Born and raised in New Orleans, Markel grew up surrounded by family stories and a deep connection to Louisiana. With only one grandparent living throughout her childhood, she found herself asking her grandmother questions about the family from an early age. As she got older, conversations with her father, family reunions, and stories shared by her mother about relatives who would come into the city from more rural parts of Louisiana only made her more curious. Many of those seemingly random … [Read more...]
Meet Brad, Project Manager for Legacy Tree Genealogists
Brad’s interest in genealogy began with a simple but powerful question: Who am I? Growing up without knowing his biological father left him with an incomplete picture of his own story, and that curiosity stayed with him into adulthood. As he began researching his family history, he discovered how meaningful it is to fill in those missing pieces, not just for himself but for his wife and children as well. That personal journey sparked a lasting passion for helping others understand where they … [Read more...]
The Genealogy Mystery: Uncovering Alpine Roots in Historic Süd Tirol
For families with roots in historic Süd Tirol (now Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy), tracing ancestors often requires more than searching online family trees. Because this region belonged to the Austrian Empire until after World War I, records may appear in German or Italian, and the most valuable genealogical evidence is frequently found in Catholic parish registers, not modern civil records. Our team recently worked with a family hoping to learn more about an ancestor from this fascinating Alpine … [Read more...]
Beyond the Percentages: Reclaiming Identity, Culture, and Birthright with AfricanAncestry.com
What does it mean to truly know where you come from? For many Black Americans, tracing family roots eventually hits a historical "brick wall"—the painful disruption of the transatlantic slave trade. In a powerful, deeply personal conversation, lineage researcher Adrienne Abiodun sat down with Dr. Gina Paige, co-founder of AfricanAncestry.com, to discuss how genetic genealogy is tearing down those walls. From the evolving celebration of Juneteenth to the profound emotional realities of DNA … [Read more...]
Tracking an Elusive Entrepreneur: Interwar Business Genealogy
From Textiles to the Racetrack: Tracking an Elusive Early 20th-Century Entrepreneur Across the Midwest Image created by Gemini, 26 May 2026. Every family history project presents its own distinct challenges, but few are as captivating as tracing a relative who constantly shifted occupations and moved across state lines. When our team was approached to investigate a relative rumored to have spent the Interwar period producing entertainment events across multiple states, we knew this required … [Read more...]
How to Use Historical Newspapers for Genealogy Research
Did your ancestors make the news? Many record groups used by genealogists are documents created under the direction of a government or church organization. They have regular rules they follow, and you can quickly learn what to expect from them. For example, the U.S. Census has been taken every ten years since 1790 and each entry in them has the same kind of information. Historical newspapers tend to break the mold as a record group—with not only diversity of content but also a multitude of … [Read more...]
Preserving Family History: Beyond Names and Dates
When we think of genealogy, we often picture sprawling family trees, census records, and birth dates. But true family history is so much richer than that. It is found in the faded photographs, the quirky keepsakes, and the hilarious, heartwarming, and sometimes heartbreaking stories that are passed down from generation to generation. In a recent episode of The Legacy Tree Podcast, host Mandy sat down with two incredible guests who are experts at capturing these very things: Heather Nickerson, … [Read more...]
Beyond the Hype: How AI is Revolutionizing Your Family History Research
Artificial Intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept—it is here, and it’s changing the way we uncover our roots. In our latest episode of the Legacy Tree Podcast, we sat down with genealogy educator Lisa Louise Cooke and senior researcher Kristin Britanik to separate AI fact from fiction. Efficiency is the New Expertise The biggest takeaway? AI isn’t a replacement for the genealogist; it’s the ultimate assistant. Kristin shared how a task that once took a week in Excel—comparing 1820 … [Read more...]