Help and How-To

New Online Mayflower Collection Lets You Search to See if Your Ancestors are Descendants of the Original Pilgrims

The online research site American Ancestors, from the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), has just released the largest collection of authenticated Mayflower passenger genealogies ever online. This database is a digitized version of the Mayflower Families Fifth Generation Descendants, 1700-1880, a series of books created by the General Society of Mayflower Descendants and featuring more than a half a million names of individuals who are known to have descended from those who took part in the pivotal voyage.

This Curious 1880 Census Recorded the Insane, the Sick and the Poor

If you are one of the millions of people who have an ancestor that lived in the Unites States in 1880 and had a physical or mental impairment or illness – or who was homeless, an orphan, an alcoholic, a prisoner, who was living in an institution or poor house, or who received government assistance – you’ll want to know about these often overlooked census schedules.

DNA Testing is Not a Shortcut to Your Family’s History

Genetic testing has made family history a topic of interest to more people than ever before. But it has also provided an easy deception. While modern ancestry tests do share fascinating information about a person’s heritage, the results are only valuable, or accurate, within the context of family history research.

10 Unique Genealogy Gifts for Father’s Day

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 20 Largest Genealogy Record Collections Online: Have You Searched Them?

There are literally billions and billions of genealogical records now available online. From the huge databases of paid subscription sites like Ancestry and MyHeritage, to the varied collections of FamilySearch and other free initiatives – details about our ancestors’ lives are more accessible than ever. And every single one of the these collections is vitally important and needs to be preserved – whether the database contains one record or a billion. But have you ever wondered what the largest collections on the web are, and who holds them? This article will show you.

Mysterious Circled Xs, Cryptic Codes and Other Confusing Details in the 1940 Census Explained

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.