Meet Kim, Senior 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 … [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? Common Family Tree Questions 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. People often ask us: What is the difference between a second cousin and a first cousin, once removed? What does the “removed” mean, anyway? … [Read more...]
Jewish Genealogy and Family Tree Research
Understanding the basics of Jewish genealogy is essential for writing your family history and bringing your ancestors to life. Here are some of our tips on finding your ancestor's hometown and helping to navigate your research. In the last several hundred years, there were three major influxes of Jews into the United States (and countries like England and Canada).[1] The Sephardic Jews from Spain and Portugal were the first to arrive, coming during the Colonial years of American history. The … [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...]
Researching Irish Ancestry
Researching Irish ancestry can be a challenge. If you find yourself with a genealogical "brick wall", checking these available records may help! Finding an Irish immigrant’s area of origin can be challenging, but there are several Irish, U.S., and Canadian records that may give you this information. This article will discuss civil registration, immigration, church, vital, and cemetery records and how these records can assist you in finding your ancestor’s place of origin. Researching Irish … [Read more...]