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 MysteryMamie's mother died just weeks … [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...]
Researching Enslaved Ancestors in the former British Empire
Researching enslaved ancestors in the former British Empire is not as hopeless as it may initially seem. With well kept records and archives now available online, researching enslaved ancestors is possible. Here we share some strategies to aid in your research.The Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery has created a wonderful beginning point for researching your enslaved ancestors. Their database has indexed many records, including a majority of the registers and … [Read more...]
Uncovering Hidden Jewels in British Isles Genealogy Research
Legacy Tree Genealogists’ Sharon McWilliams specializes in British Isles genealogy research. In this article, she discusses enlightening resources, or “hidden jewels,” in London that may help you trace your family history in the British Isles.The National Archives is now open to the public, but for those of us who can’t make the trip to Kew, there are millions of digital records available online at The National Archives Discovery Catalogue.Records that have been digitized can be downloaded … [Read more...]
House History: Telling the Story of Your Home
Learning about old houses is one of the best ways to connect with our past and bring people together when they learn of their shared heritage. With more than 30 years of experience researching family and house histories, Legacy Tree Genealogists' Meghan Jordan provides tips and resources to research the unique history of your house.I’ve had a fascination with houses since I was a kid. There was nothing better than driving around with my mother going to open houses on a Sunday afternoon. … [Read more...]
Using Town Records in Colonial New England Research
If your ancestors came to America prior to the Revolution, unique research methods are often necessary to locate information to trace Colonial American ancestry. Legacy Tree Genealogists’ researcher Kristin Britanik shares information about using town records to overcome some of the challenges when tracing ancestors from Colonial New England.One common assumption about genealogy research is that the further we go back in time, the more difficult it can be to find records documenting our … [Read more...]
Legacy Tree Onsite: Belarus Archives and Records Collections
Legacy Tree Genealogists’ Dennis Baranov has conducted research in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine for more than 15 years. His wife Mariya is his research helper and translator. In this article, they provide detailed information about Belarus archives and records to research family histories, especially in an area where many documents have been destroyed. Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, surrounded by Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. Minsk is the capital and … [Read more...]
Legacy Tree Onsite: Finding Your Ancestors in Scotland – An Introduction to the Main Records and Archives
Let's say you trace your family tree and discover your ancestors were born in Scotland. Where do you go from there? One of our onsite researchers provides some tips and explains that the amount of information you can find depends on when your ancestors left Scotland.Birth, Marriage, Death and Census Records The primary sources for research in Scotland are certificates of birth, certificates of marriage, certificates of death, and census records.The 1841 census was the first census … [Read more...]
Legacy Tree Onsite: Exploring the Archives of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Legacy Tree Genealogists works with researchers around the world to access records for our clients. We recently asked one of our onsite researchers to share valuable information on the resources available for family history research at various archives in Bosnia and Herzegovina.Although the country had many names over the years, in 1995, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (located on the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe) officially changed its name to Bosnia and Herzegovina. One … [Read more...]
Legacy Tree Onsite: Navigating Italy’s Archives for Family Research
Legacy Tree Genealogists works with researchers from across the globe to access records for our clients. We asked one of our on-site researchers in Italy to explain how to navigate the complex maze of archives in Italian Research.It is incredible to me that America, as a country, is older than Italy!Between 1859 and 1870, the various territories in the peninsula came together to unify the country, but it would be another 76 years before a constitution was written and Italy declared a … [Read more...]