Legacy Tree Genealogists' James (Jim) Beidler discusses the changing landscape of genealogy events and meetings and offers tips on how to get the most out of these modern, largely online, learning opportunities. Genealogy events have certainly changed over the years. In the past, local meetings often had speakers who were knowledgeable but sometimes had less than scintillating presentations. Full-day seminars, often with a single speaker, dotted seasonal calendars. Large events often had … [Read more...]
The Window Tax: A Window into Your Ancestry
Legacy Tree Genealogist, James (Jim) Beidler explains how a short-lived tax created in 1798 can be a valuable source of information for genealogy researchers. Discover which states retained this information and how to find it.Taxes. They're a subject from which many people wish to stay away - almost as much as they want to avoid paying them.There are many types of taxes, historically speaking, and records of them can vary greatly. In some cases, they are not even public records. Those … [Read more...]
A Step-by-Step Guide to Researching Historical Newspapers
For many record groups used by genealogists, there are intuitive molds of sorts for getting started. The U.S. Census is taken on the “0” year every decade. American vital records are usually documents controlled on the state level. The type and availability of church registers is determined by a denomination’s beliefs.But historical newspapers? Well, they break the mold as a record group—with not only diversity of content but also a multitude of sources that need to be used harmoniously for … [Read more...]
Find Centuries of Ancestors in Germany’s Village Genealogy Books!
If you have German ancestry, village genealogy books are an essential resource for extending your family history.German genealogy can be intimidating—after determining the ancestral village of origin, the next step involves deciphering documents written in an archaic handwritten cursive script that can challenge even the best of us. So, genealogists seeking their German ancestors can perhaps be forgiven for wishing for any kind of a shortcut that could make their lives easier. Fortunately, for … [Read more...]
Why Is It Not on The Map? How Learning History Aids Your Genealogy
"Why is it not on the map?" We discuss how learning history can help you in your family history research--especially when it involves areas with shifting boundaries and name changes!One of the biggest frustrations for a family historian is finding a new place name written in a family record … but then not being able to find that place on a modern-day map, as was the issue we recently discussed in our blog article, Finding Vital Records for Galicia, Austria-Hungary.Sometimes this quandary … [Read more...]
This Is Not a Drill: Pennsylvania Military Records Can Be Found Online!
Documenting military service is a goal for many genealogical researchers. For those with Pennsylvania ancestry, many military records are just a click away on the ARIAS website run by the state’s official archives.What Is ARIAS?ARIAS is an acronym for the Archives Records Information Access System, a website created by the Pennsylvania State Archives to enhance free access to databases showing the service of thousands of the state’s residents in various military outfits, tied to service in … [Read more...]
Time + Place= Records and Family!
If there’s any problem that’s bigger than not finding anything about your ancestors, it’s finding too many records with people of the same name to make sense of it all. That’s when genealogists use the concepts of time and place in genealogy like a set of cross-hairs to hone in on records that relate to their family.Time and Place in Genealogy ResearchWhat does "time and place" mean to the family historian? It means putting yourself in the time and place of the ancestor for whom you are … [Read more...]