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 Derek, Project Manager for Legacy Tree Genealogists
Meet Derek, one of Legacy Tree Genealogists talented project managers! Derek brings decades of project management experience to our team. Derek has a depth of experience in project management from a nearly 30-year military career managing linguists and intelligence professionals. The skills Colonel (Ret) Tolman developed serving the intelligence community transfer over nicely to the family history and genealogy community. As he says, “It’s nice to transition from looking for the bad guys as … [Read more...]
Meet Kim, Project Manager for Legacy Tree Genealogists
Meet Kim, Project Manager for Legacy Tree Genealogists. Kim has a extensive knowledge of family history, and has enjoyed working at Legacy Tree Genealogists since she was an intern! Kim Running’s love of family history began as a child while listening to her great-grandmother tell stories of her uncle who, as a boy, ran down the streets of Springfield, Illinois dragging sticks along white picket fences with Abraham Lincoln’s son, Tad. Her desire to learn about her Italian immigrant ancestors … [Read more...]
8 Ways to Celebrate Family History Month!
October is such a great month. The first autumn chill, the beauty of the changing leaves, college football, the excitement of Halloween, and the prelude to the holidays are just a few reasons to love this time of year. For genealogists, however, there's one more reason: October is also National Family History Month in the United States! Many of our readers have used the research services of Legacy Tree Genealogists and/or have spent countless hours themselves uncovering their family’s history. … [Read more...]
Hidden in Plain Sight: A Guide to Image-Only Record Collections
For the countless hours spent looking for records to prove or provide a family relationship, Image-Only Records collections that have not yet been indexed may hold the hidden answer to century-old questions. Here is how to use these records, and tips on maximizing your time. If you’ve plugged your family names into the search databases of the major genealogical websites and didn’t find the answer you needed, consider that your search is not done! Did you know that there are millions of pages … [Read more...]
Legacy Tree Onsite: A Look at the National Archives of South Africa
Legacy Tree Genealogists works with researchers all over the world to access records for our clients. We asked one of our researchers in South Africa to talk about the National Archives and Record Service in Cape Town. When the Dutch East India Company arrived at the Cape in 1652, they left a legacy of fine record keeping. From the moment Jan Van Riebeeck left Holland, he began his diary recording every event of his journey. These diaries continued for some years and this is where the history … [Read more...]
How Are We Related? Navigating the Terminology
Relationship terminology can be confusing, but we've compiled a guide to explain how you are related to that cousin three times removed. How are we related? That’s a question that we have been asked quite a bit lately, and sometimes determining that exact familial connection with someone else can be confusing. What is the difference between a second cousin and a first cousin, once removed? What does the “removed” mean, anyway? If my mom has a cousin, how is he related to me? … [Read more...]