While putting your family's story into historical context, consider taking a look at the music that was popular during their lives. Top 40 or the Hit Parade - whatever it may have been in their time - can help bring the stories about your ancestors to life.
An excellent resource to look into musical heritage is the New York Public Library's digital archives. A fun place to start is with the sheet music covers of American popular song from 1890-1922. You can browse the collection by year or do a search of the collection.
My fellow fans of Dancing With the Stars might enjoy seeing the sheet music for the Argentine Tango (1912). Another selection from 1912 was It's a Long Long Way to Tipperary. World War II brings us songs such as Those Draft-in Blues. With the war over, the Roaring Twenties include such hits as Ain't We Got Fun.
All categories of digital images about music in this archive are listed here.
Music has always been a big part of my life. Anytime I hear songs from the 1960s, I usually always associate the song with what was happening in my life at the time. The same thing was probably true of our ancestors.
Just for fun, a related book: On This Day in Music History: Over 2,000 Popular Music Facts Covering Every Day of the Year (Book)
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