As with many family histories, there are stories that are handed down through generations; tales that seem to grow toward fact with every passing year. Often times, there is no proof or documents to support the anecdotes, but they are woven as truths just the same. My own family is not immune to this phenomenon, […]
Searching for our ancestors can be just as frustrating as it is rewarding, especially when you hit a dead end. There are times you will be fortunate enough to have the name of your ancestor and still have no luck finding their documents. How can this be? Below is a list of things to consider […]
You’ve just spent the day with your extended family at your annual reunion. Full of food and anecdotes, you blithely agree to research a seven times great aunt who supposedly was a seamstress alongside Betsy Ross. Full of inspiration, you begin searching through records on the internet, as well as handwritten notes, letters, pictures, and […]
I can still remember the look on my doctor’s face when she asked me for my family’s medical history. All she saw was this teenage girl sitting in front of her; I can tell you she did not expect the laundry list of information that came out of me. I rattled off all the information […]
Over the last couple of weeks I have introduced you to two worksheets that are commonly used when doing family research, Pedigree Charts and Family Group Sheets. Continuing with the How Do I Get Started? series, let’s take a look at another helpful worksheet, Genealogy Correspondence Sheets. What is the purpose of the worksheet? The […]
Last week I introduced you newbies to Pedigree Charts, which are the most commonly used charts in family research. As promised, this week I wanted to familiarize you with another commonly used worksheet: Family Group Sheets. Where Pedigree Charts cover the absolute basics, birth, marriage, death and the people you descend directly from, Family Groups […]
Q: “I’d like to learn more about my family but I don’t know how to get started…” This is probably one of the most common things I hear people say when I encourage them to look into their family history. My first suggestion is to not think too far ahead-start with the absolute basics. To […]