The use of DNA and genetic genealogy have become widely used strategies for solving challenging genealogy research projects since DNA testing became available to the public in the early 2000s. With our team of expert genetic genealogists at Legacy Tree, we can break through brick walls, discover unknown parentage, and make family tree connections that were impossible just a few short decades ago. In case you missed them, below are the top five DNA and genetic genealogy blog posts of 2022 … [Read more...]
15 Steps to Finding Your Immigrant Ancestors
Immigration ancestor research can be very rewarding as you discover the story behind your ancestor's journey across the pond. In this guide, we share 15 steps to discovering your ancestor's story of their journey to the United States and help you retrace their steps to find the records and data to verify your heritage. If you live in the United States and your ancestors aren’t Native American, then your ancestors crossed the pond at some point. Depending on the time period and proximity to a … [Read more...]
Five Ways to Use the New DNA Coverage Estimator Tool at DNA Painter
The DNA Coverage Estimator is now available and makes the process of identifying matching ancestors through DNA much simpler than ever before. In April 2018, Legacy Tree Genealogists published an article by Paul Woodbury introducing the concept of DNA coverage – the amount of an ancestor’s DNA represented in a DNA database through the test results of their tested descendants. Different descendants of an ancestor inherit different portions of that individual’s DNA. Therefore, they have … [Read more...]
Connecting the Dots: What Constitutes Genealogical Proof?
How do we know when we have compiled enough evidence to consitute genealogical proof of a familial connection? Read on to find out! How do we know when we have compiled enough evidence to constitute proof? Is a birth certificate or an autosomal DNA test result sufficient to declare this person is the child of that person? Must we collect every record regarding an individual – the deeds, the tax lists, the newspaper clippings, the census reports – before we can declare a familial … [Read more...]
Finding the Gold in Original Family History Records
When conducting genealogical research, it is vital – and also extremely fun – to collect as many records as possible regarding the research subject in order to gain a fuller picture of the life of that individual. This applies to all types of records, such as birth and death certificates, censuses, obituaries, church records, and ship manifests, to name a few. First, Locating Digital Records In today’s digital world, information is often accessed through search engines that scan indexes. These … [Read more...]
2 Guidelines for Resolving Conflicting Information in Sources
The conflicting information in sources can be a brick wall in your genealogy search. If or when you run into this unfortunate situation, here's some tips to help resolve those conflicts! We’ve all been there – tracking down an ancestor and finding an answer we've been looking for on a document, only to find another record that says something different! The death certificate has a different date of death than the headstone, a census gives a different place of birth than a marriage record, … [Read more...]
5 Tips for Finding Female Ancestors
Are you struggling to find female ancestors in your family history? We share 5 tips for locating those elusive ancestresses! “The husband and wife are one, and that one is the husband.” – William Blackstone, English jurist and judge Such a quote sounds grating and out-of-place in our twenty-first century society, but it was the legal and cultural reality under which American women lived during most of history, due to our heritage of English common law. Blackstone’s quote above is in … [Read more...]
What’s in a Name? 4 Tips for Finding An Elusive Ancestor
Are you continuing to hit a genealogical brick wall searching for an elusive ancestor? Here are 4 unique tips that may help! One of the things I love about genealogy is the fascinating variety of names and the many forms that one particular name can take. One memorable name that I encountered recently was Cadwallader Slaughter, often shortened to Cad Slaughter. What a name! It’s a delicate science using names to determine the identity of one person, or distinguishing between many … [Read more...]
Google Searching Tips for Genealogists
In the digital age, searching for your ancestor's records is easier than ever. Read our 5 tips on using Google to navigate your genealogy search. You may be surprised what amazing genealogy finds you can discover using just Google alone! Thousands of photos, scanned books, and online genealogical collections are available that aren't at the usual big websites like Ancestry or FamilySearch. A reasonably exhaustive search should include a plunge into Google. Most know that you search for an … [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...]