Genealogy Tip of the Day

Did that obituary confuse the half-siblings, step-siblings, and the full siblings? An estate settlement will be concerned about the accuracy...

The next time you are using a legal document, think about all the terminology in that document. Do you know what each word really means? Whe...

Those middle or first names of family members that appear out of the blue could be from relatives you do not yet know about, famous people, ...

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Names of children frequently come from family members. One additional place that people do not often think of is names of deceased spouses. ...

How familiar are you with the local geographical features (both natural and political) near where your ancestor used to live? It is not bad ...

A relative insisted an ancestor had a son named Jarvis. There was only one document that provided any evidence that this Jarvis existed--the...

If your relative died with small children and no estate, a guardian would not have to be appointed. But if the child was still a minor and a...

We have just posted our listing of August 2013 webinars. Topics include: Using Google Books Using Your FlipPal Library of Congress O...

In a year when your research is "stuck" on an ancestor, can you name five regional or national events, political movements, econom...

Are you looking at the "paper neighbors" of your relatives? The first declaration of intention shown here is for the person of in...

When the clerk or librarian helps you with your search, thank them and let them know that you appreciate their help. And be polite when aski...

Is your reliance on memory the problem? Recently in writing a blog post involving the 1910 census, I nearly stated the census date was 1 Apr...

Is a constant sense of "connection" disrupting your genealogical research? When you are trying to tackle that genealogical problem...

When thinking about who might have pictures of family members, think about the various pictures in which that person may have appeared. Is i...

If you are fortunate enough to obtain family photographs from a relative, indicate somewhere who gave that photograph to you. In going throu...

While not a common practice today, in times when more children died as infants or as small children, parents would sometimes "reuse...

When searching the Social Security Death Index, avoid searching based on where the person was living when they applied for their number. Whi...

The civil record of your ancestor's death will be filed where he died, not necessarily where he lived or where he is buried. If your anc...

Have you gotten beyond newspapers as the only periodical that may mention your ancestor or relative? Trade, union, or occupational journals ...

If your email address has changed since you posted to a message board, have you posted a followup with your new email address? If there'...

In some courthouses and records repositories, paper copies of records are still the norm. When making paper copies (or having them made), ma...

After you've talked with that relative about the family history, have them read your transcription of the interview and see if you inter...

When working with landowning ancestors, make certain you can document how they acquired all the real estate they owned. When looking at a se...

Everything needs to be viewed in context. In the settlement of my great-grandfather's estate in 1948, there were two pieces of real es...

Are you always looking on the edge of every page and in the crook of the binding of any book in which you find a record? One never knows wha...

We've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating for new and seasoned genealogists alike: Do you have some photograph, original doc...

Often when transcribing documents or records, the researcher thinks of "explaining" that needs to be done. That's fine--but ju...

Summer Class-Researching Female Ancestors Female ancestors present special challenges for the American researcher. Consider taking our ...

Remember that draft registrations were meant to include all men who were eligible to be drafted. These registrations do not include only men...

The grantor (seller) on a deed may not be a "person" but rather someone acting in an official legal or capacity. I could not find ...

There may be more to the records of the church your ancestor attended than records of baptisms, marriages, and funerals. Church membership r...

If your relative died with minor children and a female is appointed the guardian of their estate, look carefully at her and determine who sh...

If your ancestor owned a farm or any other piece of real estate, do you know the names of the adjacent property owners? They may or may not ...

Your ancestor might have always lived in the house that is presently at 1234 North Apple Street, but 1234 North Apple Street might not alway...