Help and How-To Archives

This Information Will Make You Question Every Census Record You’ve Ever Collected

We all know that we need to be careful when reading, using and recording information we find in the census. Whether it’s the US federal census, a state or local census, or a population register for another country, these records are notoriously inaccurate. Ages, name spellings, locations of birth, occupations – everything needs to be …

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A DNA Test for Ancestry is the Perfect Last Minute Holiday Gift

With the holidays on the horizon top DNA testing companies MyHeritage, Family Tree DNA and Ancestry are celebrating with discounts on their tests. If you’re hoping to score a deal (or buy multiple tests as gifts) this is a great time to do it. You’ll find links for the best deals below.

The One Google Search Trick Every Genealogist Needs to Know Now

One of the most powerful tools modern family historians have at their disposal is a Google search. A search for our ancestors through Google is one of the best ways to discover new records that exist outside of the genealogy research sites we use regularly. From turning up entries in old books or newspapers, to revealing …

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Genealogy DNA Test Now Available for the Lowest Price We’ve Ever Seen

Family Tree DNA, a leader in genetic testing for genealogy, has temporarily dropped the price of its Family Finder test to the lowest we’ve ever seen for an autosomal test for this purpose – $59. You can find the deal here. The new $59 price of Family Finder is offered as a holiday special and, although that means …

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Google’s Free App Could Revolutionize How We Preserve Family Photos and Records

PhotoScan uses your phone (or tablet’s) camera and flash to quickly scan a photo or document and then applies various filters to provide the best results — including glare reduction, cropping and perspective correction. Once photos or documents are scanned they can easily be stored in your Google Photos account (or anywhere else that you back up your photos) and can, of course, be saved to your family tree or shared with others.

Big Changes in DNA Testing Options for Genealogy May Make Results Available to More People

A new player has entered the DNA testing arena….MyHeritage. This is big news for those interested in genetic genealogy since new offerings in this market are rare, even as updates to existing products continue to draw in new users. Earlier this year, the large family history company began encouraging existing members and new recruits alike …

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Explore the Past With These 3 Free Newspaper Archives

Whether you’re looking for an elusive obituary or a family scandal, free newspaper archives are an excellent resource for filling out your family tree. In fact, many online archives make it so easy to search decades of ‘dusty’ old papers, you might find that it’s awfully easy to lose yourself in the past. We’ve gathered together a …

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Voting Created Some Fascinating Genealogy Records! Here’s Where to Find Them

Have you ever wondered about elections of the past and how they influenced our ancestors’ lives? What issues were important to the men and women in our family trees? What challenges did they face when it came to exercising their right to vote? And in the case of minorities, women, immigrants and the poor, what …

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The Vital Genealogy Research Step You May Have Missed

By Lisa Lisson “No one is interested in my story.” — “Me? I was just a housewife.” — “Our family did not do anything special.” — “Our family never had much.” These are some of the responses I received when I began asking my grandmother (at the time in her late 80s) about her life and family history. So, …

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This Revealing Newspaper Section May Hold Fascinating Details About Your Ancestors

Newspapers from the past can provide critical clues about our ancestors’ lives. As a family historian, you’ve likely spent some time searching old newspapers for birth and marriage announcements, as well as obituaries. The information from such sections often include details that can be hard (or impossible) to find anywhere else. But historical newspapers are so much …

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