There are myriad websites, historical societies, and other resources for the would-be genealogist to get help when starting out, or for experienced researchers to continue learning new things from their peers. One of the easiest options that may not occur to you is to join a Facebook genealogy group.Because any user can create a group, there are options for almost every subset of genealogy (geographical, linguistic, ethnic, etc.) you could think of. Click here to download a comprehensive … [Read more...]
Civil War Pension Files Research Tips
The Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861-1864, and approximately 622,000 Americans served on either the Union (Northern) or Confederate (Southern) side. Afterwards, a provision was set up for Union soldiers or their surviving dependents to receive pensions from the federal government, though the qualifications to receive one varied through the years. Until the 1890s, only those soldiers who had incurred an injury or permanently debilitating illness as a result of their military … [Read more...]
German Evangelical Church Records Online: Archion.de
If you have German ancestry, this resource is for you! Archion.de is an online resource for German evangelical church records. Church records, which can include baptisms, marriages, burials, confirmations, and in some areas family books, are some of the most commonly used resources for German genealogical research.For those with German ancestors of the Protestant Evangelical faith, accessing church records from many areas of Germany has gotten easier over the last several years. In … [Read more...]
Why You Should Never Neglect the Newspapers
One underutilized genealogical source of information that can aid in extending family pedigrees is newspapers. It is well known, for example, that obituaries can provide family names and often maiden or married names of females that might otherwise be difficult to trace. However, obituaries are not and should not be the only sorts of articles sought. Newspapers in general add historical context to the lives of ancestors and report on other non-vital events – some significant, and some more … [Read more...]
MyHeritage Name Translation – A Useful Tool for Worldwide Research
Imagine for a moment that a man named Jean Joseph Casanouve was born in France in the early 1800s and had five sons. One immigrated to Mexico, another went to Italy, the third left for Brazil, one remained in France, and the last immigrated to the United States. Today, Jean Joseph has many descendants who revere their French ancestor - Juan José, Giovanni Giuseppe, João José, John Joseph and Jean Joseph Casanouve.Although all of these names refer to the same individual, the descendants of … [Read more...]
How Genealogical Records Get Online
We've all perused historical records online, but have you ever considered what is involved in digitizing historical documents? We'll show you the process!Historical records are the lifeblood of genealogy research. Created for a myriad of purposes, records come in a variety of forms such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, obituaries, christening records, censuses, newspaper articles, wills, deeds, draft registrations, passenger lists, and muster rolls – to name only a few! The list goes … [Read more...]
Hidden in Plain Sight: A Guide to Image-Only Record Collections
For the countless hours spent looking for records to prove or provide a family relationship, Image-Only Records collections that have not yet been indexed may hold the hidden answer to century-old questions. Here is how to use these records, and tips on maximizing your time. If you’ve plugged your family names into the search databases of the major genealogical websites and didn’t find the answer you needed, consider that your search is not done! Did you know that there are millions of pages … [Read more...]
MyHeritage.com and Legacy Tree Genealogists – Working Together
Legacy Tree Genealogists have the privilege of being the recommended research partner of MyHeritage! Learn what makes Legacy Tree the leader in professional genealogy work. Legacy Tree Genealogists has been a research firm for over a decade now, celebrating our 11th year as a business in 2015. Our experience and positive client ratings naturally make us a trusted source for genealogical research, and we are excited to announce that industry giant MyHeritage.com agrees, naming us their … [Read more...]
How to Find Family Photos Online
Finding photos of ancestors is one of the best ways to bring their heritage to life. Here's how to find family photos online.As professional genealogists, our job is to seek out the details of ancestors' lives so that our clients are able to understand the people with whom they share a connection. These bits of information can include occupation, military service, education, immigration, religion, and more. A question we get pretty often is "Can you find photos of my ancestors?"One of … [Read more...]
Google Searching Tips for Genealogists
In the digital age, searching for your ancestor's records is easier than ever. Read our 5 tips on using Google to navigate your genealogy search. You may be surprised what amazing genealogy finds you can discover using just Google alone! Thousands of photos, scanned books, and online genealogical collections are available that aren't at the usual big websites like Ancestry or FamilySearch. A reasonably exhaustive search should include a plunge into Google. Most know that you search for an … [Read more...]