Genealogy Tip of the Day

Before you spend time looking for someone in a census record, make certain they were living at the time. I realize that occasionally someone...

When working out any lineage, especially a new one, keep approximate years of birth in mind for the parents, children, grandparents, etc. an...

Sometimes you have to admit that you are spinning your wheels, the facility (or website) you are using does not have what you need, or that ...

Use unusual names for clues, but don't conclude that they have to be the same person. I was looking for the parents of a man, lets call ...

Is there just one site that you're using for your research? Remember that not one site has everything. Consider avoiding using that site...

Think about the age(s) at which your ancestor marries, buys or sells land, pays taxes, witnesses documents, etc. Are those typical ages fo...

Marriage records will not always indicate if one of the parties has been married before. Some marriage records may list the groom as "M...

A separation of property is a legal division of the assets of a husband and wife. Usually it allowed a female to act independently as a feme...

That packet of pension, estate, or other documents may be repetitive. Some series of records are, with essentially the same or similar mater...

If there is a court case that "can't be found" or a record that is "closed," remember that there might be some accou...

To celebrate the end of summer school for me, we're offering a discounted rate on year 1 issues of my newsletter Casefile Clues . Year...

For those ancestors who died in the last fifty years or so, consider these locations when looking for an obituary: place of death place o...

A relative of mine gives testimony in a pension case. Most everything she has to say is confirmed from other records and actually her memory...

I've been working on an early Tennessee family lately and using marriage records as a part of my research. There are many ways I can acc...

Is writing that 6 generation genealogy too much of a task? Think you'll never get that much completed in your lifetime? Consider startin...

Consider ways to preserve your genealogy information before you die. Don't include it in your will and think that you're "done....

If you've contemplated hiring a professional, do the following first: 1) transcribe relevant documents; 2) list what you have searched a...

When recording information about long-deceased relatives, don't forget to record information about your own life as well. Write those st...

Creating a chronology of an ancestor's life can serve many purposes. One is to see time periods when there is no information on the ance...

With some probate and estate records, researchers may locate the actual will in the packet of papers. Signed by the testator, the actual wil...

Was there a nearby county or state where the requirements were easier than the location where your ancestor was living? It is possible that ...

Technically in a will a "devise" refers to real property and to "bequeath" means to give personal property to someone. F...

There is a reason why doctors suggest a person get a second opinion. Genealogists should consider this as well. If I join a new message boar...

Have you located your ancestor's residence on fire insurance maps? Available in the United States starting in the nineteenth century, th...

No history books for the location in which you are researching? Are there daily or weekly newspapers? Try reading a week or a month of newsp...

Did your ancestor include several codicils to his or her will, making specific changes or additions, but not desiring to go to the expense o...

How many sources do you need to "prove" a statement? There's not a hard and fast answer to this question. It actually depends ...

Most adoptions before 1900 were informal. There were no official records of the adoption--a neighboring family simply took the child into th...

If you'd like to add our Google Plus Page to your circles, liked pages, liked things, etc. our address is  https://plus.google.com/11279...

Look at that location you just entered into your database. Do you have it spelled correctly? Do you have it in the right jurisdictions? It i...

When your ancestor answered questions for that marriage application, birth certificate, census, social security application, etc, remember t...

A guardian ad litem is typically a guardian that is appointed for a person for a very specific purpose. In many cases, this type of guardia...

Recently I've been using 1890 era city directories to fill in some gaps during that time period in my research. Directories can augment ...

Your relative gave a records clerk the name of the village in Europe where he or she was born. The records clerk did not know how to spell t...

Is it possible that your ancestor spent some time at the county poor farm, almshouse, or workhouse? If so, those records may shed some light...