The Legacy Tree Genealogists Blog

Hand-picked, tested and trained, our professional genealogist team knows how to find your story. We search the world for answers. Find the un-findable. And we’re experts at everything from tracking down rare international records to analyzing DNA test results. Based near the world’s largest family history library in downtown Salt Lake City, we also work with researchers and archives around the globe. Contact us today if you would like help discovering your ancestors!

Legacy Tree Onsite: Chinese Genealogy Research at the Family History Library

January 28, 2019 by Legacy Tree Genealogists Leave a Comment

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah is a great place to start when conducting Chinese genealogy research!The Chinese genealogical records found at the Family History Library (located in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA), feature treasures for all people who are interested in researching Chinese ancestry. With millions of microfilmed records from various areas and time periods in China, one single Chinese name can open up a world of rich content. Stories of ancestors may lead to books, biographies, genealogies, and even maps of ancestral hometowns.Getting StartedThere are many reasons to take the plunge into Chinese genealogy, and if you live in the United States, the Family History Library (FHL) should be at the top of your list as a place to start your research efforts. Whether you are an American Born Chinese (ABC) hoping to learn more about your family history and your Chinese ancestors' immigration, or simply a genealogist who wants to learn more about Chinese …

“Can DNA Help Me Find My Biological Family?”

January 21, 2019 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 6 Comments

*"Can DNA help me find my biological family?" We share one client's journey from skepticism to success story. Shared with client permission.Colette had always known she was adopted— her parents never hid that from her. They would say things like, "when we got you" instead of "when you were born." She knew that she was different from her family and that she didn't resemble either of her parents. From a very early age, Colette wanted to know whom she resembled and find out more about her birth family.At the age of 10, Colette remembers rummaging through her parent's papers and finding her adoption documents. She discovered that her birth name was Noella and that she had French Canadian heritage. The non-identifying adoption information also told the heart-breaking story that she was the youngest child in a family of 5. Her parents placed her for adoption because they couldn’t afford to keep her and told her three older siblings that she had died at birth. Her mother worked as a …

Kosekis from Gotō: Japanese Genealogy Explained

January 11, 2019 by Carolyn - Legacy Tree Genealogists Project Manager Leave a Comment

*This article is shared with client permission. Names have been changed to protect client privacy.Requests for Japanese genealogy research are less frequent than other areas of the world, so we were excited to have the opportunity to study the ancestry of Fumiko Matsu, who was born in the early 1930s in Kishiku, Japan and later immigrated to the United States.Surnames in Japanese GenealogyThe most important thing to understand about Japanese genealogy is that until the Meiji era (1868-1912), ordinary people did not have surnames. Rather, surnames were only used by people in positions of power, nobility, or great artistic ability. The Meiji era was one of tremendous social and cultural revolution. No longer an isolated island avoiding trade or communication with the outside world, Japan’s new leaders pushed their country into the modern world, striving to compete with rival Western innovations and thinking. Accordingly, all commoners were required to choose and register a family …

How to Connect with Your Pilgrim Ancestors and Join the Mayflower Society

January 4, 2019 by Kate - Legacy Tree Genealogists Researcher 2 Comments

Would you like to join the Mayflower Society? We walk you through the steps of proving your Pilgrim ancestry!If you know or suspect that you are descended from one of the original Pilgrims who arrived in Massachusetts on 9 November 1620 there is still time to join the General Society of Mayflower Descendants (more commonly known as the Mayflower Society) before the November 2020 celebration of the 400th anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower.Proving your connection to a Mayflower passenger can be challenging. Tracing your ancestry four hundred years in time can mean 20 or more generations must be researched with documentation verifying the birth, marriage, and death of each individual. The steps outlined below will assist you in your quest to become a member of the Mayflower Society. As an added bonus, we discuss two unique tools to use in the process.Step 1: Compare the names in your family tree with the names of the Pilgrims.Compile a list of the surnames in your …