Have you spent hours searching for ancestors on a particular census and just can't find them? Did you ask yourself if they were perhaps traveling that year and just didn't get enumerated?
To read the complete article, visit "Caveats and idiosyncrasies in U.S. Federal Census".
News item posted by gt_support.
Have you ever used voter registration cards to track a grandparent? It is a good and underused source for 20th-century research. Available records vary from state to state and even between different regions within states. Current voter registration infor
To read the complete article, visit "Using U.S. Voter Registration Information to Track 20th-century Ancestors".
News item posted by illyad.
DNA and fingerprints, crime scene photographs, opportunity, blood-spatter patterns, evidence and motive are steps in crime investigations. Just for fun, they can represent the actions in Step 6 of the research cycle, Searching Original Records, as well.
To read the complete article, visit "Step 6 -- Genealogy Detecting".
News item posted by gt_support.
Land records may not be on the top of your list of sources to search, buy they are among the most important sources for U.S. genealogy research. A large percentage of American ancestors owned land and even the earliest land records are of good quality.
To read the complete article, visit "The Value of U.S. Land Deeds".
News item posted by illyad.
On July 1, 1837 a national system called Civil Registration was introduced for the registering of births, marriages, and deaths in England. Some other European countries have similar systems of the same name.
To read the complete article, visit "The Basics of England’s Civil Registration".
News item posted by illyad.
Millions of Americans trace their lines back to Irish Potato Famine immigrants. Descendants that want to know more about their Irish heritage need to have realistic expectations about what they can hope to find in the Emerald Isle.
To read the complete article, visit "Realistic Expectations: Tracing Irish Ancestry".
News item posted by gt_support.
Adoption shouldn't be used as a central theme for films primarily intended to entertain. With its shadowy past, transforming present, and uncertain future, adoption requires conscientious treatment, and all members of the triad should be respected.
To read the complete article, visit "Samantha".
News item posted by lrstarr.
Step 7 of the research cycle is to publish the research you have done in any of a number of formats.
To read the complete article, visit "Step 7 -- Publish or All Your Research May Perish".
News item posted by itsallrelatives.
In July of 1987, as we drove towards Quebec (from Nova Scotia) on Highway 201 in Maine -- through Moose River, Jackman, Skowhegan, and Madison -- we didn't realize that we were travelling on an old road called the "Canada Road."
To read the complete article, visit "Canadians in the New England States".
News item posted by illyad.
We have been dealing with the artifacts of death in the last articles. I promise that we will move on to happier times soon.
To read the complete article, visit "Funeral Home Records".
News item posted by illyad.
The movie "Stepmom" stars Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon as two moms in the same family. It also happens to tell a story that relates in many ways to open adoption.
To read the complete article, visit "'Stepmom:' A Family's Picture".
News item posted by illyad.
This article continues on with your search for the death certificate of the first dead male in the line that you are researching. This sounded like an easy task, but you may have run into a stumbling block that you didn't expect.
To read the complete article, visit "Searching for Obituaries".
News item posted by illyad.
Recently I had dinner with friends, and our after-dinner discussion turned to adoption. Seated at the table were two other couples, both of them married with biological children of their own.
To read the complete article, visit "The Price of Process".
News item posted by illyad.
If John Dough's occupation in the 1870 census was baker, and the 1880 census shows two John Doughs, one a store keeper and the other a doctor, which of the 1880 John Doughs is most apt to be the same person as the 1870 baker?
To read the complete article, visit "Step 5 -- How Many Marys Did David Merry Marry?".
News item posted by illyad.
Have you ever really considered the importance of detailed source notes? Could a total stranger pick up your research log or family group sheet and find the pertinent census page, marriage record, or deed from your description?
To read the complete article, visit "Recording Source Details—-A Reminder".
News item posted by illyad.
We have all heard of DNA and perhaps many of us have seen the connecting pair of squiggly lines which have been used to graphically illustrate DNA in our cells, but perhaps you haven't explored the use of DNA in your family history research.
To read the complete article, visit "DNA Research and Your Family’s History".
News item posted by illyad.
The last census of the US in 2000 showed that 25 per cent of the population claimed some German ancestry. If you are among this group, or researching it, there have been some interesting developments in the ability to search for German information online
To read the complete article, visit "Sprechen Sie Deutsch?".
News item posted by illyad.
Military Records have been maintained in the United States since pre-revolutionary times. The earliest form were "militia" records, which were kept by local towns and counties. Almost every town or county in the colonies had a militia and chances are tha
To read the complete article, visit "Military Records: American Revolution".
News item posted by illyad.
Whether you're a novice, professional researcher, or just want to share a great find with others, genealogical message boards can help you. Message boards serve as a medium to connect the genealogical community and are the preferred method of communica
To read the complete article, visit "The Art of Posting Queries".
News item posted by illyad.
One genealogical obstacle that all researchers must overcome is handwriting. A study of handwriting, referred to as paleography, can be vital when trying for accurate research results. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen incorrect family informa
To read the complete article, visit "Brush Up on Your Paleography Skills".
News item posted by illyad.
This article will describe several other special schedules taken with the federal population census schedule. Most of these schedules are not indexed, but are easily searched by skimming the schedules for the county and township where your ancestor lived
To read the complete article, visit "Special Census Schedules, Part II: Agriculture, Manufacturers, Veterans and Slave Schedules".
News item posted by illyad.
Every day the Internet does wonders for genealogy. The information contained therein, which includes database searches, the ability to contact other researchers, and sources of historical information, help make family history research both faster and eas
To read the complete article, visit "Don’t Forget to Use Search Engines: Some Tips".
News item posted by illyad.
While most people in the global community recognize that Scotland and Ireland are separate entities from England, the same cannot be said for Wales. Perhaps the confusion comes from Wales' diminutive size and intimate location along England's western
To read the complete article, visit "Wales: A Nation With Its Own Traditions".
News item posted by illyad.
Twenty-five years ago in the pre-internet days, I searched for information on Sterne Hotchkiss, my great aunt's first husband, and found two things: First, he was called Dr. Hotchkiss. That could mean just about anything in those days. Was he a trained
To read the complete article, visit "Step 4 -- Survey Sets Up Research".
News item posted by illyad.