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 Top 10: Our Most Popular Family History Blog Articles from 2018

December 31, 2018 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 4 Comments

Another year has come and gone! Before we usher 2018 out the door, we want to share our countdown of the most popular family history blog articles from 2018. Did your favorite make the list?10. Beginning German Genealogy Research: "What Does 'German' Really Mean?"9. Third Cousins Twice Removed and Consaguinity: Figuring Out How You're Related to Your Relatives8. Understanding Your AncestryDNA Matches7. DNA: Transforming African American Genealogy6. 6 Things You Need to Know About the AncestryDNA Ethnicity Update5. 13 Secrets to Getting Replies from DNA Cousin Matches4. ScotlandsPeople: Research Tips from a Scot Descendant3. There's a Degree in That?? Genealogical Education Opportunities2. 3 Essential Websites for German Family History ResearchAnd our most popular family history blog article of 2018 is *drumroll please*... Researching Cherokee AncestryWhat topics would you like to see our experts cover in 2019? Leave your requests in the …

Going Beyond the Obituaries: How to Use Newspapers in Your Family History Research

December 30, 2018 by Brenda - Legacy Tree Genealogists Project Manager 2 Comments

Newspapers hold a treasure trove of information on your family history! Not only can you find obituaries, but you can often find birth, marriage, and divorce notices; passenger lists; arrests and information on crimes; war heroes and casualties; tragedies and triumphs; historical context, and more.How to Access Newspapers for Family History ResearchHistorical newspapers can be found on pay sites such as GenealogyBank, which contains over 9,000 newspapers dating from 1690 to today; Newspapers.com, with over 11,000 newspapers from the 1700s to today; and NewspaperArchive, which boasts it includes 5.6 billion names.However, there are numerous free online newspaper archives. One of my favorite places to start the search for historical newspapers internationally is this Wikipedia list of online newspaper archives.Libraries also often contain links to newspaper archives. The Library of Congress’s Chronicling America project has digitized millions of historic American newspaper …

Research Spotlight: Colonial New Jersey Family History Resources

December 24, 2018 by Michelle - Legacy Tree Genealogists Researcher Leave a Comment

One of our genealogists shares insight into two Colonial New Jersey family history resources you may not be aware of!Because the New Jersey colonial census records and the U.S. Federal census schedules of 1790 through 1820 for New Jersey were destroyed, early genealogy research there can be especially challenging. Building off of an earlier blog post - Two Excellent New Jersey Resources - here two more resources that should not be overlooked if you are researching colonial New Jersey family history through early statehood. While the name of the collection refers to the colonial period, the actual years encompassed include almost 40 years of statehood.1. Colonial New Jersey Family History Resource: Colonial Tax Lists, 1772-1822What:This collection's primary value is to determine where a person may have owned land or other taxable holdings in New Jersey during the period from 1773 to 1822. The lists are arranged by county then township, however it is not complete for all years …

Legacy Tree Product Review: DNA Painter

December 17, 2018 by Paul - Legacy Tree Genealogists Researcher Leave a Comment

DNA Painter, a DNA analysis tool created by Jonny Perl, was the well-deserved winner of the 2018 RootsTech DNA Innovation Contest. Jonny’s creation effectively meets key needs for genealogists as they engage in genetic analysis and interpretation.Evaluating Amounts of Shared DNAOne of the first approaches employed by genealogists in genetic analysis is evaluation of shared DNA between known and unknown genetic cousins. Some amounts of shared DNA are more likely for certain levels of relationship than they are for others. Each of the DNA testing companies are necessarily conservative in the relationship estimates they publish, but analysis of shared centimorgans (cMs) can give better indications of likely levels of relationship, thus guiding interpretation and research prioritization. Before DNA Painter, many relied on the Shared cM Project and/or the probability chart published in the AncestryDNA Matching Whitepaper to better interpret amounts of shared DNA.[1] While the Shared …