Every family tree is built as much from absence as it is from presence. Names, dates, places, and relationships draw most of our attention, but they are not the whole structure. What often shapes a...
Latest Articles
Divorce Records and What They Reveal About Your Ancestors
Divorce records are one of the most overlooked sources in family history research. Many people assume their ancestors never divorced, or they assume that if a divorce happened, it would be obvious...
Before Safety Nets, There Was Each Other
Before welfare offices and Social Security checks, there was something older and far more personal. There was each other. When I look at my own ancestors, this shows up clearly. They lived on farms...
When to Call It Quits
There comes a point in genealogy when you sit back, stare at the screen, and realize you are not moving forward anymore. You are still working, still searching, still opening records, but nothing new...
The Temptation to Assume in Genealogy
There is a moment in almost every genealogy project when temptation shows up. It does not usually sound reckless. It sounds reasonable. It sounds efficient. It often arrives as a single sentence:...
When the Records Begin Speaking Again
Coming Back to the Paper Trail Last time, we stood inside a gap, ten years of a man’s life with no clear paper trail. No neat answers. No satisfying explanation. Just silence, the kind that shows up...
The Years the Records Forgot
There are times in genealogy when the records speak clearly. Names line up, dates behave, and places make sense. You can follow a life forward with little resistance. Then there are times when the...
Genealogy Helps, Vol. 12 (Free eBook)
Download Your Copy Today! Enter your name and email, and we’ll send you the free eBook. A donation is optional and helps us keep these genealogy resources free. Genealogy Helps, Vol. 12, brings...
Genealogy Helps, Vol. 11 (Free eBook)
Fill in your name and email below to download this ebook. If you’d like to support our free genealogy resources, you can donate or click “I want the free download.” Download Your...
Confessions of a Genealogist: Why I Cannot Stop Digging
Genealogy has ruined me in the best way. I can be perfectly content all day, and then I see a hint, a record index, a cemetery photo, or a single line in a probate packet, and my brain flips a switch...