Today, in Part 2, I will share information about three more social history and culture websites to enhance your family history research.

The first site is HyperHistory:

The home page advertises products for sale that are companion pieces  to the HyperHistory website. However, click on the link near the top (the green arrow is pointing to it in this image).

The next page gives a number of category options: People, History, Events, Maps, Science, Culture, Religion and Politics.

When you click on the left side buttons, a box opens on the right with more details. For example, choosing PEOPLE brings up time periods on the right:

Selecting MAPS brings options ranging from ancient times up to World Wars I and II.

The RELIGION tab on the bottom brings up both world religions and an alphabetical listing of religious persons in history.

HyperHistory contains a wealth of information, but it is more of an overview of world history.

Next up is Common-Place, the Journal of Early American Life.

This website is a meeting place for those interested in early American life and the posts are grouped in seasonal issues.

There are book reviews, teacher submitted articles and authored pieces on a variety of topics.

Here are some of the posts from earlier issues:

Common-Place is a more scholarly website with credentialed authors contributing articles. While many aspects of early American history are covered, there are multiple posts on African-American experiences, which provide historical details on black experiences.

Last of the 3+3 websites is eHistory, hosted by Ohio State University.

eHistory is a worldwide historical database that can be searched by era, region or topic. The eras range from Ancient to 21st Century, which gives you an idea of how deep this database is.

It’s also possible to search for Biographies, Articles, Books, Exhibitions, Oral histories, Images, Timeline and Videos.

I took a look at the Immigration category to see if I could learn anything about the late 19th century when my great grandparents immigrated here. Two entries came up that both look interesting:

Both were written contemporaneously to the immigration flood at the beginning of the 20th century which makes the perspective of the articles way more interesting.

Oral histories includes first hand accounts from the Vietnam War and World War II:

The video series begins with life in an Ohio orphanage:

There is a huge range of topics in the videos, which cover everything from Magic and Witchcraft, Malaria and African-American Troops in the Civil War to the very current topic of Reconsidering Russian and the Former Soviet Union.

The remaining categories are equally as interesting.

This website is definitely a BSO (bright, shiny object) and you’ll be traipsing down more than one rabbit hole investigating all there is to find.

There you have it – all 3+3 fun social history websites that will enhance your understanding of your ancestors’ lives and times.