Somewhere along the lines you may find that you have an illegitimate ancestor or two. What does this mean? This means that your ancestor was born outside of wedlock. Often, this means the parents did not marry one another. So … Continued
Have you wondered where an ancestor lived but had trouble finding them? Recently, I heard a great piece of advice when reading a biography. To find the person they were searching for the researchers began with the census records. Using … Continued
Several weeks ago I was in an area of the state where my ancestors lived. I’d not been through that area on a genealogy trip in years and decided to drive around and acquaint myself with the roads. I decided … Continued
With Ancestry.com, Fold 3, FindAGrave, Newspapers.com and FamilySearch.org there are numerous genealogy records now available online. These are wonderful, saves time and has increased an interest in family history. However, there are numerous records that are still not available online. … Continued
Vital records were not standardized until the early 20th century. For most states this occurred from 1910-1920, but some states may be earlier or later. What are vital records? Birth certificates, marriage records and death certificates So how … Continued
We all have brick walls we want to bust through in our genealogy research. I shared a few ways to find an elusive ancestor last week. What are some other ways to break through those pesky brick … Continued
I have a couple of ancestors that I have had a difficult time finding any information on. I’ve even begun to wonder if my ancestor even existed. I’m sure you have some like this also. So what … Continued
Genealogists enjoy helping one another. They are often willing to help with generating ideas or to conduct research if you live in another locality. In the genealogy community this is referred to as Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness {RAOGK}. This … Continued
I discussed creating a timeline for your ancestors. Another way to keep track is to map them. This is especially true for our ancestors that were explorers and lived in different areas. Mark on a map the various places your … Continued
I love to create a timeline for my ancestors. This way I am able to map out their life events and locations. This helps me to understand and visualize these events. I also incorporate specific events in the lives of … Continued