Growing up in a small town in the 1950’s, the generation gap meant that old folks didn’t understand teenagers. When I became seriously involved in genealogy research, I realized that some researchers also misunderstand the ‘Genealogy Generation Gap’. I asked a genealogical society group this question. “How many years are in a generation?” Answers ranged from 20, …
hello chaps, My last blog included the story of a mistaken birth-date on a gravestone – and Janis went one better by telling me about her ancestor who apparently has graves in Kansas and in Iowa (all together now, “This isn’t Kansas, Toto” – no Dorothy, it’s definitely Iowa). Funny old thing, death. And….funny old …
Never Trust a Document – Especially On Your Wedding Day Read More »
The Pedigree or Ancestral Chart is a summary of your family at a glance. It contains basic information about each maternal and paternal generation of your family. Whether you are just beginning your family history or reviewing your research, your pedigree chart is the guide to your family tree. For beginners, it is helpful to …
How much research is enough? Do you know genealogists who say, “I want to write a family history book, but I need to finish my research first?” Somehow they never get to their book. More research leads to new avenues of information that should be explored. They charge off seeking the vital records of previously …
Stop Researching and Start Writing Your Family History Book Read More »
Thanks to Susan Wallin Mosey for sharing this guest post. I had an epiphany this week, with the help of my co-worker Robin. Here it is: Ancestry binders can be wonderful gifts for those who have the memory loss that old-age dementia brings. It makes sense, really… It’s common knowledge that, as a person loses …
Ancestry Binders Bring Joy to Those with Memory Loss Read More »
As mentioned in my last post, I took on this One-Name Study to extend my knowledge of my name and, in the process, learn more about its origin and then share that back with the world. A further real benefit has been to extend the joys of problem solving to reconstructing family histories for other people’s …
Names and dates are the core of our family history research but no one wants just lists of names and dates. What we really want is to take those names and breathe some life into them. We want real people to go with those names. So, how do we do that? To start, we talk …
Many thanks to National Genealogical Society President Jordan Jones for taking the time to answer our questions about conducting genealogical research. FHD: What inspired you to become interested in genealogy originally? I received genealogical information — a compiled family history, and an Antebellum family Bible — from older family members when I was 10. These …
Interview with National Genealogical Society President Jordan Jones Read More »
I just finished reading Megan Smolenyak’s Hey America, Your Roots Are Showing. In each chapter, Ms. Smolenyak talks about what she finds or asks of various census records. These all important records contain many clues about the lives and success of the individuals listed. I want to talk about some of those clues but it …
Using the Census to Uncover Details About Your Ancestors Read More »
Welcome to the world, Family History Daily. Nice to have a genealogy website where one can read about other people’s struggles and triumphs, and tap into the knowledge they want to share, rather than just asking for help with queries. Best wishes for a successful future. To begin at the beginning [spot the quote]: NEVER TRUST …