If you’re stumped about what kind of gift would be a hit with a genealogist, or you’re shopping for a guy who seems like he has everything, we’ve got you covered. From sweet and simple to a little bit crazy – these ten unique Father’s Day gifts are perfect for the genealogy buff in your family.
The U.S. Federal Census is, arguably, one of the best record collections in existence when it comes to gathering information about your American ancestors. The standard information – including family relationships, occupations, ages, years of immigration etc- can be extremely valuable to a family historian. Most of this information is very easy to find, as long as you can locate your ancestors in a particular year. But, there are some pieces of information in the census that aren’t easy to understand, or even find.
The story of Chinese immigrants in America is one of hardship, struggle, perseverance, and solidarity. Although a good deal of Chinese immigration to the US has taken place more recently, it can be traced all the way back to the 1820s. This guide to researching your Chinese ancestry will help you gain an understanding of the history of this migration and discover techniques and free resources for exploring your own family’s past.
Many tourism companies today operate ancestral tours, offering genealogy services to help customize an excursion to your ancestor’s home country. We’ve covered some of the best options so you can get started planning an ancestral journey of your own.
Have you ever come across information on Ancestry.com, or another genealogy site, that was clearly incorrect – either because the record itself contained errors or because the information was transcribed incorrectly? Did you take the time to correct it?
It is estimated that as many as two-thirds of the people who came to the colonies between the 1630s and the American Revolution did so as indentured servants – whether voluntarily or involuntarily. This means that many of us with colonial American roots can trace our ancestry to at least one indentured servant.
Here at Family History Daily we’ve covered DNA testing for genealogy research pretty extensively, but we’ve always focused on ancestry reports, not health reports. This is because we’ve always felt that the genetic “health” information provided today, which is still very much in its infancy, could be taken out of context and possibly cause distress and confusion to some users. In fact, some data offered by certain websites seems designed to mislead.
Many families have stories about the criminal behavior of one of their family members. It’s natural to not want to talk about or explore these events because they can make us feel embarrassed or even ashamed. But, you don’t have to commit murder or make counterfeit money to be considered a criminal. Something as simple as littering can result in a fine and a person’s name being entered into the criminal record books for all eternity.
Do you have a family tree mystery that might be solved by a medical record? I do. My grandfather had an aunt who immigrated from Norway to North Dakota in 1915. She was married in 1917 and our records show that her husband died around 1920. We cannot find records of her after her marriage in 1917, but oral family history says that she may have spent some time in an asylum.
Some time ago, you decided that you wanted to know more about yourself and your family history beyond what the paper trail revealed, so you purchased a DNA kit. Like me, you likely had a number of questions answered and were faced with a surprise or two. If you’re the curious type (and you probably are because you’re reading this article!), you now have even more questions about your DNA results and genetic genealogy in general. Perhaps you’re ready to take yet another step and have even more questions answered. And that’s where GEDmatch comes in. Read on to find out how to use your raw DNA data to discover more about your genetic past through this free resource.