Are you wondering how much time it will take to build your family tree? Here's a breakdown of what to expect, and why it may help to hire a professional. As professional genealogists, a question we receive frequently is, "How long will it take to build my family tree back as far as possible?" If by, “as far as possible,” we mean as far back as the records go – which is usually considered around 1500 unless you connect into royalty – the answer is: a very long time! Putting In The … [Read more...]
Robin Williams – Genealogy and the Whole Person
A younger Robin Genealogy affects each and every single person who has ever and will ever, live on Earth - including the beloved Robin Williams. Although a celebrity, Robin William's family history is rich just like each of ours. We love that genealogy celebrates people as whole individuals - not just people in their vocations or locations but as people who had parents and ancestors, people who were born, grew up, married, and experienced life. Robin Williams made a significant … [Read more...]
Exploring Your Genealogy: The Ordinary and the Extraordinary
When exploring your genealogy, you may come across ordinary aspects of our ancestors day-to-day lives, yet these details can seem extraordinary to us. Genealogy is hot. In 2012, ABC News ran a headline that said, “Genealogy Becomes $1.6B Hobby.” One reason for this trend is that we seem to have an innate need to know what extraordinary things our ancestors accomplished - even those who may be considered ordinary on a large scale - and we learn that through genealogical research. Look … [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...]
Free World War I Records Through the End of July and Beyond
One of the best things to hear as a genealogist is, "Free records!" World War I records have been offered free from MyHeritage through the end of July. Enjoy! 100 years ago, Serbia was invaded by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The date was July 28, 1914. This act marked the beginning of World War I, one of history's deadliest conflicts and the impetus of many political changes worldwide. In memory of this event, MyHeritage is offering free access to its World War I records through the end … [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...]
State Land Grants or Patents for Genealogy
Using state land grants or patents to obtain vital genealogy documents is one way to help tear down your family history brick walls. We've recently been helping a client discover more about an ancestor who lived in North Carolina in the mid- to late-1700s. Southern U.S. research that's this early requires a careful look at existing documents, especially since often there aren't nearly as many documents available as there are for the mid- to late-1800s. We were happy to find that this … [Read more...]
Write a Captivating Family History with the 1900 Census
As you write your family history, don't neglect the wealth of information that can be found in the 1900 census! What were you doing at the turn of the century? Watching the Times Square Ball drop as Dick Clark prattled on? Were you hiding in a closet, worried about how Y2K would wreak havoc on your life? Were you partying like it was 1999? Author Ian Frazier masterfully wove together the happenings of the previous turn of the century with his own genealogical findings in the opening of … [Read more...]