Genealogy Tip of the Day

We are excited to offer three of our most popular webinars at a $4 rate--don't wait as the sale ends at 11:59 on 31 May 2013. All pres...

Do not simply "leave" your unorganized to a library, archives, or other facility without first asking them if they would like to h...

Sometimes the only way to locate a record is to search manually. I recently located a marriage record from 1851 that was not in the local ...

An estate settlement for Michael indicated that his deceased sister Mrs. Ernestine Hess had three children, Wilhelmina Smith (her husband...

Some documents have several dates on them. Vital records will contain the date of the event, Deeds will contain the date the deed was execut...

In some states during some time periods, a person could marry immediately after a divorce. State statute may have dictated a specific amount...

We're offering two sales this Memorial Day Weekend on our genealogical offerings--Webinars and Newsletters. 60 Percent Webinar Sale...

In the 19th century, some of the United States census enumeration included more than population schedules. There were also agricultural, ind...

If you do not know what type of index you are using, you cannot use it effectively. A defendants' index to court records typically only ...

When eating out recently with my parents, my dad thought he recognized a cousin of his and so he asked the lady if she was so-and-so and int...

When using microfilmed copies of loose papers or un-numbered bound pages, look beyond the actual image and determine if frame numbers were i...

Don't assume your ancestor did not have military service because he was too young or too old. Young men lied about their age to enlist a...

Our sponsor, GenealogyBank , is offering new subscribers a free e-book ,  How To Search Obituaries To Find  Ancestors & Trace Your Fami...

That last name that appears to be so uncommon in rural Iowa where your family settled may be extremely common in the little German village w...

When working on your "brick wall" ancestor, have you given serious thought to what stage of life they were in when they become you...

A coworker stopped me the other day and asked for suggestions on her early 19th century German immigrant ancestor. I began listing suggestio...

We're running our 60% sale on webinars today--18 May 2013.  Coupon code "sixty" at check out will reduce your order by 60%...

As one of our tips aimed as "preserving your information" past you, we start with suggesting that you write up your research notes...

Many records make no distinctions between full and half-siblings. Is it possible that siblings you think are full siblings are half-siblings...

A big thanks to our sponsor  GenealogyBank . We appreciate  their continued support  of  Genealogy Tip of the Day !

If you are fortunate enough to have a list of people who purchased property at your ancestor's estate sale, consider locating those peop...

For every location where you are researching, when was the last time you looked at a contemporary map?  Are you making assumptions based upo...

When your research migrates to a new geographic area, remember that laws and cultural practices may be different even if the language is the...

Is your handwriting a scribble that even you cannot read a few days or hours later? If so, then print when identifying pictures, taking rese...

Whenever reviewing any document, think about what other records or materials that document might have caused to be created. A death certific...

Occasionally I hear genealogists say "my will indicates that my papers are to go to..." and think that they've solved the prob...

Back in the days when livestock roamed free and ear tags were not in style for livestock, farmers would often register their brands (or ear ...

The story was that Maryland native James Rampley and family moved to western Illinois in 1847 from Ohio and were the "only ones in thei...

Do you have an estate inventory for an ancestor with items you "have no clue" what they are? There may be clues to your ancestor...

For those of you who did not know, this is not my only genealogy blog. Here's list with the links. Enjoy! Daily Genealogy Transcribe...

The entry at the top of this index page is for Thomas J. Rampley's estate settlement from Coshocton County, Ohio probate records from t...

Before using any online, microfilmed, printed, digitized or handwritten index, determine what records were used to create the index and how ...

My great-grandmother was a sponsor of her aunt's baby in 1905. The baptism took place in a church where my great-grandmother was not a m...

In pre-1880 United States census records, the relationship of household members to the head of household is not given. The individuals livin...

Years ago, I called a cemetery to ask about the burial of my wife's aunt. After the lady who answered the phone gave me the information,...