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!

Digging for Deaths Part 2: Census Mortality Schedules

March 23, 2023 by Katharine - Legacy Tree Genealogists Researcher 2 Comments

As discussed in the first installment of this series, Census mortality schedules can be used without official vital records to document the deaths of individuals who passed within a year of the official census date. However, a deeper understanding of the structure of each year’s schedule and an eye for detail may lead to additional discoveries. Asking the Important Questions: Differences Between Census Years The numbers and types of questions asked differed across census years. For example, in the earliest mortality schedules created for 1850 and 1860, there were columns for the following information items: Decedent’s name Age Gender Color Free or enslaved Marital status Place of birth Month of death Occupation Cause of death Number of days ill In 1870, after the Civil War, the question of freedom status was removed. Two additional columns were added: one linking the individual to the family number in the population schedule and another asking …

Family Reunion Ideas: Sharing and Preserving Your Family History

March 17, 2023 by Kristin - Legacy Tree Genealogists Researcher 2 Comments

It's difficult to come up with family reunion ideas year after year. People have been holding family reunions for generations to reconnect with relatives, introduce the newest members to the family, and remember their shared ancestors. As a genealogist, a reunion is an excellent time for a captive audience to share and preserve your family history for future generations. Here are a few tips and tricks to prepare you for your next reunion. Family Reunion Ideas: Sharing Your Family History One of the challenges of sharing family history is organizing the many dates, names, and places in a way accessible for people to find their ancestors. Sometimes it's hard to explain family relations and stories with just words alone. Often, the conversation turns to figure out how you're related and who the common ancestor is. Even the most seasoned genealogist can get tripped up. Here are other ways to overcome these challenges: visualize and share your family history. Legacy Tree …

RootsTech 2023 Recap: Uniting and Learning In Genealogy Family Research

March 10, 2023 by Legacy Tree Genealogists Leave a Comment

It was surreal and wonderful to see everyone at RootsTech 2023 Genealogy Family Research in person again after a couple of years away during the pandemic. Legacy Tree Genealogists were happy to see old friends and make new ones as we all came together through our passion for genealogy research. The theme of RootsTech 2023 was “Uniting.” Genealogy research helps us unite our families past, present, and future. Through all the ups and downs of the never ending genealogy journey, it’s reassuring to know we’re not in it alone, and there are many people and resources that can help us discover who we are and where we came from. Legacy Tree Genealogists at RootsTech 2023: The Expo Hall Legacy Tree Genealogists were eager to be back at the conference, answering questions, sharing research tips, helping kids learn to write in old English, and greeting attendees who visited our booth in the Expo Hall. We were thrilled to meet so many new people with fascinating family …

5 Keys to Finding Scottish Ancestors with Genealogist Jamie Kay

March 6, 2023 by Jamie - Legacy Tree Genealogists Researcher 4 Comments

We sat down to learn more about finding Scottish ancestors with one of our professional genealogists, Jamie Kay. Here's what we learned about Jamie and how to research your own Scottish heritage. The Challenges of Finding Scottish Ancestors I grew up around the corner from Aunt Dorothy, our family genealogist, and loved to hear our stories and see the photographs she had collected. My great-grandparents came to the United States from Scotland in the 1870s, so a quarter of my heritage is Scottish. One of the most challenging aspects of genealogical research in Scotland is the variety of religious groups. Records from Non-Conformist sects (those that broke off from the Church of England) have often been lost or destroyed by the ravages of time. Sometimes our ancestors weren’t affiliated with any religion. Because parish registers are the only source of vital records before civil registration began in Scotland in 1855, records for Scottish ancestors can often hit a brick wall for …