Genealogy Tip of the Day

Genealogy terminology can be frustrating for beginning and experienced family researchers. However a certain amount of understanding is help...

For years, I had assumed that my grandfather was one of the basketball players in this picture of the 1930-1931 Basco, Illinois, team. My ...

Just because you see a "fact" written in 1,000 places does not mean that it is true. Genealogical analysis can't be covered in...

We've released digital copies of my newspaper and Ancestry.com  census searching webinars. For more information and to grow your researc...

If your American ancestor disappears in the census before 1850, consider the possibility that the county borders changed. It is also possibl...

Obituaries and family members can easily hide a key detail in a person's life. According to family members, my great-grandfather died at...

Do you know what is meant if you encounter the word "venter?" That's the word used in this 1824 will from Tennessee. In this...

I have released genealogy webinars on a wide variety of topics. Presentations are clear, down-to-earth, and practical and easy on the wallet...

Is it possible that your female relative married someone with the same last name as her maiden name? If so, she may never have actually ...

Augusta Newman received a warrant for military service in the War of 1812. Yet another man "gets his land." Why? The reason ...

When analyzing the accuracy of any piece of information in a record, ask yourself what the consequences were for providing incorrect informa...

Sometimes it is simply faster to mark up a map with what you know--especially when people of the same name are moving around and appearing...

I am excited to offer four new webinars this week  (25 and 27 March): Archive.org--do you know how much free genealogy material is there?...

Smaller rural cemeteries present a variety of research challenges, particularly in terms of access. Not all of these small cemeteries are pu...

Periodically I send out email updates about genealogical events, summaries of popular blog posts, announcements, webinars, and other items--...

Locations in records can easily be off more than one might expect. A relative born near Plattsburgh, New York is listed on a passenger manif...

Genealogy Tip of the Day  is proudly sponsored by GenealogyBank. Explore what newspapers they have here . Or explore their obituary collec...

Some online databases like to "tease" users with titles that indicate the database is more encompassing than it actually is. Make ...

Immigrants did not always stay in their new country. Some were not happy and ended up returning to their homeland. If you can't find whe...

Using the Bureau of Land Management Site This presentation discusses search strategies for the Bureau of Land Management website--which h...

When was the last time you went back and took a look at documents and photographs you've not really analyzed in years? Are there clu...

Just about anything can appear on a tombstone--not just the dates of birth and death. Some immigrants had their place of birth inscribed on ...

It's hard to write a "quick tip" or set of rules for making certain that two records refer to the same person. There are many ...

Were duplicate copies of vital records being kept when that vital record was recorded? In some locations during some time periods, vital rec...

If you are having difficulty tracing your 18th century immigrant "back across the pond," determine if he or she had cousins, nephe...

When analyzing an age for a relative given in a document, remember that a person can easily be "off" on their age by several years...

If any relative lived in Iowa in 1925, make certain you have found them in the state census taken that year. It asked a variety of personal ...

When you get all "into" researching a person or family in an area that is unfamiliar to you, do you stop and take the time to find...

When you are using a record with which you are unfamiliar, make certain you learn something about the "purpose and process" of the...

My BLM and Brick Wall Strategies  webinars are tomorrow-10 March . Still time to join us.

An 1890 era family genealogy indicated an ancestor died after 10 April 1811. No source or reason for the date is given. Apparently one genea...

A relative moved from central Massachusetts to central Vermont around the turn of the 18th century to a location where he had no relatives a...

In some time periods and cultural groups, using names of deceased children for later children was not uncommon. Families could easily have t...

Genealogy Search Tip of the Day  is different from Genealogy Tip of the Day. The S earch Tip of the Day site briefly mentions websites, onl...

Genealogy Tip of the Day  is proudly sponsored by GenealogyBank. Explore what newspapers they have here . Or explore their obituary collec...