When people think of early colonies in North America, most commonly images of Thanksgiving, the Mayflower, and Jamestown come to mind. However, England was not alone in colonizing areas now known as the thirteen original colonies. [1]The New Sweden CompanyJamestown, Colony of Virginia, was founded on 13 May 1607. As the colonists endured that first hard winter and eventually began to prosper in their new home, economic opportunities quickly presented themselves. John Rolfe brought tobacco … [Read more...]
Guest Blog: My Genealogy Travels and Research
A family tree has many branches and researching ancestors can be an ongoing process. In fact, nearly half of our clients order additional genealogy research projects to answer more questions about their family history. One client, Norman E. “Ned” Donoghue, II, embarked on a quest to trace his ancestry half a century ago and has enjoyed learning more about his family’s past. When he wanted to extend his ancestry beyond his own available resources, he reached out to Legacy Tree Genealogists and … [Read more...]
What Can You Do with Legacy Tree Genealogists’ Research? Meet Some of Our Affiliates!
Since 2004, Legacy Tree Genealogists has had the privilege of helping thousands of clients around the world discover their family history. Once you have completed a research project with us, you can share your family history in new ways. Many of our affiliate partners offer a variety of services that complement the genealogy services that we provide. In this blog, we are highlighting just a few of our newest affiliates. We encourage you to visit their websites and explore some of the great … [Read more...]
Ask a Genealogist: What Makes a Great Family Tree Researcher?
We spoke with one of our researchers, Kim Gilboy, to learn more about what makes a great family tree researcher. We learned that skills like analysis, teamwork, and persistence are all very important, but a love for family tree research is at the heart of every professional genealogist.Q: Would you tell us about yourself?A: Genealogy research is something I absolutely love. I lived in the San Francisco Bay area and had family and friends in Utah. I'd come to Utah, spend a couple of days … [Read more...]
Meet Jessica, Project Manager for Legacy Tree Genealogists
Jessica’s interest in genealogy began in the early 1990s after speaking with her grandmother about her family history. Like many families, Jessica knew virtually nothing about the relatives who came before her. Growing up in the Deep South during the Great Depression drove her grandparents to withhold many of their own, sometimes painful experiences. Doing so left a huge gap in the knowledge of where her family came from. While understandable, the questions still lingered so Jessica took matters … [Read more...]
Ask a Genealogist: Interesting Facts About French-Canadian Research
We recently sat down with researcher Brandt Gibson to discuss French-Canadian research and how it might differ from other areas of genealogy research. Not only did we get some great information, but we learned a lot about what drives a researcher like Brandt.Q: Would you introduce yourself and tell us about what initially interested you in genealogy and French-Canadian research?A: My name is Brandt Gibson and I’ve been a researcher for 18 years. I've been working for Legacy Tree … [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...]
Tracing Cherokee Ancestors with DNA, Tribal Citizenship, and Cherokee Rolls
As genealogists, we’re often asked to research the likelihood and details of a client’s Native American heritage. Legacy Tree Genealogists' researcher Michelle Carroll digs deeper into her journey and successful strategies when tracing her Cherokee ancestors.If you believe that you may have Cherokee ancestors and have always wanted to know more, let me encourage you to leap into discovering your Native American heritage. Learning about my own Cherokee family has been one of the most … [Read more...]
Solved! When Your Relative Does Not Appear as a DNA Match
Genealogy can be fun and rewarding, but it can also be frustrating when you encounter problems that don't seem to make sense. What do you do if your family member's DNA doesn't seem to match your own? Legacy Tree Genealogists' Adrienne Abiodun explains how you can solve this all-too-common problem.The ProblemMost of us who have taken a DNA test have experienced the startling discovery of NOT having a biological relative, close or distant, known to be related to show up as a genetic … [Read more...]
Meet Jill, Project Manager for Legacy Tree Genealogists
Meet Jill, one of Legacy Tree Genealogists talented project managers! Jill Balmuth got the genealogy bug in 2005 when a stranger showed up to her grandmother's funeral. That stranger turned out to be her grandmother's first cousin, who shared family stories and information about relatives close and distant. She wanted to know more, and a love for genealogy was born.Prior to joining Legacy Tree Genealogists, Jill had a genealogy consulting business, Jewel Genealogy, named to honor … [Read more...]