Researching enslaved ancestors in the former British Empire is not as hopeless as it may initially seem. With well kept records and archives now available online, researching enslaved ancestors is possible. Here we share some strategies to aid in your research. The Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery has created a wonderful beginning point for researching your enslaved ancestors. Their database has indexed many records, including a majority of the registers and … [Read more...]
Genealogy Degrees and Accreditations
Becoming a professional genealogist is rarely accomplished in a straight line, and unlike many other fields, there is no single accrediting authority that determines whether researchers can call themselves professionals. In this blog post, researcher Christy Fillerup discusses some options for genealogists to gain credentials and professional standing. At Legacy Tree Genealogists, our core team members have at least one of the following: a genealogy degree or genetics-based degree, a … [Read more...]
Using England Quarter Session Records for Genealogy
Genealogical research in England often relies only on census records, parish register entries, and civil registration. But there is so much more information to be found! We’ve previously discussed records of the parish chest and apprenticeship records, but genealogists should also look to lesser-known English records such as court records. The English court system was complicated, but the quarter session records are generally the most useful for most genealogists. What are the Quarter … [Read more...]
Unlocking the Genealogical Treasure of the Parish Chest
Family historians with ancestry in England will almost certainly be familiar with Church of England parish registers. These registries of baptisms, marriages and burials provide the trunk on which most pre-1837 English family trees are built. Even after the 1837 implementation of civil registration, parish registers continued to be a significant source of useful genealogical information. What is less well-known, however, is that the Anglican parish created more than just baptism, marriage and … [Read more...]
Using the Records of the Social Security Administration
Records of the Social Security Administration are extremely valuable when completing genealogy and family history research for individuals who lived into the twentieth century. They can provide full name, birth date and place, parents, and spouse information, and are almost always well worth the investigative time needed to find and obtain them. Three records sets are of particular interest and will be discussed in this article. The first is the Social Security Death Index, the second is the … [Read more...]
Legacy Tree Onsite: Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Legacy Tree Genealogists works with onsite researchers around the globe. Our editor, Christy, recently traveled to Indiana for a genealogy conference and didn't miss the opportunity to research at this fantastic repository while there. Check out her thoughts! Fort Wayne, Indiana is home to one of the largest genealogical libraries in the country. The Allen County Public Library (ACPL) is most well-known in genealogical circles as the home of the Periodical Source Index (PERSI), an important … [Read more...]
The Cousin Next Door: Using the FAN Club Principle
If you spend enough time with avid genealogists, you are bound to hear the terms “cluster research” and “FAN club.” But what do these terms mean, and why does it matter? We all have those ancestors who seem to have dropped straight out of the sky and don’t connect to anyone of their same surname. Or an ancestor whose surname is Jones, Smith, Williams, or Davis, and everyone in the community shares their same surname. Then there are the women, whose maiden names and parents can often be a mystery … [Read more...]