Genealogy Tip of the Day

If your farming ancestor leased property instead of owning it, there likely are no records of those leases. These documents are not like dee...

We don't try and "do" genealogy accurately because it is a game to see who is the most accurate and to see who can "judge...

City directories usually contain alphabetical list of residents. They may also contain "reverse directories" (where names are sort...

Of course your descendants have ancestors--you are one of them. These are two words that frequently are used incorrectly, at least in the ...

Age is an important thing. If your ancestor was not of legal age, he or she could not sign legal documents in his own name. Did a family wai...

Do your eyes only scroll to the "name you're really looking for" on a census page? Do you not really think about the names of ...

Have you encountered an ancestor named Jasper Newton Smith, Jasper Newton Lake, Jasper Newton Jones in your research? Chances are that ances...

Have you searched for voter's registration records on your ancestor? They may not provide extensive family details, but they may give re...

Our  60 % genealogy webinar sale is back on--save  60 % off on our already low-price of $8.50 per presentation. Our topics include: Sec...

A witness to a document typically is only indicating that they know who signed the document in question. A witness has to be of legal age an...

Is there a region (county, state, etc.) where you are researching and you don't have any contemporary map of the area? Even a modern map...

Most immigrants to the United States did naturalize after they had been in the United States for some time. Some never naturalized, which wo...

It may take years for the estate of your ancestor to have been completely settled. As a result, the probate file for your ancestor who died ...

Do you plan your research and decide what to do and how to do it before you it? Or do you just start typing things in search boxes and hopin...

We've just released the media file for my latest webinar which focuses on knowing what you are searching on FamilySearch. If you are c...

When trying to obtain a copy of a vital record, begin searching at the local level first (town, county, etc.), then try the state records of...

When was the last time you visited the FamilySearch site to see if there were scanned images of local records in areas where you have family...

Sometimes ancestors might appear in records where they are "not supposed to." Recently while using draft registration cards for ...

Remember that for a person to be born in a location, their mother has to be in that location. The same is not true of the father. The father...

Try and stick to information or evidence you have found in original records or sources. Avoid putting speculation into your family files, pa...

At the request of one of our fans, I'm reminding readers about our Genealogy Tip of the Day mug . Mugs are available from CafePress .

I wrapped up a beginning genealogy class last week. One of the records sources we discussed were local court records. These materials are fu...

Remember when using digital versions of old newspapers and relying on optical character recnognition that an "s" may appear to be ...

When reading newspapers for information on someone's death and funeral, be certain to check out the "gossip" columns even afte...

A few gentle reminders: When at the library, be considerate of other researchers who may need materials besides you. When at any researc...

Are you leaving behind information on yourself as well as your ancestors? On those days when you are stuck on your dead ancestor, consider t...

If you make a copy from a published history or any reference, do you also copy enough of the material so that the item is in context? A re...

Some documents have several dates associated with them. Make certain that you clearly indicate what each date is. A deed may have a date o...

A vendue is another word for a public sale or auction. So if you see the reference in estate or probate papers, it simply means there was a ...

After twenty years, I've finally discovered contemporary evidence that a relative was killed by Bushwackers in Missouri in 1864. Sometim...

Keep in mind that an "unusual" first name could easily have resulted from a child being named for a neighbor and not necessarily a...

To technically be your ancestor's judge would violate the laws of space and time. Remember that. Report the facts on your ancestor as ...

If a cemetery visit is to a cemetery on private property or requires access through private property, contact the landowner and get permissi...

One location may be the local "court" office, but keep in  mind that there may be several different courts in the same physical lo...

This is your periodic reminder--do you have photographs with unidentified people in them? When was the last time you asked around as to who ...