how one man’s stubborn refusal to let scientific medical evidence change a firmly held belief may have changed the outcome of the assassination attempt.   Rebound from Tragedy The...