Surnames: Peter Herrick or Petrus Heurich?
For some time, while doing research to create my family tree, I had a very hard time figuring out what my ancestors’ last names were originally. In a couple specific cases, I was wondering...
Getting Around the Brick Wall
Last week I was asked for some hints on locating a specific person who was born in about 1800. This made me think about what general hints I would give to someone who has...
Involving Children in the Exploration of Family History
As I have delved more into my own genealogical history, I have thought about how to involve the younger generation, especially my children, in the process. One of the most valuable gifts we can...
Playing the Name Game with Your Scottish Ancestors
Up until the mid 1700s, Scotland, and its culture and customs, was cut off from the rest of the British Isles by a language barrier and by the wall of mountains that is the...
Pedigree Collapse
My family tree has married cousins. If you trace your family back far enough it is normal and even required to have marriages of cousins in your family tree. This is known as Pedigree...
Caring for your historical records
There was a period of time in my early 20’s when I relocated 9 times in 5 years. Not particularly known for my organizational skills, I lost at least one box of important items...
Why Genealogy Matters
Genealogy has undoubtedly experienced a rebirth in recent decades. The proliferation of online resources and the vast opportunities for crowdsourcing to expand one’s ancestral knowledge underscores the popularity boom that genealogy has experienced. Currently,...
My Ancestors Taught Me How to Share
It didn’t always, but today my genealogy research always includes finding out as much as I can about the descendants of my ancestors. I attempt to include information as far down as the great...
Exploring Heraldry
A few years ago, I went into a shop with a girlfriend. It was called The Coat of Arms Shoppe and was dedicated to heraldry. For those who don’t know, heraldry is the creating...
Exposing the Mythology That Can Hinder Your Genealogy
There are some popular myths in the field of genealogy that are misguiding and may derail your progress in discovering your lineage. You might even recognize some of these myths as assumptions you have...
