Help and How-To

How Many of These Must-Visit Genealogy Destinations Have You Been To?

Considering a vacation? Worried that you might miss a genealogy research opportunity if you leave your computer? Well, why not incorporate genealogy into your trip? Before the days of online genealogy research, family historians traveled everywhere in search of their ancestors, and you can too!

4 Simple Steps to Help You Decipher Old Family Photos

Hoping to figure out who is in an old family photo, what year it was taken or what the reason for the shot was? There is no doubt that discovering the who, when, where and why of family pictures is one of the most rewarding forms of genealogical sleuthing there is, but the job can seem nearly impossible. The good news is, there are some strategies that can help. If you’ve been lucky enough to get your hands on some old images, following the steps below can help you finally decipher them.

The 1 Hour Solution for Downloading Your Ancestry Tree and ALL of Its Records

Many of us keep our trees on Ancestry, even if we don’t always subscribe to their somewhat pricey record subscription service. Because Ancestry’s online family tree is easy and free, it’s a great alternative to paid programs. But backing up that tree, along with its attached records and other media, can be a major challenge – despite how important it is to do so.

5 Strategies for Locating Marriage Records and the Vital Details They Contain

Marriage Records are an essential part of family history research and are one of the best ways to find the ever-elusive maiden name of a woman – as well as parents’ names, ages and occupations, residence and religious beliefs. If you have not found such a record for every married couple in your tree, you are missing out.

9 Surprising Things About the U.S. Census Every Genealogist Should Know

Despite how valuable census records have become to family history researchers, they were not created for this purpose. For this reason we need to understand everything we can about this go-to resource if we are to walk away with the most accurate data available. Here are 9 census facts that may surprise you.