The Legacy Tree Genealogists Blog

Hand-picked, tested and trained, our professional genealogist team knows how to find your story. We search the world for answers. Find the un-findable. And we’re experts at everything from tracking down rare international records to analyzing DNA test results. Based near the world’s largest family history library in downtown Salt Lake City, we also work with researchers and archives around the globe. Contact us today if you would like help discovering your ancestors!

Legacy Tree Onsite: A Visit to the Mid-Continent Public Library – Midwest Genealogy Center

December 7, 2018 by Michelle - Legacy Tree Genealogists Researcher 3 Comments

Legacy Tree works with researchers all over the world to access records for our clients. We asked one of our researchers to share her experiences with family history research at the Midwest Genealogy Center located in Independence Missouri.Genealogists are in for an amazing surprise when visiting the 52,000 square foot Midwest Genealogy Center (MGC), part of the Mid-Continent Public Library system in Independence, Missouri. This unique library located just outside of Kansas City is focused solely on family history and since June 2008 claims to be the largest free-standing public genealogy facility in the United States.Visiting the LibraryFrom the moment you walk into the facility, researchers are greeted by a very helpful staff and surrounded by more than 750,000 resources to assist with research. When you first enter, you will notice that this is not an austere facility, but a building with a layout that encourages researchers to ‘dig-in’ and start researching. The staff …

Family History Research is a Meaningful Holiday Gift

November 30, 2018 by Suzanne - Legacy Tree Genealogists Project Manager 2 Comments

Are you struggling to come up with meaningful holiday gifts for your loved ones? Consider the gift of heritage!For many of us, the holidays mean family time. We gather together to celebrate lasting traditions and create new ones, drawing closer to the ones we love and strengthening ties with them.Coming up with meaningful gift ideas for our loved ones, however, is a common struggle. What does she like? What would make him happy?Family history projects make unique, personal, and thoughtful presents. Clients often have sought our help in completing family history research for their loved ones, and it’s always heartwarming for clients to deliver this gift of learning more about their roots.Last year, one of our clients wanted to surprise his wife with her family history research for Christmas. Her ancestors were from Ireland, and quietly and without her knowledge, he looked through her old records and photos to gather information. We worked directly with him to find names, …

Right Person, Right Place, Right Time: Documenting the Unknown in your DNA Test Results

November 26, 2018 by Paul - Legacy Tree Genealogists Researcher 2 Comments

Resources to help you in documenting the unknown in your DNA test results.Each DNA testing company warns that DNA testing can reveal surprises and previously unknown information about your family. In fact, customers of these databases make unexpected discoveries every day. These discoveries can be distressing and traumatic but might also be exciting and compelling. As you navigate the emotions and reactions of this experience, we recommend reviewing this list of resources to help. In other situations, the unknown in a person’s family history could be the impetus for a DNA test. You might have tested because there was an unknown in your family history.Some unknowns deal with immediate family circumstances. Maybe you find that you have a large ethnicity estimate from a region you weren’t expecting. Perhaps you find that you and a close family member only share half the DNA you were expecting to share—or don’t share any DNA at all. Alternatively, your DNA test might show you as a …

Digging Through Name Changes: The Challenge of Dealing with Aliases in Genealogy Research

November 16, 2018 by Jamie - Legacy Tree Genealogists Researcher 2 Comments

*shared with client permissionWhat's in a name? Plenty, when you're dealing with name changes in genealogy research! We share how to overcome the obstacle of aliases in your family history research!A fascinating recent project for Legacy Tree Genealogists involved a search for the parents of William Thomas Rowe, born about 1855, probably in Baltimore, Maryland, who married Susan Cecelia O’Hagen and died in 1894 in Washington, DC. The client provided the information that William was a bricklayer, and she had found him in city directories of Washington, DC, living at 103 K Street NW (1879–1881), at 1124 N. Capital Street (1884, 1885, 1887), and at 1122 N. Capital Street (1887, 1888, 1891). William T. Rowe’s death certificate showed he died 10 September 1894 at 1122 N. Capital Street in Washington, DC.[1] The client also referred to a possible match in the 1860 census of Washington, DC, for five-year-old William Rowe and three-year-old Mary Rowe in the household of John Schinners …