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: So, You Have an Alberta Ancestor?

November 24, 2020 by Legacy Tree Genealogists Leave a Comment

Legacy Tree Genealogists works with researchers from across the globe to access records for our clients. We asked one of our onsite researchers located in Alberta, Canada to share an overview of the various archives available to research your Alberta ancestry. If you have ancestors that hail from Alberta Canada, this article will share the information you need to help you get started with research at the various archives throughout the province. If your Canadian ancestor lived in a different province, check out our article, Key Canadian Genealogy Resources East to West.The Provincial Archives of AlbertaA great place to start with your Alberta ancestry research is the Provincial Archives of Alberta, located at 8555 Roper Road NW, in Edmonton, the capital of Alberta. The history of the Provincial Archives of Alberta dates to the early years in the province’s history. The Provincial Library was established in 1906, the year after Alberta became a province on September 1, 1905. …

5 Tips for Writing a Good Genealogy Report

November 20, 2020 by Legacy Tree Genealogists Leave a Comment

Whether you are writing up a genealogy report for a client, for your family, or just to document your research for future researchers to understand what has already been done, writing a genealogy report can be tricky. We share five tips to writing a cohesive genealogy report.Why write a genealogy report?Most professionals will write a genealogy report, for very specific reasons. Besides helping others understand what you have learned about your ancestors, it can help you to organize your research and determine if there are any holes in what has already been done. Writing up a report can also reveal inconsistencies in the records or areas that need deeper research. In so doing, it keeps you on your toes and makes you a better researcher, forcing you to analyze evidence and defend your conclusions in writing—a process which also includes engaging with contradictory evidence and making sure you can prove the accuracy of your hypotheses (this is crucial when you’re dealing with …

X-DNA and autosomal DNA inheritance patterns

The Journey of DNA’s Inheritance Paths: X-DNA and Autosomal DNA

November 16, 2020 by Paul - Legacy Tree Genealogists Researcher Leave a Comment

The stories in this article demonstrate how X-DNA and autosomal DNA can be used to solve research problems based on DNA inheritance patterns.*This article originally appeared in NGS Magazine, and is reprinted with permissionThe DNA in humans today has taken a far- ranging journey from ancestors of long ago. The stories in this column demonstrate how DNA can be used to solve research problems based on inheritance patterns. Each human has DNA, a biological code that affects many physical, emotional, and behavioral characteristics. Humans inherit copies of DNA from their parents, who in turn inherited portions of DNA from their parents, grandparents, and other ancestors. The journey that DNA takes from ancestor to descendants, from generation to generation over hundreds of years, follows four major inheritance paths. DNA testing and consideration of these patterns enable researchers to uncover information about their biological heritage. Two inheritance paths, X-DNA and autosomal DNA, …

Stories Worth Telling: The Saibara Story in Texas

November 6, 2020 by Ryan - Legacy Tree Genealogists Project Manager 2 Comments

What untold immigration stories are waiting to be discovered in your family history? We share the story of Japanese immigrant, Seito Saibara.The history of America is an interlacing web of immigration stories from all over the world, many still untold. Every pioneer, either celebrated in life or silent to the grave, has a story worth telling—you just need to know how to go about telling it!Such is the case with Japanese immigrant, Seito Saibara, a name largely unknown outside of the Japanse-American community. His life reflects the pioneering aspirations that many of our immigrant ancestors also experienced. As our ancestors weaved their way into the American dream, Seito saw his opportunity in the rice industry of Texas. His narrative below is one of perseverance, economic opportunity, and determination.Seito SaibaraSeito’s early life before coming to America isn’t as well documented as would be preffered, but a study of Seito’s diary by Kiyoko Kurosawa of Hitotsubashi …