Do Not Fall into this Common Genealogy Trap…
This article might start off sounding a little smug. It is not meant to. My intention is to help you to find your correct ancestors, or at least start on the right path, and...
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,...
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research, most of us typically focus on finding past records, locating deceased relatives and making sense of historical documents.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...
Discovering your pre-1850 ancestral history
In many cases, searching for ancestors or documents dated after 1850 will yield a considerable amount of information and resources. The proliferation of data is largely a result of the detailed federal censuses that...
Using military records to learn about your ancestors
While military records are a great source of information for genealogical research, tracking down the appropriate record requires some investigative work. Identifying the branch of service, the war your ancestor was involved in and...
SortedByName.com and Google Search Issues
The website SortedByName.com contains scanned and transcribed documents that may be of great help to you in your genealogical search. The files, such as death and birth certificates, are indexed alphabetically and are free...
