Brick Walls. We all have them somewhere in our family tree--places in our pedigree where we cannot find the names and dates we need to continue tracing the ancestral line. Sometimes all it takes is time and patience sorting through unindexed records or tracing each of several same-named persons until we find the right one. Many of us have spent years—decades even—doing just that, but without success. This can be frustrating for genealogists of all levels, and stepping away from the struggle and … [Read more...]
Offering Hope for Father’s Day: A Client Reunion Success Story
This reunion between biological father and daughter is shared with permission from our client. *Names have been changed to protect privacy. Father’s Day in the United States is celebrated on the third Sunday in June—a day filled with honoring and cherishing the special men in our lives. However, for those who feel the aching emptiness of never having known their biological father, it can be a difficult 24-hours cognizant of the void felt far too often throughout the year—a painful reminder of … [Read more...]
Immigrant Ancestors & «Avalon»: A Movie for Genealogists
We’re fresh off the holiday season, and that meant movies in our household! My family enjoys all the standard classics, but as a genealogist, I must confess that one movie stands out as my all-time favorite: Avalon was the perfect Thanksgiving kickoff to the holiday season. This autobiographical film was written, directed, and produced by Barry Levinson in 1990 and centers on the stories told by his Russian Jewish immigrant grandfather Sam Krichinsky. The movie is set in the early 1950s … [Read more...]
9 Tips for Interviewing Relatives
My grandma June was a lively, intelligent woman who loved to share memories of her past. Back in college as I worked on my degree in Family History, I came to her house one day to interview her about her life history. She told wonderful stories about her childhood, her parents and siblings. I am so glad I captured everything on a cassette tape and was required to transcribe it for my project. I did this with several other relatives as well to fulfill various assignments. Many years later, my … [Read more...]
How I Traced the Genealogy of a House
Have you ever been curious about the history and genealogy associated with a house? Here are 10 ideas help you trace the lineage of a home. Several years ago my family and I had the opportunity to spend one year at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania while my husband attended the U.S. Army War College. Carlisle Barracks is one of the oldest Army posts in the United States – second only to West Point – having originally been a British outpost before the Revolution. We were thrilled when we were … [Read more...]
7 Things To Understand About Professional Genealogists
Most people don't have a lot of experience working with professional genealogists. These seven tips will help you make the most out of your genealogy research experience. One of our most popular blog posts to date has been 7 Reasons to Hire a Professional Genealogist. As a refresher, here are those seven very good reasons to let us at Legacy Tree investigate your family history: You don’t have the time or the skills to do it yourself. You need a fresh perspective on your “brick … [Read more...]
10 Ways to Tell That…You Might Be a Genealogist!
Genealogy may not appeal to everyone, but those who catch the "bug" tend to get it bad! Do any of these 10 things sound familiar? * If you carry a “relationship calculator” card around in your wallet, you might be a genealogist. (Second cousin twice-removed, great-grandniece...) * If your Google home page displays the home pages to MyHeritage.com, FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, or FindaGrave.com, you might be a genealogist. * If every time someone mentions a major U.S. city, you … [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...]