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...]
Genealogy Records and Resources
Our team of professional researchers have combed the world over compiling genealogy records and resources to help you find your ancestors. Many researchers limit themselves to basic sources: the census, vitals (birth and death records), and those documents indexed online. For a brick wall, creativity and fully exhaustive searches are required, and these are strategies usually beyond the means of the average hobbyist. As professional genealogists with academic degrees and credentials, our collective experience has led to our finding answers through DNA testing, estate files, the social columns of newspapers (not just obituaries), county histories, tax records, deeds, funeral home data, social history, court cases, religious rites, civil and criminal court records, divorce proceedings, guardianship papers, military service records, and the like.
How To Use Mexican Marriage Records for Genealogical Research
While researching Mexican marriage records, have you ever wondered, "Why is there more than one marriage record, and why do they have different dates?" Early Mexican marriages are primarily found in Catholic church records. Civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths began in the 1860s. Many marriages in Mexico in the 1860s and later are found in both civil and church records, but typically with different dates. Civil registration records will sometimes include more then one … [Read more...]
How to Understand Your Closest Autosomal DNA Test Matches
This article is based on a similar article from the January - March 2022 issue of NGS Magazine and is reprinted here with permission. We hope it helps you know how to better understand your autosomal DNA Test matches and what it means for you. Autosomal DNA test results at the major genetic genealogy testing companies (23andMe, Ancestry, Family Tree DNA, LivingDNA, MyHeritage) include two main elements: ethnicity admixture estimates and genetic cousin match lists. Ethnicity estimates are a … [Read more...]
Struggling to Find Your Italian Ancestors? How to Navigate Italian Archives.
From Jersey Shore to Postiglione: Finding Italian Ancestors You never know when and where your Italian ancestors will show up. How one genealogist found her Italian ancestors on a most unusual family vacation. It was the summer of 2016. As was my extended family's tradition, we rented a house at the Jersey Shore for a week in the summer. As is the goal of all family vacations, the hope is to create new memories and forge stronger connections between members. That is why my family … [Read more...]
Irish Family History: Online Resources to Help Find Your Irish Ancestors
Until recently, Irish family history research was considered problematic. But in recent years, individuals can do the bulk of their research online with many digitized records available from private and public entities. Getting Started with Irish Family History Online The first step to Irish research is to document all the information you know about your ancestors and check with older family members who are still living to get as much detail as possible from them. Finding the maiden … [Read more...]
Where to Start With Your English Ancestor Research: Interview with Researcher Kimberly Gilboy
English ancestor research can be simplified when you understand the importance of historical dates and which records will hold the information you seek. In this conversation with Legacy Tree Genealogists Kimberly Gilboy, she shares tips and tricks she has learned over her years in English ancestor research. How did you get your start in genealogy research, and why is England of particular interest to you? Kim: I have English ancestors on both my father's and my mother's sides. I grew … [Read more...]
Digging for Deaths: Understanding the Census Mortality Schedule
This is the first article in a series meant to introduce mortality schedules and the information contained within them. The follow-up article will include examples of interesting tidbits and intriguing stories that these records have helped to uncover. Across most of the United States, consistent, statewide registration of vital events, such as births, deaths, and marriages, did not begin until the twentieth century. For genealogists, this creates a gap that is sometimes difficult to … [Read more...]
Legacy Tree Mystery: Miss Mamie – a daughter lost and found
Genealogy adoption mysteries are found in many family trees, with stories and legends about ancestors passed down for generations. Like any good genealogy adoption mystery, the path to discovery can be long and difficult, but is always easier with an expert genealogist on your team. In this Legacy Tree Mystery, we reunite a family torn apart for decades and solve the case of the Mysterious Miss Mamie and her disappearance at the young age of six. The Mystery Mamie's mother died just weeks … [Read more...]
5 Keys to Researching Your Irish Ancestors
Are you researching your Irish ancestors? Or were your ancestors part of the Irish diaspora worldwide? Five key things to know before you begin your research. 1. North and South Since 1921, the island of Ireland has been separated into two countries – the Republic of Ireland in the south and Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, in the north. It’s essential to know the distinction between the two before you begin. Northern Irish records are held in the Public Records Office of … [Read more...]
4 Eastern European Archives Growing Through Citizen Archivists
Eastern European archives have historically been difficult to access. Searching these archives were often met with frustration because these collections could only be accessed onsite or not at all. While many have utilized the collections from the FamilySearch catalog to find key records, a large group of researchers were left with little to no records access because filming didn’t capture records from their ancestral village/town. Today, genealogists around the world enjoy the efforts of … [Read more...]