Genealogy

I share how I made my family history research more productive, more educational, and more fun by using commonly available GPS tools.

Make the magic of Facebook groups work for you. You can find lots of help from other genealogists, create your own family groups, get photos restored or colorized by volunteers, research in history groups, and contact museums and libraries through this social media platform.

Unidentified photos of mystery ancestors are tempting to toss. Don't do it. Here are suggestions for those.

Genealogy is a fun and informative hobby; however, it's easy to be misled if you aren't careful.

Newspapers.com is a wonderful resource for researchers. Genealogists love it! Here are tips from a librarian for getting the best results from your searches.

How do you use ThruLines and other new tools on Ancestry? Here's what I've figured out about these new features added by Ancestry in beta form in March 2019.

In American genealogy, most researchers consider gateway ancestors as colonial immigrants who migrated to America, settling in Jamestown or Plymouth Colonies with an ancestral link to the great Magna Carta Surety Barons.

Gathering information about early Kansas photographers to help people determine a date for an old picture they have.

Will a subscription to Newspapers.com give you valuable information for your family history research? Here are examples of how it helped me, and why I recommend it.

Here's how to connect your DNA to your family tree on Ancestry.com so you can learn how you're related to your DNA relatives and unlock more about your heritage.

Since August 2016, I have been building a family tree and trying to identify my ancestors who originated in Europe. Based on successes and failures, I suggest a number of tips for doing genealogy research.

In this article, I show you how you can download your raw DNA data from My Heritage and various websites where you can upload your DNA data so you can compare results.

Working on your family history seems like a never-ending task. Setting some goals and spreading it out over five years makes it less overwhelming.

We had no control over our birth order, but scientists say the order in which we were born has a great deal to do with how successful we will become. Is that really true? Let's discuss it.

Puzzled about how to get the most out of your Ancestry DNA test? Here are some tips from an experienced genealogist.

Learn about what a typical consumer DNA kit requires, how much it costs, and what it can do for you. Get help deciding whether Ancestry, 23 and Me, or FamilyTree DNA is the best choice.

Building your pedigree chart first will have you on your way to building your family tree in no time. It's simple to make and a great way to "branch out" from your direct lineage to grow your tree.

Historical newspapers have been a great aid in my genealogy research. I have identified many cousins, great-uncles, great-aunts, and also discovered some very surprising news about my great-grandpa.

Creating a family tree book is easy, fun and will become an heirloom to pass down to generations to come. Including a variety of files will keep it interesting, informative and make it most personal.

Creating a Family Tree Book is easy and fun and becomes an heirloom for generations to come. Adding a birth certificate gives the book an authentic and personal touch.

This article presumes that the research will produce knowledge of at least three generations past. How can this affect the wellbeing of older people? Probably in more ways than expected.

How to use the various census records when researching your family's history

Learn to fill out the most basic form used in tracing family history. Capture the details of your ancestors' families in an easy-to-find format.

How to determine if your aunt is your great aunt or grand aunt, and whether you have met a first cousin or second cousin at the family reunion.

Tips for beginners on where to look for information, and how to start to get it all organized

Building a family tree can a be stressful, yet fulfilling endeavor. In this hub I give some tips that I learned in my journey to create my family tree.

This article describes my experience of searching for ancestors in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. It also lists some of my joys and sorrows in using online genealogy services.

Not all genealogy information is online. Use these tips to collect what your family members know. It's important to gather this before it's too late and the information is lost.

When researching your ancestry, you must look past the story of your ancestors' lives and study the events that were happening around them during the era in which they lived. The knowledge of simple historical facts can open up avenues in your research that you may not have otherwise considered.

Tracing one’s family history is one of the most popular hobbies among Americans. I have assembled 10 genealogy sites that can greatly help your family history search.

It's difficult explaining a complex family history. Using screenshots with vintage photos or with a family tree lets you add notes, arrows and boxes to clarify. It's a great way to feature research.

Applying for Italian citizenship jure sanguinis isn’t easy, especially when you need birth certificates from Italy. Here’s how to request birth certificates from Italy.

Do you have Irish roots? Have you put off trying to trace them because you thought tracing Irish ancestry was impossible? With more records appearing online, it is becoming easier to trace your Irish ancestors.

A great way to find new clues while researching your family history is to visit old cemeteries. A lot of regions may not have death records available, so gravesites are the next best thing for finding out vital information on your ancestors.

This guide shows you how to use the numerous historical records that are now available free online, including the 1901 and 1911 censuses, church and civil records, gravestone inscriptions, ship passenger records, and large-scale townland maps.

Second cousins, third cousins, once removed, twice removed - find out what it all means. You do not have to be an expert genealogist to figure out which cousin is which. Family Relationship Chart breaks it all down.

Looking for a long-lost relative? Sometimes even the pros hit a 'brick wall.' Here are some of the places they search for ancestors from way-back-when.

A family crest or coat of arms distinguishes an individual or a family from others and is often displayed proudly on clothing, flags, and other items. Learn how to find your family's coat of arms or how to create your own!

Variations in the spelling of your ancestors' first names and surnames can cause a lot of trouble for you when you are researching your family history. This article shares tips for overcoming the hurdles caused by spelling variations and nicknames.

Here are tips for researching your ancestors based on how their extended family migrated. How extended families moved from place to place in the past can become a key to unlocking missing parts of your family heritage.

Getting information for official military records is simple using online tools. By providing a little info about your veteran you can discover fascinating details contained in their service records.

Help with genealogy research. The maternal lines of your ancestry may be difficult to research, but there are ways to uncover these branches in your family tree. Advice on how to overcome "brick walls" in your family tree related to missing maiden names.

A beginner's guide on how to do genealogy research online. Researching one's ancestry is an interesting pastime and can lead to many fascinating discoveries. The internet can be a very useful tool for those who would like to learn more about their family history.

Tips for how to find out whether your ancestors fought in the Civil War. The Civil War impacted the lives of a large part of the American population. There are many resources online that can help you discover whether any of your ancestors played a part in this conflict.

Learn the best methods to trace and record your family history. Several computer genealogy programs are reviewed. Various methods to be successful in your data search are discussed, including DNA.