If your genealogy research feels stuck, the problem may not be missing records. It may be that you are asking the right questions in the wrong direction. Some of the most revealing information about...
Latest Articles
Counting People Before America, Why Governments Counted, And Where The Records Hide
If you use United States census records often, you notice that the questions change when the country changes. The format changes when technology changes. The people being counted change when laws and...
Is Genealogy Worth It If Everyone Forgets You?
Someone asked me a hard question once, and I think a lot of people have asked it in their own minds, even if they never say it out loud. They said, “Is genealogy really worth doing? After you die...
The Politzer Saga by Linda A. Broenniman (Book Giveaway – ENDED)
This giveaway has concluded. Stay tuned for our next giveaway.
Birth Records Through Time, Part 3: Using Modern Systems to Find, Verify, and Prove Birth Information
By the time you reach the modern era, birth records feel straightforward. You search an index, order a certificate, attach it to your tree, and move on. In real research, modern systems still create...
Valentine’s Day and Our Ancestors
Do you enjoy sending Valentine’s Day cards to those you love and admire? So did your ancestors. Here is a little bit about the history of the tradition of sending Valentine’s Day cards, and how the...
Birth Records Through Time, Part 2: From Parish Books to Civil Registration Systems
Birth records did not shift from “nothing” to modern certificates overnight. For centuries, most births were documented through churches, town clerks, and community systems that varied widely from...
Birth Records Through Time, Part 1: From Family Memory to Public Record
Birth records can feel like a modern invention because we usually meet them as government certificates, neatly formatted and easy to file. The truth is older and more uneven. People have always...
Same Name Ancestors, Part 3: The Proof Case Method
Same name ancestors can fool even careful researchers because the records are close enough to look convincing. The county fits. The time period fits. The ages are close. The hints line up. It can...
Same-Name Ancestors, Part 2: Use Witnesses and Bondsmen
Same-name problems rarely get solved because you find one perfect record that settles everything. More often, the break comes when you stop staring at your ancestor’s name and start paying attention...