Genealogy Tip of the Day

Use abbreviations sparingly. Does "w/o James Rampley" mean "wife of James Rampley" or "without James Rampley?"...

If visiting a cemetery where your ancestor lived, consider leaving your name and address on an index card at the stone you've been to vi...

Over the Memorial Day Holiday, you can take advantage of our Casefile Clues subscription offer--$ 25.50 for the first 35 issues of Year 2 --...

Think about who is listed on a document and who that document implies is alive at the time the document is written. A will mentioning childr...

Keep in mind some counties may have ledgers with birth records and separate birth certificates. I looked in the birth certificates for two o...

In locations and time periods where women had few property and legal rights, there are not often estate settlements if the wife dies first. ...

I have a family that moved from Virginia into Kentucky around 1800. The interesting thing is that the names of neighboring families to my an...

If the time period and locations are appropriate, have you looked for biographies of all the grandchildren of your "problem" ances...

We've set the dates for my 2012 group trip to Salt Lake. Never too early to get started http://rootdig.blogspot.com/2011/05/2012-family-...

Remember that "late" does not necessarily mean dead. "Late of Harford County" can simply mean that the person used to li...

Some of my research was done back in the day when making a paper copy of every record was cost prohibitive. Some of those records have been ...

A relative was great about sending me stuff while she was actively researching and I really appreciated it. She always indicated the volume ...

I was using a transcription of vital records that indicated a relative was named Jas. I assumed he was James and was searching for that name...

To save money, libraries may bind more that one softcover book in a hardcover binding, particularly when the softcover books are part of a s...

Site is a location. Cite means to indicate where a piece of information was obtained. You should cite the cemetery site when referencing a t...

A marriage band is an ecclesiastical or civil announcement of an upcoming marriage. Ecclesiastical announcements are typically made on three...

Are you assuming your ancestor acted like the "typical Irishman," the "typical German," etc.? Doing so may cause you to ...

When was the last time you visited the state or provincial archives website for the locations where your ancestor lived? There could easily ...

Don't assume your ancestor didn't get a "federal stimulus." Is it possible he (or his widow) got bounty land for military ...

Can't find anything on an occupation? Consider typing it into Google Books- http://books.google.com . You may discover more than you rea...

Don't forget that business records (funeral homes come to mind) are private records. They don't have to show you what they happen to...

Starting in June, we'll be offering a twice monthly version of Casefile Clues for beginners. Check it out. We are offering trial subscri...

When was the last time you reviewed a conclusion you reached a year ago? Two years ago? Is it possible you made a mistake? Were you using li...

Remember that witnesses to a will usually cannot benefit from the will or from the estate. The same is true of appraisers. A brother usually...

Remember that transcribers of records are supposed to copy a record or a source the way it is written--not what the record "should...

It may be difficult, but remember when reading or analyzing any document that unless it was created during your lifetime, there might be som...

Remember that everyone was a beginning genealogist at one point or another. You may have to be patient with someone who is just learning. An...

A land warrant usually means that someone is entitled to a certain acreage of property, without giving any real specifics about where that p...

10 is the lucky number. The first ten responders to this offer can get a year of Casefile Clues for $12 . After 10 have been sold, we...

Sometimes it can be difficult to get the wrong name out of your head--especially when you have only one spelling or rendering of the name to...

I'm not talking about a chisel. Think about how great-grandpa's information got on his tombstone. Someone thought they knew when h...

Ancestry.com, WorldConnect, FamilySearch, and a variety of other sites have submitted family trees. Virtually all of them contain errors. So...

Looking for an ancestor's signature? Is there an estate they would have been an heir to? Perhaps there is a signed receipt in the packet...

Are there any pre-1900 tombstones you have not transcribed, photographed, etc.? Look through your records, your database, etc. Put getting...

Years ago I remember reading Family History Library Card Catalog description of the Bethany Church records for Tioga, Illinois. The film not...