As genealogy gains in popularity, researchers young and old cannot help but ask, "Where do I come from?" Who are you? Where do you come from? More and more people are asking themselves these questions as they get bitten by the genealogy bug. Young people, old people, career people, stay-at-home moms and dads—it doesn’t matter who you are, you can become addicted to searching out your family tree. Find Your Ancestry Have you ever enjoyed certain family stories that have been passed … [Read more...]
Get to the Courthouse: Three Southern Records You Should Be Searching
If you've hit a brick wall in extending your Southern family history, try searching these three types of Southern genealogy records. Doing research in the United States pre-1850 can be challenging anywhere, since the colonial and early federal period across the nation generally affords genealogists fewer record types with much less biographical information and variety than later eras, but the South is notoriously even harder to research than other parts of the country. Common Obstacles with … [Read more...]
Poisoned Pies and the Civil War
A recent case we were asked to work on revealed some extraordinary family history. With the help of a large Civil War pension file, we were able to discover that an ancestor died of what was unofficially called "Black Tongue" but more specifically resulted from eating a poisoned pie. How did that happen? We'll explain. The Poisoned Pies This ancestor served in the Civil War near Louisville, Kentucky - an area where for a time, a great number of soldiers suddenly took sick and died; some quite … [Read more...]
Perseverance Pays Off: A Lithuanian Case Study
Lithuanian family history may be difficult to uncover; however, patience and perseverance can payoff! We share how our researchers were able to break through genealogical brick walls to bring our client's family history to life. One of the stories on our website talks about a case we’ve been working on for several years in Lithuania. This case is a prime example of how patience and perseverance can pay off in a big way. Last year our onsite researcher for this case was able to locate … [Read more...]
10 Ways to Tell That…You Might Be a Genealogist!
Genealogy may not appeal to everyone, but those who catch the "bug" tend to get it bad! Do any of these 10 things sound familiar? * If you carry a “relationship calculator” card around in your wallet, you might be a genealogist. (Second cousin twice-removed, great-grandniece...) * If your Google home page displays the home pages to MyHeritage.com, FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, or FindaGrave.com, you might be a genealogist. * If every time someone mentions a major U.S. city, you … [Read more...]
Do Family Legends Have a Place in Genealogical Research?
Does your family history include a family legend (or two?) Here's some of the family legends we've encountered while conducting genealogical research. Every family has a storyteller or two – an uncle who brings out the same old stories at every family dinner or a great-grandma who shares cherished memories of her childhood with her grandchildren. The best stories, of course, are the ones that are passed down from generation to generation: reverent retellings of an ancestor’s importance in his … [Read more...]
How to Find Family Photos Online
Finding photos of ancestors is one of the best ways to bring their heritage to life. Here's how to find family photos online. As professional genealogists, our job is to seek out the details of ancestors' lives so that our clients are able to understand the people with whom they share a connection. These bits of information can include occupation, military service, education, immigration, religion, and more. A question we get pretty often is "Can you find photos of my ancestors?" One of … [Read more...]
Research Pitfalls of Beginning Genealogists
Avoid these common research pitfalls that many beginning genealogists fall into! If you’re looking for ways to improve your research skills, it’s always best to take a personal inventory of your research practices and habits. Following are some errors that many beginners and hobbyists make which, if eliminated, could save time and increase accuracy immensely. Collecting Ancestors This is one of the most common mistakes. Simply copying down someone else’s tree or taking their … [Read more...]