Finding My Roots (Part III)
This past April (2018). I took myself on a little vacation. Perhaps a vacation is not the best word, for the primary purpose of my trip was to visit my father’s grave, something I...
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...
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...
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...
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research, most of us typically focus on finding past records, locating deceased relatives and making sense of historical documents.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...
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...
![the sun is up, time to go to school ... by [AndreasS], on Flickr. CC Image, Some rights reserved](http://blogmania.fullfamilytree.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/9777313122_47a5b87974_h-520x245.jpg)
Using those faded photos and memorabilia to tell your family story
Genealogy, by all accounts, is an undertaking that often demands some creative thinking. Once you have exhausted the obvious primary records and documents, it is time to explore other items which may hold clues...
Jewish genealogy and the search for roots near and far
Previously, I discussed the challenges encountered by African-Americans searching for ancestors who pre-date the Civil War and strategies for accessing both basic and more detailed information about this time period. Similarly, genealogical research for...
