Family history research makes the perfect Christmas gift! Here are 4 ideas to create a memorable and enjoyable holiday season with your family. With Christmas coming up, you may feel the desire to give the gift of family history research. But how can you compete with the shiny toys and brand new things that Santa will undoubtedly bring to your family? Here are a few fun ways that you can share your genealogy with those you love around the holidays. Give The Gift of Research If one of your … [Read more...]
Tragedy and the Importance of Historical Context
Encountering tragedy is common in family history research, and understanding the historical context can make the events even more personable to us. Learn how to research beyond names and dates to discover the stories of your ancestors. In doing genealogical research, it’s extremely important to look beyond the bare-bones names and dates of your ancestors, and learn about the culture, history, and events that took place during their lives. If we neglect this vital piece of the puzzle, there will … [Read more...]
Meet Carolyn, Project Manager for Legacy Tree Genealogists
Meet Carolyn, a passionate Project Manager for Legacy Tree Genealogists. Carolyn has an extensive family history of genealogy work and has been involved in various research opportunities around the country. Learn more about Carolyn! Carolyn Tolman comes from “one of those” families whose pedigree goes way back, thanks to diligent great-grandmothers who were passionate genealogists. She grew up hearing stories of her ancestors’ immigrations from Northern Europe and settlement in the untamed … [Read more...]
Biological vs. Cultural Heritage
Biological vs. cultural heritage, also known as nature vs. nurture, is a question withstanding the test of time. If DNA testing reveals surprises in your family tree, consider what "family" means to you. Genealogy is full of surprises. As I was wrapping up a large pedigree project for one of our clients recently, a couple of birth records that had been lost in the mail finally arrived. They revealed that the man the client had always known as her paternal grandfather was not actually … [Read more...]
Ancestor’s Photographs: Worth a Thousand Words
Discovering an ancestor's photograph is one of the highlights of genealogy research. Bringing a face to a name is a priceless addition to any family tree. Here are a few ideas to help you locate ancestral photographs. Photographs can be very interesting genealogical records, and we have been told are worth a thousand words. The picture above, taken sometime around 1908 at Warm River, Idaho, certainly tells something. Of particular interest is a couple in the back corner. They were Zina Gunter … [Read more...]
Walking in Their Footsteps: Italian Immigrant Ancestors
In preparation for an upcoming heritage tour to his ancestral homeland, our client enlisted our help to learn more about his Italian immigrant ancestors. One of my favorite things about being a Project Manager for Legacy Tree Genealogists is witnessing how our work directly affects our clients. We recently wrapped up a project for a client who will soon be traveling to Italy. After tracing her Italian immigrant ancestors through the United States Federal Census records in the early … [Read more...]
Celebrating Pioneer Heritage
Celebrating pioneer heritage is more than just Mormon's trekking across The United States to settle in Utah. What pioneers are in your family history? Last week in Utah we celebrated our annual State Holiday – Pioneer Day. Though the celebration began in honor of the first Mormon pioneers who arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on 24 July 1847, it is now in honor of everyone (regardless of faith or nationality) who came to the Salt Lake Valley between 1847 and about 1869, when the … [Read more...]
Spotlight: The FamilySearch Learning Center – Onsite U.S. Courthouse Research
If you're looking to expand your access to free resources and records, look no further than the FamilySearch Learning Center! This is a great interactive tool to help you learn more about onsite courthouse research. FamilySearch boasts an impressive collection of free tools to help anyone learn more about doing family history research. Today we thought we'd highlight a fun interactive video about onsite courthouse research, found HERE. As a professional and published genealogist, Christine … [Read more...]