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 … [Read more...]
British Genealogy Brick Wall Breakthrough: A Case Study
Legacy Tree Genealogists’ researcher Jamie Kay shares a case study that demonstrates how she resolved a “brick wall” to extend the ancestry of a client’s British grandmother, who was sent to Canada in 1877. (Shared with client permission.) A client recently asked for assistance in extending the ancestry of her grandmother, Helen Lilley, who was sent to Canada in 1877 from an orphanage in Glasgow by her maternal grandmother, Helen Gray. Helen’s father had passed away and it was said that her … [Read more...]
DNA to the Rescue! Solving an Irish Genealogy “Brick Wall”
A case study that demonstrates how to use document evidence in conjunction with DNA evidence to resolve an Irish genealogy "brick wall". *Shared with client permission Researchers with Irish ancestors have often thrown up their hands in despair when they learn about the massive record loss on that small island. Knowing one’s birthdate or even one’s age was not an Irish cultural value until well into the 20th century, which further complicates Irish research. “Crossing the pond” to document … [Read more...]
Genealogical Giggles – Finding Humor in Genealogy Documents
As genealogists, we occasionally encounter funny genealogy records that makes us giggle. Here's a collection of some of our favorites! Most researchers have felt the thrill of discovering a little-known document that connects the dots on a family tree, but generally a lot of time is spent slogging through pages of records with little to show for the effort. However, researchers who spend copious amounts of time in censuses, wills, and land records are often rewarded with a few giggles to make … [Read more...]
Tips for Navigating Civil Registration Records from England and Wales
Unlike parish records which may often be found online, the British government controls access to civil registration records. Learn tips and tricks for accessing these vital documents. Before 1837, births, marriages, and deaths in England and Wales were only recorded by the local Anglican Parish. Beginning in 1837, however, the British government required civil registration as well. While many parish registers are available on microfilm or online, the British government controls access to the … [Read more...]
Preserving Living Genealogy: How to Conduct a Family History Interview
Summer is coming! Anticipated vacations are being planned, and family reunions are in the works. Now is the perfect time to begin arrangements for capturing the memories and stories of older generations. Here are some suggestions for conducting a quality family history interview to preserve the stories of your loved ones. Preparing for a Family History Interview Set a specific time, date, and place for the interview. Plan to spend about an hour to an hour and a half, with options to meet … [Read more...]
Digging Through Name Changes: The Challenge of Dealing with Aliases in Genealogy Research
*shared with client permission What'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 … [Read more...]
Where IS That Record? Clues for Tracing Irish Ancestry
Those who have been involved in tracing their Irish ancestry are aware of the challenge of record loss during the fire at the Four Courts Building in 1922. The good news is that there are still many Irish records which survived. The challenge is to locate them! Depending on the type of record, they were kept—and indexed—using different geographical divisions. It is vital to know specifically where the ancestral family was from in order to locate them in documents of interest. Finding Irish … [Read more...]