Why should you research death records?  Death records are an important source of information for any serious genealogy student.  Commonly death records can be found in the county courthouse, or in newspaper archives of obituaries.  They will include information on the deceased such as parents, siblings, children, spouse, when and where married, where the deceased […]

Vital statistics can provide priceless information when doing genealogy research.  The pieces of information they can provide that can prove essential are:
Birth
Marriage
Death
And birth of children
Here’s how to use these pieces of information effectively.  In researching an ancestor that you know lived in a particular state, checking his birth record will give a complete name and […]

Scan and Enlarge Hard to Read Documents
Before writing any genealogical inquiry that is going to be turned into any official place, such as the Census bureau or the Bureau of Indian Affairs, it is best to make sure you have all your chickens in a row so to speak.  You need to make sure beyond […]

Getting your kids involved in researching your ancestral history is a great way to bond with your kids as well as teach your kids about your family history.  It also gives the parents time to spend quality time with their kids.  It can be a fun and entertaining project. 
Start by writing down your own name, […]

What to give the person who has everything….hmmmm, how about the gift of heritage?  Researching your family tree has become very popular, raising interest in many people as to where their ancestors came from, how they got here, and what they were doing.  With that in mind, here are a few gift ideas that will […]

Two types of names are handed down from generation to generation: surnames and given names. Surnames have obvious genealogical links that can indicate country of origin, ethnicity, and even religion, and genealogists must be aware of the difficulties of surname research. Given names, however, can also provide clues to family history. Both types of names, […]

Computer software can make your family tree research a breeze, relatively speaking – pun intended, of course.  Using family tree software allows the creation of online data bases to sort records; the storage of digital photos with other documents, scanning of old records, easy sharing with other researchers, and a world of information at your […]

Genealogy is, essentially, a historical endeavor. Genealogists attempt to discover not only the history of a family but also the history of individuals living during a specific time period. The importance of understanding the social and cultural forces shaping your ancestors during a particular slice of history can not be overstated. Historical knowledge will shape […]

Successfully filling in a family tree and uncovering the details of your family history can be an incredibly complex and overwhelming process. Charts and other organizational timelines, either on paper or in computer programs, can help you gather all of the genealogical material you have discovered in a comprehensive and presentable manner. Timelines come in […]

Genealogy research can be a huge undertaking. If you are new to the world of genealogy research, most experts recommend starting in the family home. Once there, you should start examining the pieces you find that have been handed down.
You should be looking at heirlooms, gifts, and papers that have been come from previous generations. […]