Terra Costin grew up listening to interesting stories about her family history from various family members, and always wondered which were true and which were embellished. Did her great-grandmother really run away with the circus in the 1930s, never to be seen or heard from again? Was her great-great-grandfather really the founder of Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho)? Did her ancestors really own a farm that provided potatoes to the Lays potato chip company? And more importantly, she always wondered … [Read more...]
Meet Laura, Project Manager for Legacy Tree Genealogists
Laura’s journey into genealogy didn’t come from family tradition—it came from a longing for connection. Born in New Jersey but mostly raised in New Mexico, she grew up largely detached from extended relatives, with no one in her immediate family showing much interest in tracing their roots. But Laura was different. She wanted to understand where she came from, who her ancestors were, and how their stories shaped the life she knew. That curiosity became a lifelong pursuit. Her greatest … [Read more...]
Meet Carol, Project Manager for Legacy Tree Genealogists
Meet Carol, one of Legacy Tree Genealogists talented project managers! Genealogy has been a passion of Carol Genung’s for a long time. The genealogy bug first bit her when she was in junior high school and her dad’s aunt shared copies of the family tree she had researched. Carol diligently added the branches that she could at the time. Her passion was reignited a number of years later when she and her husband visited his aunt who had the family bible with entries back to the late 1800s. Carol … [Read more...]
Meet Colleen, Project Manager for Legacy Tree Genealogists
Meet Colleen, one of Legacy Tree Genealogists talented project managers! Ever since Colleen Stutz was a little girl, she has had a love for Family History and Genealogy. Even as a child at Thanksgiving with extended family, she was the only one who could keep the relationships straight and explain how everyone was related to each other. In her own Family History research, Colleen has solved several brick walls that seemed impossible. Her ancestors came from Germany, Norway, Sweden, England, … [Read more...]
Setting the Record Straight: 6 Common Myths About Hiring a Professional Genealogist
One of our genealogists breaks down some of the myths about genealogical research and provides valuable insight into the process of hiring a professional. This article may answer some of the questions you have about hiring a genealogist to research your family's history.As professional genealogists, genealogy is our passion as much as it is our profession. We love nothing more than to sink our teeth into a juicy ancestral mystery, gather up all available evidence, and piece together the truth, … [Read more...]
Secrets of Murder: Uncovering a Family History Mystery
People often ask professional genealogists why they chose genealogy as a profession. What was the catalyst that started their journey into family history? Mine was simple: my grandparents grew up during the Great Depression in rural Alabama, and they chose not to relive those experiences and never passed on their family history to their children or grandchildren. I had been interested in my family history from a young age, but efforts to glean any information about my grandmother Marie’s … [Read more...]
Meet Rachel, Project Manager for Legacy Tree Genealogists
Meet Rachel, one of Legacy Tree Genealogists talented project managers! Rachel Derenthal comes to Legacy Tree Genealogists with a background in business, accounting, and family history research. She originally obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Middle East Studies and Arabic from Brigham Young University however her post graduate jobs pushed her towards the field of business and accounting. In 2016 she decided to switch career paths and enrolled in the Family History Research program at Brigham … [Read more...]
Legacy Tree Onsite: New England Historic Genealogical Society
Legacy Tree Genealogists works with researchers from across the globe to access records for our clients. We asked one of our researchers to share the ins and outs of visiting the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) in Boston. Planning Your Trip to the New England Historic Genealogical Society Located on Boston’s famous Newbury Street, the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) is close to anything and everything. Newbury Street is a shopper’s paradise, and all kinds … [Read more...]