DNA Testing and Ancestry
In this modern age, science is lending a helping hand to genealogical research. Sites like 23andme, Family Tree DNA, and Ancestry.com offer a service to people who can pay for it—DNA testing. While the...
-
-
Verbal Family Histories
All the advice for people starting to research their family history says to go and ask family members what they know. I was lucky that my grandparents provided me with a lot of information...
-
Using FamilySearch.org
FamilySearch.org is a website owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or the Mormons as they are widely known. The Mormons have been undertaking large genealogy transcription projects for many years...
-
The Importance of Family
As a professional writer, I typically work from home. Writing is a very solitary profession, and I find that, unless I am interviewing someone for a book or article, or visiting a specific location...
-
The Allure of Libraries
With so much focus in genealogy on internet searches, it is important to remember that libraries can be very helpful in your search for ancestry. Some libraries are set up specifically for genealogy while...
Is That You, William? How Do You Know When You’re On The Right Track?
Brick walls – every researcher has a couple. They sometimes stand for years, those annoying barriers between you and that elusive ancestor you have been chasing for what seems like forever. Now and then,...
The Genealogy of Adoptees
I am the only biological child in my family, but my parents adopted five children once I was in college. Whenever I think about genealogy, I think about them. Of course, they are an...
Tips for Successful Record Searches
Several years ago, I was assisting my mother in tracing her family tree back many generations. As the project got going, it seemed to take on a life of its own. We found the...
How to Get the Most Out of Your Google Searches
Once you have decided to delve into the realm of genealogical exploration, deciding where to begin your research and understanding how to isolate important information are crucial to developing your family tree. A key...
My Experience with 23andMe.com
One of the more interesting things I’ve done in my life was to get my genetic testing done with the goal of finding out my genetic background. The results that showed me where my...
Tax records: a virtual goldmine of genealogical information
In my previous article, I highlighted some suggestions for navigating information about ancestors in the pre -1850 census period. One of the most fruitful sources of information for more distant ancestral research is tax...
Researching your immigrant ancestors: tools to improve your search
Last week, I decided to be a tourist in my own backyard: I visited Liberty and Ellis Islands, and toured the Ellis Island museum. The exhibits detailed the history of the immigrant experience both...
Looking among the living for clues to your past
When we think of genealogical research, most of us typically focus on finding past records, locating deceased relatives and making sense of historical documents. But family historians often overlook an important resource in their...
Real strategies for overcoming that brick wall
Both novice and experienced family historians have likely encountered a common obstacle while researching their histories: hitting a brick wall. You may discover that family records were destroyed, lost or simply unavailable; information...
Help! my ancestor’s name is John Smith (or how to find relatives with very common names)
Suppose you are on a quest for information about your relative, John Smith. You then discover that there are an astounding 31,139 John Smiths listed in the 1900 U.S. census! This might seem...
Genealogy Insider Recent Articles
- New Resource for African-American Genealogy: IAAM Center for Family History July 25, 2017The International African American Museum (IAAM), opening in early 2020 in Charleston, SC, will include a Center for Family History dedicated to helping researchers trace African-Americans in their family trees. It sounds like a long time to wait, but the center's website is already available, with a growing collection of obituary, funeral and marriage records, […]Diane
- Five Ways to Have the Best-Ever Virtual Genealogy Conference! July 18, 2017Can you believe how fast summer is sailing by? Which means the Family Tree University Virtual Genealogy Conference is right around the corner, Sept. 13 to 15. This online event has the excitement and shared knowledge of a genealogy conference, without the expense and difficulty of travel and being away from family and work. Or […]Diane
- How I Created a Genealogy Timeline To Show My Grandfather's Life July 11, 2017My grandfather Joe moved around a lot during his lifetime: Texas, North Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, back to Texas, elsewhere in Texas, Ohio, more places in Texas, various Ohio cities, South Dakota, Ohio again. Timelines organize an ancestor's or a family's family tree data—dates, places of residence, jobs, historical events, children's births—in an orderly fashion. I […]Diane
- Cemetery Superstitions, Little-Known Facts and Genealogy Secrets July 5, 2017Do you love everything about cemeteries—finding family burial places, studying the old stones with their intricate designs, taking in the peaceful landscape, discovering old records in the cemetery office? Then you'll love our new book, The Family Tree Cemetery Field Guide, coming in September from Family Tree Books. In the Cemetery Field Guide, veteran genealogist, […]Diane
- Why FamilySearch Is Ending Microfilm Rental & How to Get Genealogy Records Now June 28, 2017Guest blog post by Family Tree Magazine Contributing Editor Sunny Jane Morton For 80 years, the FamilySearch Family History Library (FHL) has made its enormous stash of microfilmed genealogy records available to researchers through an inexpensive rental service through local FamilySearch Centers. That's about to change: FamilySearch has announced that this service will end Aug. […]Diane