Go to [1] American Memory at the Library of Congress and type in your surname. You’ll be amazed at all that pops up!

American Memory provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience. It is a digital record of American history and creativity. These materials, from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions, chronicle historical events, people, places, and ideas that continue to shape America, serving the public as a resource for education and lifelong learning.

It’s endlessly fascinating to read the WPA oral histories, look at sheet music of songs our ancestors sang, and hear the earliest sound recordings!