Genealogy Tip of the Day

The next time you have a chunk of time to devote to your genealogy research, spend it organizing and analyzing what you already have. Do not...

After his first wife died, my 3rd great-grandfather married his deceased wife's sister. Another ancestor married widow of his brother-in...

Information for any record can be provided under less than ideal circumstances. Death certificates contain information than can easily be gi...

If you are stuck, consider putting the problem aside for a few days (or a week) and letting it rest. Work on another family for a while. Whe...

Besides fitting events in your ancestor's life into national and regional historical events, consider fitting them into other events in ...

Is it possible that a color scan or copy of a document or record might indicate clues that are not as easy to see on a plain black and white...

Always analyze a date in the context of other events taking place at about the same time. In comparing the death date of my great-grandfathe...

GenealogyBank --our sponsor--is offering a special for new subscribers to their services : a discount and a free ebook on searching for obit...

Are you aware of who created the document you are using in your research? Was it a census taker, records clerk, local pastor, etc.? It makes...

If you have not seen a document or record yourself, do not list it as your source. "My cousin looked at the marriage record and said it...

Do you know the original purpose of the record you are using for your research? It most likely was not genealogy. Land deeds were created to...

Date Time Topic Cost Description Register 26July 2012 3:00 PM CST 1820-1870 Census Case...

If original material disagrees with other records or with your conclusions, do not simply ignore those original records because of the diffe...

Before copying everything in a document or record, make certain you know exactly what type of record you are using. Is it a will, a census r...

A marriage license allows a couple to get married and is usually presented to the officiant at the ceremony. The granting of a license is no...

Are you losing great-grandma at the very end of her life? Is it possible she married very late in life and her last name changed? Took me ...

Compiled trees (regardless of the compiler or the book, site, etc.) should not be your only source for a fact, relationship, date of an even...

In estates being settled in the United States, typically an heir, the potential executor, or a creditor petitions the appropriate court to b...

If your ancestor did not own real property, determine if there were local personal property tax lists kept and if they can be accessed. Thes...

An 1819 document used the abbreviation "M.T." as part of the location in a document. It took me a moment to realize that the refer...

Always indicate that dates of baptism are dates of baptism. In churches that practiced infant baptism, dates of baptism are usually "...

I'll be presenting the following webinars in July: Crossing the Pond-Part II The American Revolution at Fold3.com 1820-1870 Census ...

If there is a document or record that you do not understand, before you ask someone else to look at it--review every term or word and make c...

A recorded deed in a county record office may have several different dates attached to it: the date of execution--when it was signed. the...

Census records are not the only ones that may provide your ancestor's age. Affidavits in pension applications, statements made in court,...

Are there facts or clues that you are still entrusting to your memory? Never assume that something is "impossible" to forget.  Thi...

Anyone with a cursory knowledge of US history would know that an ancestor named George Washington Smith, Benjamin Franklin Butler, or Abraha...

Just because Grandma insists her Grandpa was English doesn't mean that he was. There are several reasons Grandma could be incorrect and ...

My ancestral couple, James and Elizabeth (Chaney) Rampley had several children, including: Thomas--father of James and Elizabeth John--t...

There were some technical issues with this offer as posted on Facebook yesterday, so we've (hopefully) fixed the error and re-posted the...

Have you preserved one of your own stories today or recently? Don't forget that someday you'll no longer be an "active" le...

If you find an ancestor in an index, remember that the index entry is meant to guide you to the actual record. Mistakes and omissions can ea...

Don't forget our July 4th Genealogy Webinar Sale ends tomorrow. Discount code "july4" is working and will give you a 50% disco...

You've found your ancestor in the 1830 census, but cannot find him in earlier enumerations--or the name is common you cannot be certain ...

It may seem like we're really scraping for today's tip, but there are actual several good genealogical concepts lurking under the su...