Genealogy Tip of the Day

Genealogists occasionally use someone else's computer to log into one of their various email or database accounts. Some genealogists use...

Have you put your ancestor's life into the appropriate historical context? As mentioned in my earlier post, a relative "disappeared...

If you are at am impasse, have you actually located all the possible relatives who might be able to help you in your search? My wife's g...

If you are confused about a document, consider who gave the information and how they came to know that information. While your speculation m...

If you are having difficulty reading handwriting in a foreign language, after you've located a script guide (try Cyndislist- http://www....

If your research has hit a brick wall, make certain you have completely researched the in-laws. It may be that a record on one of them provi...

I finally located the marriage record for an ancestor of my wife. It was the first marriage for him and the one from which my wife did not d...

Need help with base lines and meridians in federal land states? Here is a map: http://www.blm.gov/cadastral/meridians/pmmap.jpg The "Vi...

If you need a change of pace, determine those ancestors for whom you have a copy of their signature. Remember, most recorded deeds and wills...

Have you tried to learn the occupation of each one of your ancestors? Knowing how your ancestor supported his family may provide suggestions...

A great way to get a perspective on your ancestor's time and place is to read an issue or two of their hometown paper while you are sear...

Sometimes the uninitiated is not aware of the neighborhood clues that are contained in a metes and bounds property description from state la...

Don't jump to conclusions. Your first response to a record or a document may be incorrect. I posted to my facebook account that I had be...

Never let someone tell you there is no index or there is just one index to something. Determine if there is another index or if an index was...

Consider asking someone unrelated to your family to look at a document or a record that confuses you. Going to your local genealogical socie...

Always make certain you read the description of a data set before searching. This allows you to see whether or not it includes the informati...

Stuck on a certain problem or document? If your computer is always "online," consider temporarily turning off your internet connec...

Are you subtracting correct when taking an age and calculating a year of birth? It might pay to doublecheck your computations so you do not ...

There are many reasons a genealogist should create a free blog. One is that it can be used to post images of documents you cannot read. I am...

Sometimes errors in genealogical records are unintentional. Census and christening records indicate my grandmother was born in Wythe Townshi...

Genealogy information does not always agree. Several years ago I wrote an article for Genealogy.com on discrepancy charts that can be used t...

In some cases, there may be several sites that index the same set of records. Consider using other indexes when available and when one index...

If you have an original copy of a document or photograph, do not do anything do that paper or photograph that cannot be undone. Putting it i...

Make certain you have maps of all the areas where you are doing your family research and that those maps are contemporary to the time when y...

Remember that there is more to reading records in a foreign language than simply learing the vocabulary. Foreign language records are often ...

Here's an off-the-wall idea--but some days I find writing tips a little difficult. Make a calendar with your ancestor's dates of bir...

Did your ancestor make a return trip home to visit family? It was not unheard of for 19th and 20th century immigrants to the United States t...

When you locate that ancestor in a cemetery, look at the neighboring stones. There is a reasonable chance they are relatives. At least copy ...

For many genealogists, a legal dictionary is a great help. This is especially true when analyzing court and probate records where legal term...

Some records are organized geographically (census), some records are organized chronologically (vital records), and some are organized by na...

Never take your only copy of a document with you on a research trip. You may use it. Never put the original copy of a document out for perma...

Remember that birthplaces in census and other records may have been written down as they were at the time the record was created, not the ti...

A nuncupative will is a will that is orally dictated by the testator. These are typically deathbed type wills. This will is to be written do...

Miltary pensions, especially if the widow survived and claimed her pension, may provide information about more than just the veteran and his...

Are you on too many genealogy mailing lists? I was beginning to think I was. Reading the constant barrage of messages was taking time from m...