Genealogy Tip of the Day

When searching for a family in an everyname census, search for the family member whose name is the least likely to be spelled or enumerated ...

If your ancestor goes "poof" and comes back 5-10 or so years later, have you consider they headed west for the Gold Rush or any ot...

Was your family one of those that kept heading west every few years, leaving family behind in numerous locations? Have you searched for othe...

There are words that some genealogists get confused. Cite and site are two of them--we've just thrown sight in for fun. To cite means ...

We have announced a reduced schedule of genealogy webinars for May 2012. New presentations include: What is Not Written Charts, Charts, a...

Document transcriptions should always be made as close to the original document--errors and all. Sometimes it is clear that the original doc...

For years, I was unable to access the records of one church my ancestors attended because when I went to try and see them I was told that th...

Our last set of $5 webinars are on the following topics: Illinois Research The Probate Process US Naturalization Records pre-1920 Loc...

Remember that just because several documents give the exact same information it does not mean that information is correct. The same person c...

Have you checked passport records for ancestors who might have traveled overseas? Before the 1910s many Americans traveled abroad without a ...

If you have found someone in the newly released 1940 census, have you looked at the very far left hand side of the page? Some enumerators ma...

In some cultures and time periods, if a child died the parents might use that same name for the next child of the same gender. I have one 18...

Due to popular demand (and because our Google followers never got the notice), we're offering again our discount price ($5 each--save ...

Never assume that a county or a city will only have one place, cemetery, etc. with the same name. I learned that lesson the hard way years a...

After the excitement of locating a document wanes, look at all the information it contains. Consider the reliability of the person providing...

There are actually many things you should do before hiring a professional researcher to take on your problem. However, to keep the tip short...

Remember that vital events are to be recorded in the place where the event took place, which may not be where the persons were actually livi...

If your ancestor changed his name in the United States before 1900, chances are it was unofficial and done "without paperwork." Pr...

I just finished the final installment in my Brick Walls from A to Z webinars. Twenty-six new genealogy stumbling block breakers in alphabeti...

A bondsman on an executor's or administrator's bond is guaranteeing that if the executor or administrator of the estate runs off wit...

Of all the webinars, the "Brick Walls from A to Z" series has been the most popular. Recorded copies are available in my webinar ...

When you've got a document where your ancestor made several statements, consider how likely it was that he knew each statement. Chances ...

Creating Research Plans Webinar My webinar on "Creating Research Plans" has just been processed and is ready for download. I dis...

Genealogical research many times is more about establishing a relationship between two people than it is determining a date precisely. Conne...

An affidavit in a Civil War pension file was made by two men with the same last name. No relationship was stated, but I concluded two things...

Our fundamental webinars are each approximately 20 minutes in length. These short session are geared for beginner or somewhat experienced b...

If I've got three sources that say the same thing then the statement they make is correct. Not necessarily. If source A, source B, and s...

If it's been a while since you've looked at Casefile Clues, we've changed out our free samples for two new ones just tonight--10...

If you estimate someone's year of birth, in your notes/sources/documentation, include how you arrived at that estimation. Some time late...

There is a difference between being someone's heir and being their descendant. A descendant "descends" from the person--is the...

Before long, there will be several indexes online to the 1940 census. Same data--just different indexes. Which brings us to a good reminder...

We have added two new webinars in our April 2012 series: Creating Research Plans--12 April 2012 Google Docs for Genealogists-13 April 2...

When was the last time you learned about a new genealogical resource, method, or term? Sometimes learning about something new, even if it do...

If you can type quickly make certain that at some point in time you actually read the document that you've transcribed. Fast typists som...

I've been working on finding people from the 1940 census and I'll admit that I relied on memory for one thing and now I wish I had n...