10 Must-Do Genealogy Projects for February

Are you looking for good genealogy projects to do in February? Here are ten "must-do" ones that are perfect for the month of love. 

Same-Name Ancestors, Part 1: The Time Method

Same-name problems are one of the biggest sources of bad trees. You find a record for a name that fits the right county and the right time period, you attach it, and then hints do the rest. A spouse...

I’m Done Being Mad at Genealogy

I’m Done Being Mad I didn’t wake up calm.I woke up tired. Tired of being irritated at ink.Tired of being annoyed at paper.Tired of holding grudges against people who have been dead longer than...

The Power of “I Don’t Know”

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...

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...