Help and How-To

Received a DNA Test for the Holidays? Here’s What You Should Know

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.

Why Getting to Know an Ancestor’s Location Can Be a Research Game Changer

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.

Were Your Ancestors in the Poor House? Here’s How to Find Out

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.

9 Genealogy Gifts for the Family Historian on Your List

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.

Online Genealogy Records Can Disappear: Simple Ways to Protect Your Research

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.

3 Signs You Should Scrap Your Family Tree and Start from Scratch

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.

MyHeritage DNA to End Free Ethnicity Reports

In mid 2017 we announced that genealogy subscription site MyHeritage would begin providing free ethnicity reports and cousin matches to anyone who uploaded their DNA. But good things can’t last forever, and MyHeritage is ending the offer Dec 1st.