I learned about foundlings - abandoned newborns - in Italy while tracing my own immigrant ancestor back to the province of Palermo in Sicily. My maiden name is Palumbo, but as I tried to move backwards from my immigrant ancestor, Salvatore Fortunato Palumbo, I discovered that Palumbo was not his original surname. Explaining this discovery in detail is beyond the scope of this blog post, but I have documented evidence that my paternal great-great-grandfather’s name was Salvatore Fortunato … [Read more...]
Finding Your Heritage in Unexpected Places
**Note: The details from this French-Canadian genealogy research project are shared with permission from our client. Project results are always kept private unless permission is granted to share. Recently we were contacted by a client who requested we begin researching her direct paternal ancestor. This ancestor was named John Lucy, of Ontario, Canada, and was allegedly of Irish heritage. Our client explained that her father had recently died and that he would have loved to know the history … [Read more...]
Beginner’s Guide to Swedish Genealogy Research
“Ole Olsson was the son of Ole Nilsson who was the son of Nils Pehrrson. Their names change every generation and it is so hard to trace them! Plus, I don’t really understand all that Swedish.” Foreign language obstacles and patronymic naming patterns are commonly cited reasons for avoiding Swedish genealogy research. However, despite these unique considerations, other elements of Swedish records and research make Swedish genealogy research simple, fun, and frequently successful. Particularly in … [Read more...]
Legacy Tree Onsite: Inside the Polish National Archives in Kraków
Legacy Tree Genealogists works with researchers from across the globe to access records for our clients. We asked Ireneusz, onsite in Poland, to share his experiences researching at the Polish archives. Using the Polish Archives for Genealogy Research The State Archives in Kraków was founded in 1878 and is one of the largest in Poland, containing nearly 1.5 million items in its collections. Due to its size and overall value to Poland’s heritage, its name was changed in 2012 to the … [Read more...]
Legacy Tree Onsite: Genealogy Research at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Whether you're heading to Washington, D.C. for a vacation or family history research, your trip is not complete without a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Founded on the premise of being a "permanent living memorial to the victims of the Holocaust" by an act of Congress, the Museum opened to the public in April 1993. Located just a short distance from the National Mall, the austere façade welcomes those seeking to gain knowledge on this tragic chapter in world history. For … [Read more...]
The Basics of Czech Research
The first challenge in beginning Czech research is figuring out that your ancestors actually came from what is now the Czech Republic. The area now known as the Czech Republic was historically two different lands (Bohemia and Moravia), which later became provinces under the same names as part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and then changed hands several more times in the 20th century. So, your ancestor might have been recorded as a citizen of Austria, Austro-Hungary, Czechoslovakia, or even … [Read more...]
Legacy Tree Onsite: Finding Belgian Ancestors in the Netherlands
Legacy Tree Genealogists works with researchers all over the world to obtain records for our clients. We asked Frans, onsite in Europe, to give us insight into tracing Belgian ancestors and conducting Belgian and Dutch research at the Regional Historic Centre of Limburg, the provincial archive located in Maastricht, Netherlands. “Dearly beloved mother, sister, and brother, I received your letter with immense joy, for I was thinking that you had died. As for my children, I have four … [Read more...]
Legacy Tree Onsite: the Diocesan Archives of Teggiano, Italy
Legacy Tree Genealogists works with researchers all over the world to access records for our clients. We asked Michele from the province of Salerno in southern Italy to give us insight into what it’s like to research at the Diocesan Archives of Teggiano. Check it out! Perched on a green hill in the extreme south of the Campania region, the picturesque village of Teggiano bloomed into a medieval stronghold, keeping within its walls secrets of an ancient past symbolized by the glorious … [Read more...]
Legacy Tree Onsite: The State Archive of Hamburg, Germany
Legacy Tree Genealogists works with researchers all over the world to access records. We asked Rieke from Germany to write this post, discussing what it's like to conduct research at the State Archive of Hamburg. Take a look! Family history research in Germany can be very confusing because of the bureaucratic and variable complex structures of the different types of archives. The organization and preservation of documents is not consistent, which sometimes makes locating a repository for the … [Read more...]
German Immigrants in American Church Records
Do you have German ancestors who lived in the Midwest? Were they Protestants? If you answered yes to those questions, then you need to know about the German Immigrants in American Church Records (GIACR) series. Compiled by Dr. Roger P. Minert of Brigham Young University, the first volume of the series was published in 2005 and has since expanded to include 18 volumes, the most recent of which was published in July 2015. It covers a total of nine states—Indiana, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa, … [Read more...]
