juli 20, 2023 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 27 Comments

How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Genealogist?

Learn about the cost to hire a genealogist and what to expect.

Genealogy research has its ups and downs as you work devotedly to fill out your family tree with accuracy and confidence. It is incredibly rewarding when you are able to easily locate documents and piece together DNA results on your own. However, it can be surprisingly overwhelming and isolating when you hit a brick wall or aren’t quite sure if other family members working on your tree have validated all of their results.

Throughout your family history research journey, it’s valuable to invest in professional guidance and help. Depending on your needs and goals, working with a professional can save you months, even years, of frustration.

TOP 4 REASONS TO HIRE A PROFESSIONAL GENEALOGIST

• You’ve hit a brick wall in your own personal research

• You want to verify a specific section/line of your family tree

• You don’t have the time to do the research yourself

• You don’t have enough knowledge about how to apply DNA test results to your

research

Let’s dive into the basics about what you can expect when working with a professional genealogist.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO WORK WITH A PROFESSIONAL GENEALOGIST?

Typically, professional genealogists charge by the hour. According to the Association of Professional Genealogists, hourly rates for a genealogist can “vary from $30 to $40 per hour to well over $200 per hour, based on experience, location, project types and uses, demand, time constraints, and other factors.”

That’s a significant cost range! How do you know you’re getting a good value for your investment? Here are a few things to consider when hiring a genealogist:

1. WHAT ARE THEIR QUALIFICATIONS?

How many years of professional experience do they have?
Do they specialize in a region or time period?
What level of training or education do they have? Degrees, accreditation, etc.?
Do they specialize in DNA and genetic genealogy or another area of expertise?
Do they teach or publish in their area of expertise?
Do they write clearly on their website and other communications?
Do they have positive client reviews and testimonials?

2. CLARIFY THEIR AVAILABILITY

Many professional genealogists are booked months in advance. Depending on your project, it could take several months to complete based on travel needs, record availability, and what documents and information you’ve already provided. Make sure to ask the genealogist if they can meet your timeline expectations. Many professionals and genealogy firms offer rush fees at a higher rate if you need it.

3. SET EXPECTATIONS AND GET IT IN WRITING

Don’t assume anything. If you have questions or expectations, make sure it’s all been articulated and get it all in writing. Here are a few things to articulate and define:

Project goals, hours, timeline, and fees
Scope of work–not only what IS included, but what is NOT included
Final product
Copyright and publication rights
Communication and review expectations

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO WORK WITH A PROFESSIONAL GENEALOGY FIRM?

When hiring a genealogist, there are many benefits to working with a genealogy research firm which has professional genealogists, editors, project managers, and office staff, all working together to complete your project with accuracy and efficiency.

Factoring in the cost of working with a genealogy firm is important. Typically projects are purchased in hourly blocks and can be as low as $108 per hour for a team of experts working on your project.

Here are a few things to consider when hiring a professional genealogy research firm.

1. WHAT ARE THE AREAS OF EXPERTISE?

With a team of experienced professionals, your project will be studied and researched by on-site genealogists, who can access local archives and records, and by in-house genealogists, including DNA specialists,. All of this creates the ability to collaborate with experts in different fields and access records only available to in-person researchers. This team synergy gives your project the highest success in finding answers.

2. WILL THERE BE FREQUENT COMMUNICATION?

At Legacy Tree and other professional genealogy firms, a personal project manager is assigned to your project to ensure that your research team meets your goals and objectives. Your project manager keeps you updated and communicates with your research team so the project meets deadlines and goals.

3. HOW ACCURATE IS THE FINISHED PRODUCT?

The peer review and editing process at a genealogy firm like Legacy Tree ensures that your project follows the highest standards of quality. You will be proud of your finished product and able to share it confidently with others, knowing it has been carefully reviewed by professional genealogy editors who check for not only grammatical errors, but also the accuracy of the research methodology and conclusions.

4. CAN YOU ADD HOURS OR ADDITIONAL RESEARCH EASILY?

Genealogy is a lifelong pursuit, and one project typically does not answer all of the questions you may have about an ancestor or family line. We can pick up additional research goals and projects right where we left off to save you time and resources when continuing genealogy research after a pause.

5. WHAT IS THE COMPANY'S REPUTATION AND LONGEVITY?

Since it isn’t uncommon to see private genealogists come and go, it can be helpful to work with an established genealogy firm, one that you can trust will be around for years and provide a high level of service based on experience and prior service to thousands of clients.

6. WHAT DOES IT COST TO HIRE A PROFESSIONAL GENEALOGY FIRM?

While no genealogist can promise results, a quality and experienced genealogy firm can promise an effective use of time and resources in the search for your ancestors. Many firms provide their services in project packages with set hour amounts.

For example, at Legacy Tree you can purchase packages from 25 hours up to 100 hours depending on your research needs, with pricing as low as $108 per hour. The client solutions team can assist you in selecting the right package size.

7. WHAT DO YOU RECEIVE WHEN THE RESEARCH IS DONE?

Family history is designed to be shared. To best share research results, both digital and paper copies are ideal. At Legacy Tree, you receive a website with links to your research results and scans of original documents. You will also receive a high-quality binder with all the research printed and organized in an easy-to-share format.

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO WORK WITH A FIRM LIKE LEGACY TREE?

To truly understand what it is like to work with Legacy Tree, click here.

To explore working with Legacy Tree, click here to request a free quote or call us at 1-800-818-1476.

juli 13, 2023 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 2 Comments

3 Online Resources to Expand Your Genealogy Research IQ

Genealogy research can quickly become a passion to last a lifetime. Whether a hobbyist or professional, genealogy research is exciting, challenging, and even a little bit addicting.

At Legacy Tree we believe education is important to preserve the integrity of genealogical research. Anyone interested in family history can and should educate themselves about the many aspects of genealogical research so they can accurately verify and build their family trees.

We are privileged to work with great affiliate partners and in this blog, we are highlighting just a few of our newest affiliates who go above and beyond to educate and teach, all for free. We are honored to be the genealogy research firm recommended by these partners when clients need custom research help.

We encourage you to visit their websites and continue to learn more and expand your skills as a genealogist.

Binge Watch To Find Genealogy Research Answers: GenealogyTV

If you are the kind of person who can sit down to watch one quick thing on YouTube and suddenly, 2 hours have passed, then GenealogyTV will be a great place to study and learn more about genealogy research. Connie Knox, founder of GenealogyTV is “Here to help you go further, faster, and factually with your family research.” GenealogyTV is primarily a YouTube channel with hundreds of videos on a variety of family history subjects and for researchers at all levels of experience. Connie has also created the GenealogyTV website with blog posts, show notes and links to the YouTube videos with playlists by topic.

A few things you will learn at GenealogyTV:

• How to Research Your Family Tree
• Where to Find Newspapers Online
• How to Create Great Research Notes
• Thruline Explained
• Connect Ancestors and Floaters
• And more…

Put the FUN into Fundamental Genealogy Education: Genealogy Explained

Learning the fundamentals of genealogy is critical, but it should also be fun. At Genealogy Explained, you will learn about genealogy in a way that is memorable and enjoyable. The site uses illustrations, diagrams, videos, and other visual learning techniques to help make complicated topics more digestible. Genealogy Explained is divided into different sections to help you grow in your experience: Basics, Research Techniques, Managing a Family Tree, and DNA Testing. Founder Marc McDermott has also created an extensive blog and many recommendations for online resources. Genealogy Explained is a great resource to have in your genealogy tool belt.

A few things you will learn at Genealogy Explained:

• Best genealogy websites
• Buyers guide to family tree software – guidance to choose the best for your needs
• DNA 101 overview and testing companies
• Foundational knowledge about research methods, surnames, writing and more

Decipher Foreign Language: Germanology Unlocked

Finding your ancestors' records is only the first step in discovering their story. If the documents are written in a foreign language, it can be a challenge to decipher and translate. Our new affiliate, Germanology Unlocked, provides services to assist in German translation and education. Founder Katherine Schober offers translation services, but also teaches you how to do it yourself through online courses and webinars. This can be a major step forward in your research as you are able to read old letters, family documents, and vital records in your ancestors native German.

A few things you will learn at Germanology Unlocked:

• How to Work with German Church Records
• Tips and Tricks for Deciphering the German Handwriting
• The Ins and Outs of German Genealogy Research
• German Language Tips for Genealogy
• And More!

These are just a few of the resources available online to help you learn more about family history and get started with your genealogy. You can also visit the Legacy Tree Genealogists blog where you can find hundreds of articles and resources to expand your genealogy knowledge.

If you have hit a brick wall in your research, or you want the assistance of a professional to find missing ancestors and expand your family tree, contact Legacy Tree for a free quote.

juli 6, 2023 by Legacy Tree Genealogists Leave a Comment

How To Obtain Original American Southwest Genealogical Records

Obtaining original American Southwest Genealogical records can seem complicated, but in this article we'll help you request original documents to help you on your journey.

Exploring Genealogical Records from the Archives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico

Anyone familiar with the ins and outs of genealogical research in New Mexico has probably come across documents, abstracts, transcriptions, indexes, or citations associated with collections held at the Archives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe. If you’re one of those genealogical researchers, you may have wondered how to obtain original records kept in this archive’s extensive collection.

Brief History: Why you need the Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe

The Roman Catholic Church’s presence in New Mexico began as early as the 1500s when the Franciscan missionaries began proselyting to the Native Americans there. By 1850, this mission became so expansive that “all of New Mexico came under the Diocese of Santa Fe jurisdiction.” The Archdiocese of Santa Fe reigned supreme in New Mexico until the territory it covered was too massive and started to divide in 1868. Inevitably, the ecclesiastical Archdiocese of Santa Fe affected anyone living in New Mexico between the 1500s to the mid-1800s.

While the State and counties of New Mexico didn’t record births before 1907; marriages before 1852; or deaths before 1906, the Roman Catholic Church records in some parts of New Mexico can go back as early as the 1600s. These records include baptisms, marriages, marriage information records, deaths, and burials. Sometimes one record alone will name multiple generations of one’s family, becoming an invaluable asset to genealogical research. Therefore, if you would like to push your ancestry back to the 19th century, utilizing the Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, records is a great place to start.

The Archive’s Online Collections of American Southwest Records

Many of the Archdiocese’s records have been digitized and made available online; you can access these records for free. Start there if the records you’re searching for are readily available online. The Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe will redirect you to conducting your research in these collections if they are publicly available. Fortunately, the New Mexico Genealogical Society (NMGS) has created several fantastic guides for “E-Research Resources,” making your family history journey easier. Their guides include:

Family & Church Records
Marriage & Prenuptial Investigations
Wills & Land Grants
Burials & Death Records
Maps, Online Collections & New Mexico History

One of the most helpful, comprehensive guides created by the NMGS for navigating records from the Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe is called “Finding Aids for Church Records” (to access this guide, see this link). This fantastic guide is organized alphabetically by location and includes records from New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas. Their finding aid includes hyperlinks that will take you directly to the record set you need and also provide tips for researchers and names other places to search if you cannot find the target ancestor in an expected location. Below is an example of this guide’s compilation for records in Albuquerque, New Mexico:

Screenshot of the Finding Aids for Church Records from the NMGS, Location: Albuquerque

Note that in the image above, there is a column for “AASF;” this stands for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The numbers in this column are associated with microfilms kept by the Archives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe; these collections are unavailable online. Keep in mind that there are currently three Archdioceses in New Mexico—Santa Fe, Las Cruces, and Gallup—and that this guide only lists offline microfilms kept at the Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The NMGS notes that “the other two dioceses have not released their records” for public use.

The NMGS’s church records guide hyperlinks are associated with microfilms kept in the FamilySearch Catalog. If you’d like, you may also explore the online record collections of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe by going directly there. You can search The Family Search Catalog by place, surname, title, author, subject, or keyword and by the microfilm number. Since indexes are not always available for these records, many collections must be searched page by page.

American Southwest Genealogical Records Offline

Although the records you’re seeking may be abstracted, transcribed, or referenced online, the original records are sometimes unavailable to the public online. In this case, you must go through the Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe directly. Their website states, “The Archdiocese of Santa Fe’s Office of Historic-Artistic Patrimony and Archives does not conduct extensive family genealogical research.” The Archive is currently closed to the general public and is not accepting in-house research appointments.

Therefore, when you make a family history request to the Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, your request must be for a specific record. If you find a record that you’d like to order from the Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, you can use the Archive’s “Archival Sacramental Record Search” request form. A link to this form can be accessed here or on their webpage for the “Office of Historic-Artistic Patrimony & Archives” in the documents section. While they will not accept an emailed copy of the record request form, you can mail a physical copy of your request to the archive.

Each record search costs $20, which must be paid in cash or check; they do not take credit card payments. In paying the fee, the Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe will search for up to two hours for the record requested, and they guarantee a 6-to-8-week turnaround time. They cannot, however, guarantee to locate the record, and if they do not find the record you’ve requested, they will keep the $20 research fee. If they do find the record requested, you will receive a photocopy of the microfilmed original records. Please keep in mind that the Archdiocese of Santa Fe does not accept record search requests for records pre-1700; all record requests must be kept between 1700 to 1956.

To assist them in their search, provide as much information as possible—names, dates, places, etc. This increases the likelihood of success in their search. The Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe emphasize that modern-day county lines do not break down their records; therefore, it is essential to provide the specific town/city name in which the requested record is kept.

If you have questions or need further assistance from the archive, contact them at 505-983-3811 or [email protected].

Many resources are available to those seeking their New Mexican ancestors online and offline from the Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Don’t be afraid to start poking around!

If you'd like help from our professional genealogy research team to help you get through a brick wall, you can schedule a consultation with us to see how we can get you through that brick wall and back on track with your family history research.

juni 9, 2023 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 7 Comments

Creating Your Scottish Family Tree: What You Need To Know

Legacy Tree works with onsite professional genealogist around the world. We sat down with one of our Scottish onsite researchers to ask her a few questions about Scottish heritage and genealogy, and how to get through common challenges and assumptions about Scottish family trees.

Discovering Surprising Scottish Heritage

LT:

We are pleased to chat today with one of our onsite researchers, Emily. I think it's really interesting for people to understand how you got into genealogy. What sparked your interest and what was your journey to get to where you're at right now and doing this as a career?

Emily:

My genealogy story started as many people do when they're very young. I first became interested when my grandfather on my father's side gave me a family tree dating back to about 1500, which was pretty cool. It dates back to Scotland, which was quite interesting because I'm from Northern Ireland, from Belfast. So for anyone unfamiliar with Northern Ireland, it is right beside Scotland, just across the water. It's like half an hour to fly. So it's not far, but I was surprised that we're Scottish and live in Northern Ireland; what's going on there?

When I grew up, I learned about the history of my family. I learned that my ancestors were part of something called the Ulster Plantation, which was a forced migration from Scottish and some English, mainly Northern English, and farmers who were paid to go and settle the land in Ireland take it away from Catholic owners. So it's a very contentious issue. They were paid to do this in the 16th and 17th centuries.

So Northern Ireland was settled by a lot of Scottish and English people. Many people with Scottish surnames, like myself, find out they're related to these plantation owners. So when I learned about that, it made more sense why we're Scottish, even though we live in Northern Ireland.

And then another thing that got me into it that was quite special was that there was this one surname from the family tree called Liko, which was quite a cool name. And it was my grandfather's first name. And his family had managed to carry the name for 500 years through a child from each generation.

And he passed that name on to one of his sons, who passed on to one of his sons. The fact that the name Liko started around 1500 in Scotland and it's still today in the world through this one line was pretty remarkable. And I also have my DNA tested, as so many people do. I am 84% Scottish, which isn't a surprise. And I had a cousin of mine, who's really into genealogy, and he DNA tested and found that we are related to the clan McFarland way back in the 14-hundreds. This is funny because so many people I speak to say, “Oh, you know, I'm Scottish; I'm from the clans.” It doesn't always work like that, but, in my case, it weirdly does. So I find out we are related to the McFarland clan, and then I find out that it was currently leaderless, but according to the law, only men can inherit the clan title.

Finally, the practical reason I'm into Scottish genealogy, it's because I live in Scotland. I moved to Edinburgh when I was 18 to study at the university. And then, I did another teaching degree in Glasgow, which is very near Edinburgh. Compared to America, Scotland is tiny–everywhere is within a few hours. And now I live in the Highlands. I've done a triangle of Scotland, and it felt natural to live and look into Scottish genealogy.

How Difficult is Scottish Research?

LT:

That is quite a story because so many of us, especially those from America, have lost that connection with our roots. And it's a beautiful thing that you live in your ancestral land. For many people, that's a journey they plan their whole life to go and do. It's so important to connect with your roots and to be there. That's one reason why it's so nice to connect with researchers like yourself worldwide.

Is it difficult to do research in Scotland? Are the records in Scotland well preserved? Are you able to find them? Do you need to be there physically to visit the archives, look at these research books, or go to some old parishes? How do you usually start, and is it challenging?

Using Scottish Vital Records

Emily:

So you have two categories of records that you work within Scotland.

The vital records including birth, marriages, and deaths in Scotland were registered beginning in 1855. You legally had to register one of the three. These dates differ from England and Wales which began registration in 1837 and Ireland in 1865. These records will often contain a mother's maiden name, which is wonderful because sometimes you don't get that. And they include both parents' names on the marriage certificate, which, again, English records only have the father until a certain date.

What To Know About Using Scotland's People Website

Emily:

Those records are outstanding. And what's also good is that you can research them from anywhere in the world because all of them are on a website called Scotland's People, which the government owns. You do have to pay for the records and know what you're doing to ensure you're searching in the right place. For example, if you had an ancestor with a typical Scottish name like James Fraser, I'm not influenced by Outlander, the television program.

You might type in James Fraser and a specific year or a five or 10-year period, and you'd come up with hundreds of different ones, and you think, where am I going to start? And unless you have an idea, you will waste a bit of money. One of my clients told me that he had just flat out told his daughters their inheritance was on Scotland's People, and he was spending it there, which I thought was quite funny. Although his daughters maybe not so much. Scotland's People is great. You can check out all of the records there. They also have census records for every ten years starting in 1841. The census records are a great place to find and follow your ancestors through the years.

Using Onsite Parish Records To Research Scottish Ancestry

Emily:

Finally, the parish records made by the church are a great resource. These predate the vital records before 1855; the earliest ones go back to the 1550s. The earliest is 1553. And there's a lot of volumes, something like 3,500 volumes. Many of these are online too, but like you were saying, there are some that you have to be in the country to view. So many of them are held exclusively at the records office in Edinburgh. So it is helpful in that case to utilize onsite researchers.

LT:

Is there one dominant church that maintained all those records?

Navigating Church Records To Research Your Scottish Family Tree

Emily:

The Church of England holds the parish records in England. The Church of Scotland holds many of the parish records in Scotland. If you married in the Church of Scotland, they would've registered the marriage. But you also did have a Roman Catholic church there. You do get quite a few records registered by the Catholic church.

And then they also have other churches like the free church, which is the Presbyterian church. So it depends on which denomination your ancestors belonged to. The two main ones are the Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic Church, with the Presbyterian church secondarily.

Common Barriers to Scottish Genealogy Research and How To Overcome Them

LT:

What's the most challenging thing about researching in Scotland for you when you're working on a project for a client?

Emily:

Sometimes the location and the sheer size of the data to search. For example, suppose you're looking for someone in Scotland, and they moved to one of the big cities in the late 19th century, which so many did looking for employment opportunities during the Industrial Revolution. In that case, they might just put a county, or shire, as their place of birth. And then if they have a surname that's a mix surname, like my surname McFarland, you think, oh no, because there will be hundreds of that surname in that county. Probably all related, but it is a bit of a maze to work through.

So my heart does sink a bit when it's a mix surname because sometimes it's Mc, sometimes it's Mac, and sometimes it's an apostrophe. Many ancestors have a mix of all surname variations. And so that can be quite hard to trace through. What I tend to do then is go back to the county of origin and work out all the families with that name and then work out where my client fits in.

What Does “Scotch” Really Mean?

Emily:

Another thing that I find a bit tricky is that I have many clients who are American, Canadian, or Australian with Scottish ancestry, and on the census, they list Scotch or Scotch Irish as their country of origin. But they really mean that their country of origin is Scotch. They might not have been born in Scotland. So, for example, pretend I immigrated to America in 1800, but I was born in Northern Ireland, or Ireland as it was then. I would put on the census ‘born Scotch' or ‘born Scotch Irish' to say my ancestors were from Scotland 40 or 50 years ago. They came to Ireland to live, and then we moved on to America. But it cuts out the middle country because then you wonder, am I looking for a birth record in Ireland or Scotland? So when people say Scotch-Irish, they actually mean Scottish. But that can also be tricky.

Were My Scottish Ancestors Part Of A Clan?

Emily:

Many clients, particularly those who aren't from Scotland, have this very romantic idea of their ancestors being clad in a kilt playing the bagpipes, looking over the castle and loch, and having their land stolen by the English.

And then I sometimes feel a bit bad when I have to explain to them that they weren't part of the clans because a lot of the migration from Scotland to America happened from the lowlands and the borders with England, where the clan system wasn't really in place. There was a bit of a clan system in the central belt but not in the lowlands. And so they went for economic reasons. I feel a bit bad when I have to tell them that just because they have a surname with a clan name, for example, McDonald, doesn't necessarily mean they belong to the clan.

Overcoming Scottish Brick Walls

LT:

Tell us about one of the difficulties that you have overcome in Scottish research.

Emily:

I was doing this one case where my client knew that he had a very Scottish surname, and he knew that his parents were Scottish. At some point, he believed an Italian line came to Scotland, and he said he knew the name of his grandparents, but we were struggling to find a record of their immigration.

They were Italian, and the person registering their immigration in Scotland had never probably heard of their Italian surname in the 1860s or 1870s and did not spell it correctly. After searching hundreds of records, it turned out that not only did they spell their surname in at least ten different ways, the records had switched their first and last names. It was a bit wild. I was able to break through this brick wall by paying for and gathering all of the records and then just sitting down for several days and puzzling through them. In the end, we did figure it out and extended his tree two generations.

Favorite Genealogy Moment

LT:

What is your favorite moment in genealogy?

Emily:

One of the best moments I had was finding a birth register listing coordinates at sea. I had never had that before and thought it was so special. I googled the coordinates, and it was off the coast of the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of West Africa. I've been doing this for a long time, and this was a first.

LT:

That's really neat. Think of the story behind that and the experience for that mother. I like the stories behind things. I think that's what makes genealogy so special.

Emily:

Absolutely. I think the story behind that was that the father was a sailor and all of his children had been born in the Caribbean and Malden, places like that where sailors work.

Final Words

LT:

Is there anything else that you would like to add that you want the Legacy Tree community to know about Scottish research?

Emily:

Scottish research is challenging and rewarding. If you believe you have Scottish heritage, start with the resources I mentioned before and be open to surprises.

LT:

And when you get stuck, reach out to Legacy Tree and you may end up with Emily doing some onsite research for you in Scotland.

If you're curious to learn more about your Scottish heritage and family tree, we'd love to help you verify and develop what you already have! You can schedule a consultation with us to find out how we can work for you.

maj 11, 2023 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 13 Comments

Cuban Genealogy Research: Useful Tips and Tricks

Cuban genealogy relies primarily on government civil registration and Roman Catholic church records. Unfortunately, very few of these records are available online. And knowing your ancestor's exact location of where they lived in Cuba is also a requirement, making Cuban research seem next to impossible.

Though limited by access problems, researching your Cuban family is possible and can be highly successful given the right tools. Tracking down the town of origin and identifying available records in the country with our genealogists in Cuba has helped families build back their trees on the island but also to their family's original country of origin before immigrating to Cuba.

Cuban Genealogy Research: How To Get Started

The best source of information is the immigration story from your older family members. Stories were often all they could take to America, and this information is invaluable. Afterward, conduct a preliminary survey of available documents in the home to gather details to determine the precise location in Cuba where research needs to begin. Cuban records are held within individual churches or regional government civil registration offices.

If your family was from a larger city like Havana or Santiago de Cuba, narrowing down the exact area of the town is essential because of the large number of parishes and municipal districts in those regions.

If the area where your ancestors are from is unknown, our genealogists can research in the United States to help with that process. Plane manifests, naturalization papers, alien registration documents, and death certificates are excellent starting documents to pinpoint information before research can begin in Cuba.

Cuban Research Transcriptions are the Same as the Original, Right? No!

Cuban civil and church records are patterned on the Spanish model and almost always mention the parents and the grandparents. These records often include where each of the ancestors was born, whether and where they lived during the event, and sometimes even their occupation.

Frequently, transcribed records that family members possess only include a portion of what was on the original document. Obtaining the original is always an essential step in the research process.

This record, a transcribed version of the original obtained by the client before leaving Cuba, shows a standard government record with limited fields.

The below record is the original transcription obtained in El Registro Civil in El Norte de La Habana. The original entry provides the birth location of the grandparents, which was not included in the client's transcription.

This additional information allowed our researchers to extend the ancestral lineages several more generations in Cienfuegos and Santa Cruz de los Pinos.

Collateral Lines are Key

Researching a direct line of ancestors can yield a great deal of information. However, sometimes, baptismal and marriage records for an ancestor do not include essential clues needed to extend the family tree; however, the baptismal record or marriage of a sibling may contain the information required to build a tree back to its country of origin.

Therefore, sibling research should not be discounted and should always be integral to Cuban research. The example below demonstrates how a sister's baptismal record provided information that the family was from Telde, Gran Canaria, Spain. (San Agustín de Ceiba Mocha, Libro 7, Folio 49, no. 328)

Researching in the United States

Though having a genealogist in Cuba is the golden ticket to Cuban research, several research sources in the United States are invaluable to getting started. The following websites can help.

Cuban Genealogy Club of Miami

https://www.cubangenclub.org

CubaGenWeb

http://www.cubagenweb.org

The University of Miami Cuban Heritage Digital Collection

https://www.library.miami.edu/chc/digitalcollections.html

Florida International University, Digital Library of the Caribbean

https://dloc.com/ifiu

If you have questions about your own Cuban family history research, you can schedule a consultation with one of our genealogists to get you on your way!

maj 4, 2023 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 2 Comments

My Heritage Travel: Reconnecting to our Ancestral Roots

Heritage travel isn’t always about white sand, warm water, and sunshine. For those seeking to reconnect with their ancestral roots in faraway places, a heritage vacation is a unique and enriching experience that offers a chance to explore one's roots and cultural heritage. By visiting the sites where one's ancestors lived, worked, and thrived, you can connect with distant relatives, learn about the local history and culture, and experience the traditions and customs passed down through generations.

Several benefits of traveling to ancestral birthplaces are:

Connecting to cultural heritage and family history
Building a sense of identity
Reconnecting with family
Cultural immersion
Creating lifelong memories

Your Connections to Cultural Heritage and Your Family History

For many of us, cultural heritage is vital for several reasons, including providing individuals with a sense of identity and connecting them to their ancestors, traditions, and cultural roots.

One way to foster this connection is to take a heritage trip or vacation! These types of trips allow you to experience your ancestral homeland's cultural traditions and customs.

Whether you visit big cities to learn about history, art, and music or travel off-road to more rural locations to locate your ancestral homestead, heritage travel creates a personal connection for you to your ancestors. By traveling in the footsteps of your ancestors, you make a personal link to your family’s past and better appreciate their life journey.

Understanding Your Ancestor’s Place in History

We often think of history in large-scale events, but we tend to overlook how these historical happenings impacted our ancestors’ lives. Learning the historical context in which our ancestors lived helps us understand the events and circumstances that shaped their lives and the community around them.

Do you know the birthplaces of your ancestors? Whether in Wise, Virginia, Cherry Log, Georgia, or Trzcianiec, Galicia (Austria-Hungary), our knowledge of our ancestral locations can help us develop a deeper connection to our heritage and family history.

Researching our ancestors can be a meaningful journey and enrich our lives by creating identity and promoting personal growth. In 1989, I began that journey by interviewing my paternal grandmother. At that time, she lived in Seattle and had come to visit for the holidays. During this family event, I learned she lost her mom when she was a baby. All she could tell us was what she saw recorded on her birth certificate.

This mystery fueled my quest to learn my great-grandmother’s fate and offer my grandmother her story. After almost nine months of research and writing for records from Arkansas, I was able to tell my grandmother her mother’s story. She had died of tuberculosis and was buried in Little Rock, Arkansas, far from her home in Sallisaw, Oklahoma.

This discovery deepened my appreciation for modern medicine and illustrated her place in the long history of countless lives lost to this disease before the invention of antibiotics. Within the next year, I traveled to Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Virginia to further expand our family’s history.

Building a Sense of Identity and Reconnecting to Family

Visiting ancestral birthplaces can help us gain a sense of belonging and strengthen our identity in several ways. When we see our ancestor’s birthplaces or places of residence, we allow ourselves to learn local traditions, meet and (re)connect with distant relatives, and reestablish family knowledge that may have been lost to time.

And fair warning, heritage travel may not be for the faint of heart. It can be an emotional yet meaningful experience that provides a sense of belonging and reinforces one's cultural identity. Preparation for the journey is a critical building block for heritage travel. Family lore might obscure the truth but reconstructing your family’s history through genealogical research arms you with information to place your ancestors in their correct time and place.

Cultural Immersion with Lifelong Memories

Travel–the movement of people between distant geographical locations. We cannot fully immerse ourselves in our cultural history without travel. Our journey to ancestral birthplaces allows us to create lasting memories and forge a bond with one's heritage and family.

What about you? Do you have an ancestral location beckoning to you?

Over the past thirty years of research, my heritage travel has included trips to Oklahoma to visit with my great-aunt and her family to learn more about my father’s Cherokee ancestry, road trips to southwest Virginia to learn about my paternal grandmother’s ancestry lost when her mother died when she was an infant and traversing across the globe to meet cousins for the first time to visit my maternal great-grandparents Galician village of Trzcianiec located in today’s Podkarpackie voivodeship in southeast Poland.

After missing out on a heritage travel trip in 2020, I will finally travel to Poland for the village reunion “VII Zjazd wsi Trzcianiec i Grąziowa” in September. Currently, I am mapping out my four weeks of travel. My itinerary includes days for research at the Polish State Archives in Przemyśl and Sanok and visiting with family in Poland, Germany, and France.

In preparation, I am studying train routes to lay out my trip calendar and looking into renting a car to access some of the more rural sections of Poland. Another preparation step already in motion has been to contract a local Polish-speaking guide for the reunion weekend. While my Ukrainian language skills are okay for dinner, I need something else for a fast-paced weekend meeting new people and discussing family history. Having a dedicated translator offers me the confidence to capture all of the conversations around me.

And finally, preparing for heritage travel means doing genealogy research. I have been working for years to learn about this branch of my family tree and have visited the ancestral village a couple of times already. I’m thrilled to be meeting new relatives on this coming trip.

Overall, visiting our ancestral lands allows us to create emotional and meaningful memories, connect with our cultural heritage, build relationships, and take part in our cultural heritage, all of which will last a lifetime.

If you'd like help finding out where you could begin your own heritage travel experience, you can schedule a consultation with our professional genealogists here.

april 27, 2023 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 16 Comments

Using AI Effectively for Genealogy Research

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) for genealogy research is still in its infancy but gaining momentum as each new tool is released, including ChatGPT and Google Translate. These tools do not replace the need for a professional genealogist to analyze the data but can speed up the research process by finding information more rapidly.

We asked our research team how genealogists can apply AI to their genealogy research projects. Here are some of their key learnings and cautions.

First, How AI Tools Work

The AI tools used most often by genealogists rely on NLP – Natural Language Processing. NLP enables machines to interpret, understand, apply, and generate human language. Researchers can use NLP effectively to extract data from historical documents for analysis. Documents most readily analyzed include birth and death certificates, census records, marriage licenses, and even newspapers. The NLP algorithms can extract names, dates, and locations from these records, saving a researcher valuable time.

AI tools also have machine learning algorithms that help to predict relationships. Large datasets of family history information can train the algorithm to make predictions about family relationships or to find missing information. The algorithm may then be able to fill in gaps in a family tree or predict how likely two people are related to one another based on their DNA test results.

Using ChatGPT for Genealogy Research

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI. When answering a query, it can create a response that appears to be human-created text. It is also able to write and provide data on a variety of subjects.

One of the challenges of using ChatGPT for genealogy research is the need for more accuracy and the requirement to fact-check. A few tests run by Legacy Tree Genealogists found that while ChatGPT can produce information, it occasionally adds a bit of fiction.

“I found when I asked ChatGPT to write me an early history of Smith County, Tennessee, with sources, that the information was mostly accurate, but the sources were made up. That's part of the problem–it's an LLM (large language model), meaning it guesses at the next most likely word or character rather than being an actual research AI,” said one genealogist.

Another Legacy Tree researcher said, “I used ChatGPT with a prompt ‘Tell me about my second great-grandfather Blazuius Britanik.’ It gave me a totally plausible response but was also completely incorrect. I'm curious if AI will be putting out more bad information that we'll have to be aware of as genealogists.”

ChatGPT can be very helpful when asked carefully-worded and specific questions, but it can also provide inaccurate answers that a researcher must check.

When we asked ChatGPT how we could use the platform for genealogy research, it responded with:

1. Ask specific questions: You can ask ChatGPT specific questions about your family history, such as “Who were my great-grandparents?” or “Where did my ancestors come from?” ChatGPT can use its vast knowledge base to provide you with answers or suggestions for further research.

2. Ask for research tips: ChatGPT can also provide you with research tips and suggestions for further research. For example, you can ask “What are some online resources for genealogy research?” or “What are some tips for tracing your family tree?”

3. Use ChatGPT to transcribe handwritten documents: If you have old handwritten documents, such as letters or journals, you can use ChatGPT to transcribe them. Simply take a photo or scan the document and upload it to ChatGPT. ChatGPT can use its optical character recognition (OCR) capabilities to transcribe the document. *This is an example of the inaccuracy of ChatGPT. At this time, ChatGPT is not able to ‘read' handwritten documents or have photos or images uploaded, yet it gave us this information.

4. Use ChatGPT to translate documents: If you have documents in a language you cannot read, ChatGPT can help you translate them. Simply upload the document to ChatGPT and ask for a translation. *Another example of the inaccuracy of ChatGPT. At this time, ChatGPT does not allow document uploads in the traditional sense, but you can copy and paste text into ChapGPT for translation.

5. Use ChatGPT for record searches: ChatGPT can also help you search for records, such as census records or immigration records. Simply ask ChatGPT to help you find a specific record and provide any details you have about the person you are researching.

ChapGPT Takeaway:

ChatGPT is a great tool to help formulate research strategies and research historical context. However, all information must be sourced and checked for accuracy, and it is not a replacement for an experienced genealogist.

Using Google Translate for AI Genealogy Research

This AI tool is an excellent help to genealogists, especially when translating records from one language to another.

An experienced researcher at Legacy Tree has found Google Translate to speed up the work. “In my research work, I used Google Translate to take a photo of text written in another language, and I'm shocked at how good it is sometimes. Of course, we still verify, but it saves us so much time from translating documents that might not be for the right person.”

Google Translate Takeaway:

Google Translate is a good tool for starting a translation or determining if a document has information about the person or family you are researching. Verifying the translation with a professional is always necessary for accurate interpretation.

How Major Genealogy Companies Use AI

MyHeritage has also developed a suite of AI-powered genealogy research tools, such as identifying ancestors in historical photographs and automatically colorizing black and white photos. This has led to the creation of photo animation and engaged many new genealogy users through the interactive AI Time Machine.

Ancestry successfully used AI handwriting recognition software to transcribe documents like the 1950 Census records. They also use suggested records in their search, identifying whether a record looks similar to another person in a different record to help merge duplicates or find other relatives.

FamilySearch is currently training the algorithm to index handwritten documents. Current research is focused on the 1400s at speeds unmatched by human researchers. In 2022, FamilySearch released the 1950 US Census by creating an initial index from digital census images that volunteers later checked for accuracy.

If you'd like help with your genealogical research, you can get a free quote here!

marts 23, 2023 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 4 Comments

Digging for Deaths Part 2: Census Mortality Schedules

As discussed in the first installment of this series, Census mortality schedules can be used without official vital records to document the deaths of individuals who passed within a year of the official census date. However, a deeper understanding of the structure of each year’s schedule and an eye for detail may lead to additional discoveries.

Asking the Important Questions: Differences Between Census Years

The numbers and types of questions asked differed across census years. For example, in the earliest mortality schedules created for 1850 and 1860, there were columns for the following information items:

Decedent’s name
Age
Gender
Color
Free or enslaved
Marital status
Place of birth
Month of death
Occupation
Cause of death
Number of days ill

In 1870, after the Civil War, the question of freedom status was removed. Two additional columns were added: one linking the individual to the family number in the population schedule and another asking whether the descendent’s parents were born outside the United States.

By 1880, the Census Bureau requested significantly more information, including the places of birth of the individual and each of their parents; how long the decedent had resided in the county of death; where they contracted the fatal disease, if outside the county; and the name of the attending physician. The form also included a section for specifying the residence of the decedent’s family if they lived outside of the enumeration district in which that individual died and the decedent’s place of death if outside of the enumeration district from which the resident family reported it.

The value of these additions for genealogists cannot be overstated. For example, an entry for 18-year-old iron molder George Abbott, whose parents and four siblings lived in Salt Lake City, Utah, reveals the family’s English place of origin: Hunslet, Yorkshire.

George Abbott’s place of death.

mortality census schedules — George Abbott's place of death

In 1880, the enumerator followed up with physicians to confirm the causes of death reported by families. This practice sometimes resulted in corrections or the addition of details about the death.

For example, Ellen Pratt, a 35-year-old married woman and likely mother of at least six children, died in Lewiston, Androscoggin County, Maine, in June 1879. A family member reported her cause of death as inflammation of the bowels, identifying the attending physician as Dr. Oaks. The enumerator noted she had “been attended by all the Doctors in town or several at least, and Dr. Sturges visited her within her last twenty-four hours of life.” In his consultation, that doctor, B. F. Sturges, revealed a secret: Ellen’s fatal inflammation was caused by a self-induced abortion. In this case, the addition of the doctor’s comments vastly changes the narrative.

The pages containing doctors’ notes appear on the reverse side of the main form. These are not available on Ancestry, but FamilySearch has imaged them. (To learn more about accessing each collection, see the previous installment in this series: http://www.legacytree.com/blog/digging-for-deaths-understanding-the-census-mortality-schedule.)

The Remarks Section of Census Mortality Schedules

Each year’s mortality schedule form included a section entitled “Remarks.” Enumerators were asked to provide additional details, when necessary, regarding the cause of death in this section, particularly in the case of accidental and tragic deaths.

An entry created in American Fork, Utah, in 1880 describes the incredible circumstances of one family’s tragic loss of twin daughters, including a detailed physical description of the mother.

Original spellings were retained in the transcription below:

“My Wife having been studying Obstetrics and Medicine I took her in A Buggy 4 Miles to interveiw this Lady ‘Mrs Beck’ is 25 years of Age Fair complexion rather florid. Height 5ft 4 Inches, weight 150 lb, When carrying her children, ‘very Dropsical,’ will swell all over clear around the Shoulders, and a feeling of suffocation at the Heart, On the 13th of Octr, 1879 at 11 PM she was Delivered by a common Midwife of a child, and was told there was no more, Mrs Beck presisted there was, Dr Pike from Provo was sent for on the Eight day after confinement, and testified that she was correct, and as she had not carried the 1st child quite 7 months, if they could prevent Fl[???]ing from setting in she might carrey the other to maturity, But on the 22nd of Octr 1879 at 2 AM another Child was Born, there being no one present but A Woman the Mother of 2 Children, Mrs Beck had to take the child herself, It was [???? ????] Birth, covered with a membranous covering, and a call over its face, both were Female children…”

Unfortunately, portions of the entry, especially along the lower edge of the page, are illegible. Mrs. Beck, the former Isadora Jameson, was the wife of Peter Jacobsen Beck.

Detailed entries such as these were not limited to the deaths of Mrs. Beck’s children. Other examples include:

Jacob Bessler, 63, died in Cache County, Utah, and was buried in the street overnight. The townspeople insisted his body be moved to the local cemetery. Despite these strange circumstances, no effort was made to determine the cause of Jacob’s death.
T. C. Everts, an assistant marshal, disappeared on an expedition to the head of the Yellowstone River. Although others in the camp searched for days, they could not locate him. His bereaved daughter was en route from Ohio when the marshal reported the loss.

Directions for the year 1860 enumeration requested information about the locality to be included in the remarks section, such as:

Descriptions of prevailing diseases and their supposed causes among the region's people and livestock.
“the character of the water, the nature of the soil and rocks, the kind of timber, the natural growth of the region, the natural fertilizers, as lime, marl, or shells, and any other facts of interest relating to mines, seasons, springs, or any particular or unusual natural phenomena.”
Any other event connected with the history of the area.

Similar details also appeared sporadically in other census years.

In 1850, A. P. Greer, assistant marshal in Baker County, Georgia, attached to the mortality schedule two full, handwritten pages regarding local geography and culture, noting that wealthy planters residing elsewhere owned many of the most extensive, most valuable plantations and only visited periodically, avoiding the area in the summer. Greer explained that most cotton raised in Baker County traveled downriver by pole boat, with no railroad.

However, he described plans to develop one from the county’s largest city, Albany, to Oglethorpe, a move he believed would draw settlers to the area. In the remarks section of the mortality schedule, he also mentioned the original books containing the census had burned, and a second enumeration was undertaken. Unfortunately, it was less successful, with many individuals refusing to provide information a second time. A researcher unable to find a missing household might find this detail invaluable in explaining its absence from the population schedule.

Records of Enslaved People In Census Mortality Schedules

Pre-1870 census records rarely include the names of the enslaved. Mortality schedules are one exception to this rule and thus become a source of information for identifying individuals and reconstructing families.

For example, in Trinity County, Texas, in 1860, seven black and mulatto people sharing the surname “Estus” were reported as having died of typhoid fever over the previous year: Lucy, 6; Sylva, 6; July, 37; Alfred, 44; Ben, 16; and Malinda, 23. Three were born in Georgia, two in Alabama, and one in Virginia.

Their placement in the schedule, between three Evans individuals and a Kirkly child, reveals merchant Thomas S. Estes of Sumpter likely enslaved them. Thomas and his family had migrated from Dallas County, Alabama, within the previous decade, almost certainly after Lucy and Sylva’s births in about 1854.

Additional research into the Estes family's records in Alabama and Texas could reveal more about the lives of those, like July and Alfred, from whose labor they benefited.

Epidemic Diseases Recorded In Census Mortality Schedules

Noting patterns within communities can also lead to the discovery of epidemic diseases impacting the family of interest.

The 1850 census mortality schedule documents Sacramento, California’s 1850 cholera epidemic . The record includes seventeen pages of deaths, most occurring in just a few weeks in September and October. Enumerator William N. Johnson noted, “ no reliable record was kept of the deaths till cholera became an epidemic, and soon then twas impossible to arrive at any just result. I visited some houses in which persons had died just the day before, and their names could not be ascertained. I think at least one half ought to be added to the above enumeration which is taken from the public record, making, say, nine hundred.” The deaths included seventeen of the city’s nearly forty doctors.

My own family, residing in Hancock County, Ohio, lost a daughter, Mary Smith, to scarlet fever in 1859. That year, mortality schedules reported nearly 4,000 people—primarily children under the age of 10—who had died of scarlet fever or putrid sore throat, a common term used to describe the disease, in Ohio. This number represented nearly sixteen percent of the state’s recorded deaths. Rates in individual counties varied, ranging from less than two percent in Delaware County to about forty-eight percent in Hocking County.

Notes inserted by enumerators suggest that even those families who had not lost a member to scarlet fever felt its impact. James M. Maitland of Champaign County observed that at “almost every house [he] visited, some of the family had it.” In Marietta, Washington County, “at least two-thirds of all the children suffered from it in a more or less severe form.” The population schedule of Fairfield County incorporated at least eight or ten children, recorded as living, who died before the submission of the mortality schedule.

Details of individual entries in census mortality schedules and patterns in the community can reveal the lost stories of our ancestors. What discoveries have you made while using the census mortality schedules?

If you'd like more help using mortality census schedules with your specific family history questions, you can schedule a consultation here with one of our professional genealogists.