Genealogy Tip of the Day

Did your ancestor adopt any children? Even if there are no records of the adoption, don't "ignore" the child in later years be...

For a variety of reasons your female relative may have chosen to revert to a previous maiden name. One relative did not have any children wi...

If your ancestor "appears" or "disappears" consider the possibility that your ancestor's father died and the mother ...

Computers crash. Search windows get closed. Accidents happen. The moment you find something, particularly in an online search, save it, prin...

Do you know who the reference librarian is at your local library? They may be able to assist you in finding out of print books, periodicals ...

Remember that local newspapers are not the only periodical that may mention your ancestor. Church newspapers, ethnic newspapers, trade or oc...

In your efforts to document your ancestors as best as you can, have you made an effort to learn as much as possible about all of your ancest...

A fan on our Facebook page mentioned this tip which is one of my favorites. If you have an aunt or uncle who left no descendants, but had an...

One way to get that relative thinking about "old times" is to get a local newspaper, yearbook or other item from around their chil...

Genealogy Jump Start 2014! Need to jump start your genealogy in 2014?? To help get your genealogy new year off to a great start, we offe...

A reference to a woman as a "grass widow" has nothing to do with grass and, actually, usually nothing to do with being a widow eit...

If you are fortunate enough to find a recorded deed for your relative, look at the deeds recorded and before the item of interest. It was no...

It is advised to keep search logs of records and databases that were searched, how they were searched (names, dates, etc). and when they wer...

In many English language documents in the 19th century and before a double "s" is written in such a way that it resemble a "f...

To say something is a "half-truth" is usually meant in a negative light. However genealogists should remember that many statements...

When transcribing a document or genealogical item, don't "fix" it. Don't modernize spellings or use the version of the las...

I've revised yesterday's " beneficiary" tip in after some response from readers. Apparently there are states where benefi...

[this post has been revised in red on 15 February 2014 at 11:40 AM Central] Witnesses to a will [ usually ] cannot be beneficiaries of tha...

No matter how often you ask or how many ways you try to get an answer, some people will not tell certain details about themselves or their c...

If you have an inkling of your ancestor's "lifestyle," have you thought about how portable that makes him? Did he have skills ...

Our sponsor, GenealogyBank , is offering a Valentine's Day special- -one year for 30% off. This equates to an annual, one-time, charge o...

If you've been thinking of joining me in late May and early June for a week of research at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City,...

Usually a land patent is that legal document that transfers ownership in real property from a governmental agency to an individual. A warran...

If your ancestor's ages are inconsistent consider that he (or she) may have looked older than he actually was. It may be that he provide...

Sometimes it is best to just stop spinning your wheels and ask someone. I was trying to read the back of an photograph and could not make ou...

Your relative may have had to include handwritten certified copies of various records in their pension application, particularly if the wido...

Political boundaries are usually clearly defined.  Language boundaries and regions where one custom "starts" and another one ...

If census and other records indicate your ancestor was born in more than one country, determine how stable the borders were. If national bou...

Parson Baker married a relative of mine in Missouri in the late 1870s. In an attempt to learn the name of the church, I decided to search fo...

There is no "three sources rule." There is no magic number of sources that something is proven. Might does not make "geneal...

For your elusive ancestor, do you know at least three of his FANs? Fans are non-relatives of your ancestor and according to Elizabeth Shown ...

Genealogists love records. But adoptions are one of those situations that present problems. Throughout much of American history adoptions we...

When looking for others with whom to collaborate on your research, keep in mind that there may be researchers "outside of your biologic...

It never hurts to look at a record yourself. A cousin years ago told me they had read a church record of a baptism and that it indicated the...

When using census records--both searching and interpreting--think about that word got to your screen. Your ancestor said it. The census e...