Legacy Tree works with researchers all over the world to access records for our clients. We asked one of our onsite researchers, located in Jamaica, to share her experiences with researching Jamaican ancestry. Jamaica is a multi-racial society. Though African ancestry occurs in eighty-five percent of the population, there are a large number of persons who also have European ancestry, East Indian Ancestry, Chinese ancestry, Jewish ancestry, and Middle Eastern ancestry. The first mistake made … [Read more...]
“Was My Ancestor an Orphan?” Understanding Guardianship in Genealogy
Who is considered an orphan? Someone with no living parents? Not until the late 1800s. In this article we'll explain what guardianship really means. Genealogists may encounter references to orphans in guardianship or probate records. However, researchers shouldn’t assume both parents were deceased. Those who had lost only one parent, especially a father, were termed “social orphans.” In colonial times, children were considered assets in which their fathers had property rights. Widows could even … [Read more...]
“Am I Related to Royalty?” Researching Gateway Ancestors in Your Family History
Do you descend from royalty? Determining if your pedigree contains a gateway ancestor will help prove or disprove a royal connection! Many Americans of colonial descent believe they are connected to royal or noble European lineages. While in many cases those lineages are accurate, most often they are not. Separating the fact from fiction of royal and noble pedigrees can ensure your genealogy is accurate and well sourced. Gateway Ancestors of Royal and Noble Descent A gateway ancestor is a … [Read more...]
“Burned County” Research – Mission Impossible or Possible?
“Burned County” is a phrase that many genealogists dread running into during their research and is something that many Southern researchers are more than familiar with. Whenever I hear that phrase, the scene of Atlanta burning in the movie Gone with the Wind comes to mind and I picture the ashes of all those records that burned floating around in the air. But the Civil War isn’t the only cause of burned counties. What does "burned county" mean? The phrase “burned county” may have been … [Read more...]
What If the Vital Record Doesn’t Exist? 3 Vital Record Substitutes You Can Use in Your Genealogy Research
In this article we explore several vital record substitutes you can use in your genealogy research when vital records are not a research option. Today, the United States Legislature governs US vital record-keeping including registering births, marriages, and deaths. These vital records make it easier to follow a paper trail from parent to child and extend our genealogies back several generations. However, some states did not mandate vital record recording until the 1900s. Because of … [Read more...]
Keys to Making Your Unknown Parentage Case a Success
You've hired the pros to find your biological family member. Now here's a list of ways YOU can help make your unknown parentage case a success. Congratulations! You’ve given this a lot of thought, and you’re ready to find your birth parents. You know this is a big job, so you’ve asked Legacy Tree Genealogists to help. We’re on it, and we can’t wait to get started. Here’s a secret, though: A lot of our success here is going to depend on you. We’ve helped a lot of people, and we feel like … [Read more...]
Meet Maggie, Project Manager for Legacy Tree Genealogists
Maggie Stevenson was born and raised on the east coast of Scotland, in the historic Kingdom of Fife. She studied English Language and Literature at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. After graduating she qualified in TEFL - Teaching English as a Foreign Language - and spent three years living and working in the south of Italy. After several years in Italy she returned to the UK and worked for a non-profit organization supporting homeless individuals. She worked as an assistant to … [Read more...]
Using DNA to Solve Genealogy Brick Walls
Have an elusive ancestor that can't be found? We'll show you how using DNA to solve genealogy brick walls might be the answer! We’ve all had the experience of trying to research an ancestor that seems to just appear out of thin air. Despite our best efforts, we just can’t seem to find that elusive ancestor in the records they should be in, and we don’t know why. DNA is a powerful tool that can help us break through these brick walls and find our ancestors on the other side. It recently helped … [Read more...]