Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Fireside Gazette™?

A free family-history paper and newsletter published by Pony Tale Publishing and set in 1930s–40s newspaper style. It keeps a free index of genealogy record sources, teaches old-newspaper and photo research, runs the Beyond the Headstone remembrance column, reprints public-domain home-front recipes and offers letter-writing prompts.

Is it free?

Yes. Reading the paper, using the Record-Room Index, submitting a story and receiving the newsletter are free. The paper is paid for by labeled advertising, sponsorships and disclosed affiliate links.

Who publishes and edits it?

It is published by Pony Tale Publishing and edited by Christine Burke von Riddern, FGG, author of 13 books, including Concrete Clues, a #1 Amazon bestseller in Genealogy.

Can I submit my family story?

Yes, for free. Send family stories, recipes, letters, photo mysteries and remembrances to hello@firesidegazette.com. Published writers are credited as Featured Contributors.

Where can I search genealogy records for free?

The Record-Room Index lists free sources, including FamilySearch, the National Archives, Chronicling America at the Library of Congress, the Ellis Island passenger records, BLM land patents, Find a Grave and BillionGraves.

How do I find an ancestor in old newspapers?

Search spelling variations, search a married woman under her husband's name ("Mrs. John Smith"), search the street address, read the whole page, and check the weeks after a death for funeral reports and estate notices.

How can I tell how old a family photograph is?

Start with its format: daguerreotypes (from 1839), ambrotypes (mid-1850s to the 1860s), tintypes (from 1856), cartes de visite (U.S., from about 1860), cabinet cards (about the 1870s to the early 1900s) and real-photo postcards (from the early 1900s).

Where do the vintage recipes come from?

From public-domain issues of old farm papers, reprinted word for word with the issue named. The first come from the July and November 1918 issues of Farm and Fireside, scanned on the Internet Archive.

What is Beyond the Headstone?

A free remembrance column where families tell a relative's life story in their own words and photographs. Nothing is copied from social media, and no artificial voice speaks as the person who died.

Are there paid placements?

Not yet. Later there may be clearly labeled sponsored items and paid remembrance listings. Prices have not been set and nothing can be bought on the website.

Are the links affiliate links?

Not yet. Some links may later become affiliate links, which pay the paper a commission at no cost to you. They will always be disclosed. No affiliate accounts are approved yet.