We all know how important death certificates are to genealogical research. These vital records contain crucial details about someone’s death – including date, location, the names of family members and informants, birth information and a cause of death. But at the end of the day, they will only ever give you basic facts about the person you are researching, never a story. That’s where coroners’ records come in.
If the word “probate” makes you want to nap immediately, stick with me. Probate records aren’t legal snoozefests; they’re treasure maps for your family tree. Seriously.
Although this information may seem simple, it is not always obvious to beginners how this process works. Kimberly Tucker has taken the time to go over how to download your tree from the big three subscription sites – Ancestry, MyHeritage and FindMyPast – and has also provided links to some additional instructions for other programs.
While there are plenty of other good options that could be added to this list, I consider the following selection of books must-reads for any serious researcher, professional genealogist, or anyone who wants to become a professional genealogist (with one exception because all learning must be fun). In fact, they are a must for anyone who wants to improve their research. These books will certainly take you more than a year to work through, but the effort will be well worth it.
The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research recently made documents public from a rare collection of previously lost Jewish Holocaust-era literary and religious materials. This collection, which totals over 170,000 pages, has never before been published.