Genealogy research often begins with one person. You find an ancestor’s name. You locate a census record, discover a marriage record, or uncover a family connection that moves your research forward...
Latest Articles
The People Who Disappeared From History: Finding Ancestors Who Left Few Records
Every genealogist eventually finds one. You follow a family line through the years, finding names, dates, places, and relationships. One record leads to another. You discover where your ancestors...
This Week’s Free Genealogy Lookups
Looking for a record on your ancestor? This week’s featured genealogy databases are now available. Click through and submit a free lookup request.
Ancestoring: Understanding Records, Family, and Ourselves (Free Book Giveaway)
Giveaway ends September 1, 2026 at midnight
Finding Your Ancestors in Fraternal and Lodge Records
For much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, belonging to a lodge or fraternal organization was a normal part of American community life. In towns large and small, men and women joined...
What Coroner’s Inquest Records Can Tell You About Your Ancestors
A death certificate can tell you when and where your ancestor died. An obituary might name surviving relatives and tell you where the funeral was held. But what if the death was sudden, accidental...
Did Your Ancestor End Up in the Poorhouse? The Records You May Be Missing
You find your ancestor living with the family in one census. Ten years later, that person is gone. There’s no obvious death record. You can’t find another marriage. You don’t see evidence of a move...
American Folklore in Oklahoma
Oklahoma became the forty-sixth state on November 16, 1907, but its story began long before there was an Oklahoma Territory, an Indian Territory, or even a United States. Native peoples lived...
American Folklore in Oregon
The Spanish, French, and British quarreled over this territory, before it became an American state. It has some intriguing folklore. Here are some of the highlights of it.
American Folklore in South Dakota
South Dakota is a large state with a small population. Being mostly rural, there are a lot of wide, open spaces there, as well as heavily forested ones. Its long history with Native Americans, and...