As a subgenre of historical research, social history delves into the societal aspects of a certain time and place. Social history is different than personal history in that it looks at the wider population—structural change within society, social change, and social movements. It also deals with how things were for the common man during any time period. Social history focuses on the group rather than the individual, but it can be just as fascinating as learning one of your … [Read more...]
The Mary In Your Tree: Solving Genealogy Brick Walls By Reaching Out
We share the story of how one of our genealogists overcame a genealogy brick wall by thinking "outside the box" and reaching out to others. Genealogists are sometimes thought of as loners. The image of the researcher, up to his elbows in notes in a dim room of the library with his nose buried in a microfilm reader for hours on end is a familiar one. We tend to be an independent group, capable of singular laser-focus, burning the midnight oil scouring books, websites, databases, microfilm, and … [Read more...]
Death Certificates: Both a Primary and Secondary Source
When conducting genealogical research, it is important to remember that some documents are considered a primary source, and some are considered secondary. Our article, Evidence Analysis Explained: Digging Into Genealogical Sources discusses the nuances between the two, but suffice it to say that a primary source is one created as close to the actual event as possible with participants in that event providing the information. A secondary source was created after the event took place and by … [Read more...]
Understanding Genealogy Terminology: Pedigree Chart & Family Group Sheets
What's the difference between a pedigree chart and a family group sheet? We'll explain. Let’s imagine that you have been bitten by the genealogy bug: suddenly, you are very interested in where you come from and who your ancestors are, along with their stories. If you’ve never done any family history or genealogy work before, you might feel a little overwhelmed at the thought of getting started. But worry no more! We’re here to help you take those first steps into the exciting and addicting … [Read more...]
Where Do I Come From? The Joys of Genealogy
As genealogy gains in popularity, researchers young and old cannot help but ask, "Where do I come from?" Who are you? Where do you come from? More and more people are asking themselves these questions as they get bitten by the genealogy bug. Young people, old people, career people, stay-at-home moms and dads—it doesn’t matter who you are, you can become addicted to searching out your family tree. Find Your Ancestry Have you ever enjoyed certain family stories that have been passed … [Read more...]
Get to the Courthouse: Three Southern Records You Should Be Searching
If you've hit a brick wall in extending your Southern family history, try searching these three types of Southern genealogy records. Doing research in the United States pre-1850 can be challenging anywhere, since the colonial and early federal period across the nation generally affords genealogists fewer record types with much less biographical information and variety than later eras, but the South is notoriously even harder to research than other parts of the country. Common Obstacles with … [Read more...]
Poisoned Pies and the Civil War
A recent case we were asked to work on revealed some extraordinary family history. With the help of a large Civil War pension file, we were able to discover that an ancestor died of what was unofficially called "Black Tongue" but more specifically resulted from eating a poisoned pie. How did that happen? We'll explain. The Poisoned Pies This ancestor served in the Civil War near Louisville, Kentucky - an area where for a time, a great number of soldiers suddenly took sick and died; some quite … [Read more...]
Perseverance Pays Off: A Lithuanian Case Study
Lithuanian family history may be difficult to uncover; however, patience and perseverance can payoff! We share how our researchers were able to break through genealogical brick walls to bring our client's family history to life. One of the stories on our website talks about a case we’ve been working on for several years in Lithuania. This case is a prime example of how patience and perseverance can pay off in a big way. Last year our onsite researcher for this case was able to locate … [Read more...]