As search engines go, Google is the undisputed king. But, while there’s much to be said about the benefits of turning to Google for genealogical research, family historians can also get great results from trying other search engines, like Bing. Here’s how to make the most of your efforts.
If your ancestors lived in the United States before 1890, you are sure to run into a frustrating gap in United States census records. Sadly, there is practically no 1890 U.S. Census left. But, luckily, there are substitute records that can help you overcome this hurdle.
If you’re one of the millions of people who received a DNA test kit for the holidays this year, you’re probably pretty excited to send in your sample and receive your results. It’s pretty thrilling, after all, to finally discover how much Irish you really are, or if Grandma Jane was right when she said you had a distant Native American ancestor. But, if you’re not familiar with how these tests work you might also be feeling some confusion and trepidation.
As family history researchers we often get caught up exploring the people in our family tree and we forget to take into consideration the impact locations had on these people’s lives. But, often, location research can reveal as much or more about an ancestor as the vital records you’ve likely already collected.
Back before the days of welfare, food stamps, and long-term disability insurance, people who were unable to support themselves financially sometimes had to live in these places. This article will explain what poor houses and poor farms were and how to find your ancestors who may have lived there.
Have you been wondering what you should buy for the family historian on your list this year? We’ve gathered some of the most secretly wished-for genealogy gifts – plus some surprises your roots researcher may not even know she or he wants.
These days, millions of people have family trees online, with facts and sources gathered from the many online databases that are available. But, be aware, some of these sources could just disappear. No warning, just gone – because online record collections are not guaranteed to stay online, or publicly accessible, forever.
Photo scanning apps do a surprisingly good job of preserving old photos and records on the go. See how these three free options helped us reveal long hidden details in an old family photo.
Often, when we first begin our research, we really don’t know what we’re doing and make a lot of mistakes. We forget to verify connections between generations, we don’t always add sources, we copy from other people’s trees… And then, somewhere down the line, we aren’t exactly sure what’s fact and what’s fiction anymore. Here are 3 signs it’s time to start over.
Cousinship, or the relationship two cousins have to one another, is one of the most confusing concepts in genealogy and genetic genealogy. Today, we want to share with you some very simple tricks for calculating these relationships without the aid of a chart.