Senior family members are often the best genealogy resource. Here are family history interview questions to ask to discover more about generations past.
Digital documents form the backbone of modern genealogy research. The hardest part remains, however, in finding free resources. Luckily, many U.S. states have put a good deal of effort into making their records freely accessible online
If you want to find out more about your family, download the life history questions and make time to interview your family members. Learn some fun facts.
When researching an ancestor, it's easy to remember to search the census and look for birth/marriage/death certificates. Sometimes, searching the big-name database companies will produce a few hits from smaller record sources, such as draft registrations and the like. But there are MANY genealogy sources that aren't online and can be easily overlooked.
Do you have a family story to tell? One that depicts a transformative era in an ancestor’s life or maybe a simple story of connection? You may be at a loss, not knowing where to begin. In Ann…
Search PERSI for free at Findmypast to identify articles that may be related to your family history like local history details, family profiles and more.
Don’t know how to start telling your ancestors stories? Use these 260 family history questions to get started and unlock your stories.
Is your family history story boring? Learn a simple writing tip that creates an engaging genealogy book.
I am a BIG fan of Ancestry.com, But, I'm a bigger fan of FREE Genealogy websites that offer great information. Through the years of research, these top 10 websites have helped me build my family tree and break through many brick walls. I would recommend you checking these free websites out before you start paying a subscription fee to genealogy sites. Here are my TOP 10 FREE Genealogy Websites to get you started: Family Search www.familysearch.org (For research, historical records and volunteering to help index) Find a Grave www.findagrave.com (Millions of online memorials, from transcribed headstones) World GenWeb Project www.worldgenweb.org (Genealogical data per country) US GenWeb Project www.usgenweb.com (Genealogical data per state) National Archives www.nationalarchives.gov (Archived Genealogical data from the US Government) Genealogy Today www.genealogytoday.com (Genealogical Data) Google www.google.com (Genealogical data, images, maps, and more) Access Genealogy www.accessgenealogy.com (Online Genealogical Data) Family Tree Searcher www.familytreesearcher.com (Online family trees) GeneaBios www.geneabios.com (Genealogy Biography database) More highly recommended Free sites: Cyndi's List www.cyndislist.com (Online genealogical data) Roots Web www.rootsweb.org (Online message boards and genealogical data) Genforum www.genforum.org (14000 forums devoted to genealogy) Jewish Genealogy www.jewishgen.org (Jewish Genealogical data) Billion Graves www.billiongraves.com (online memorials with gps tracking to each headstone)
One of the best ways of preserving your family history and to make the most of your research is to make a family tree album that can help you preserve the information for future generations. Making a family tree album can also help to bring all the family stories and pictures together so that your
Learn the 4 must include things you need to include in an engaging genealogy and family history book.
If you're not sure what a family group sheet is, or you've never gotten around to using one in your genealogy research, you're not alone. While the concept of a family group sheet is about as basic as it gets, not every family historian out there has had the chance to embrace this clever method of research and organization. If you're not sure what a family group sheet is, or you've never gotten around to using one in your genealogy research, you're not alone. This guide will help you discover what a FGS is, how to find or make one, and how they can help with your genealogy research.
Not getting the results you want in FamilySearch searches? Search smarter with tips and strategies from Robert Keher, FamilySearch Senior Product Manager.
Family tree abbreviations are shortened versions of words or phrases, and can be easier to use, especially on a family tree when space can be limited. You are sure to find many family tree abbreviations in transcripts of parish registers, census returns, other transcripts, indexes and genealogy books as you conduct family history research. These
On these genealogy and family history websites, you can search databases of ancestor names and digitized records—and it’s all free.
You may know that The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. But did you know that within these millions of items are rich and free genealogy resources?
Writing your family history? 3 easy-to-action to start doing today so it feels like your ancestors' stories are writing themselves.
If your memoir involves lots of historical research such as archives and family history, it can get overwhelming! Here's some tips to simplify the process.
Use this selection of free family history forms to record your ancestral search and keep your research on track.
Make Instant Discoveries About Your Ancestors Here Well, rules might be a bit strict, but we do have some pretty tight guidelines that we like to follow when we’re doing genealogy research. We promise we use them most of the time. You likely have your own set of rules and we’d love to hear them. What would you add … Do You Follow These “Rules” of Genealogy Research? Read More »
Obituaries are genealogy gold dust. You can learn key details about their life. Here’s how to find obituaries and how to use the clues in them.
Follow this genealogy research plan in your family history research to find ancestors with few facts when you start.
Remember, your own history will eventually become family history! Record these 16 things about yourself to preserve your life story for future genealogists.
The free genealogy website FamilySearch is not for everyone. Discover why it might not be the best place to build your family tree.
Do you like to search for genealogy records for your ancestors for Free? Duh. I have about 40 websites that I frequently use. Some have digitized records in their collections. Some have links to collections that can be searched or browsed. Some include transcribed records. And some have useful genealogical educational information. All of the
I have been doing my family history research from time to time. I still have so much information to gather but it does not discourage me but...
FamilySearch has billions of records for us to use in our genealogy. But there are 5 overlooked sections of the website that can be beneficial to our research.
Obituaries are genealogy gold dust. You can learn key details about their life. Here’s how to find obituaries and how to use the clues in them.
Download Family History Notebooking Pages Have your children create a notebook about the most important people in their lives, their family! Your child could interview individuals from your family …
I stumbled upon this graphic of GotGenealogy.com‘s “Golden Rules of Genealogy.” Great compilation of common-sense genealogy truths.
Family history research is never complete. There are always more records to be discovered, photos to be identified, and additional connections to uncover. But maybe you’ve reached the point when you want to share what you’ve learned so far. Here are some great options. Family history research is never complete. There are always more records to be discovered, photos to be identified, and additional connections to uncover. But maybe you’ve reached the point when you want to share what you’ve learned so far. Here are some great options.
Obituaries are genealogy gold dust. You can learn key details about their life. Here’s how to find obituaries and how to use the clues in them.
Family Tree Magazine is offering a free eBook on How to Search Obituaries to Find Ancestors and Trace Your Family Tree by Thomas Jay Kemp, which will show you secrets to mining GenealogyBank.com for obituaries of your relatives and ancestors. The Free eBook can be obtained at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/genealogybank-offer. You have to enter your name, email address and state in order to receive the link to download the free eBook. As a result of your entry, you will start receiving emails from Family Tree Magazine about their offers (which you can unsubscribe from if you wish). The free eBook is 16 pages with examples of obituaries that you might find on GenealogyBank: One of the examples in this book is for an obituary for a person in my database, Sarah (Pray) Wade (1795-1822). It was from the Providence [R.I.] Patriot newspaper. I didn't know, or recall, that GenealogyBank had that newspaper in the early 19th century. Cool! Who else died in that area in the early 19th century? The first person I thought of was Humphrey White (1758-1814) of Glocester, Providence County, Rhode Island. Is there an article in the Providence newspaper for him? There was! It's only an Administrators Notice, but if I did not have a probate record for him (I do), this would lead me to look in Glocester R.I. town and probate records. The notice above was in Volume 12, Issue 33, Page 4, in the issue dated 27 August 1814. I plugged in several more Rhode Island names, and then tried some southern Massachusetts names. In a search for Alpheus Smith (1802-1840) of Medfield, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, I found two articles in the Norfolk [Dedham, Mass.] Democrat newspaper: The one above is another Administrator's notice (Volume II, Issue 4, page 2, issue dated 29 February 1840). The one below is a Commissioner's Notice that persons have been appointed to receive and examine the claims of the creditors to the estate (Volume III, Issue 19, page 4, issue dated 11 June 1841): Again, both of these notices would be leads for a researcher that there is probably a probate record for Alpheus B. Smith in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, probate records (I already have the probate records). I have many more ancestral persons to try in these two newspapers! I look forward to some genealogy fun in the next few days. Tom Kemp's eBook provides excellent examples of what can be found in newspaper obituaries - names of relatives, mentions of birthplaces, immigration dates, interment locations, social activities, offices held, employment or business information, and much more. All of those items found in an obituary may lead a researcher to several other records, including vital records, cemetery, military, immigration, citizenship, to name a few. To be sure, not all newspapers are available in digital format on websites like GenealogyBank, NewspaperARCHIVE, Newspapers.com, Chronicling America, Old Fulton Postcards, California digital Newspaper Collection, and more. Some of them are commercial sites, and some are free sites. But many historical newspapers are available in paper, microfilm or digital format - you just have to find them in a library, historical society or a website. A researcher needs to include newspaper searches in a reasonably exhaustive search to find information about their ancestors. The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2013/11/free-genealogybank-ebook-on-how-to.html Copyright (c) 2013, Randall J. Seaver Disclosure: I have a complimentary annual subscription to GenealogyBank, which I appreciate very much, but does not affect my opinion about the website. I have not been remunerated in any way for this blog post.
Family tree abbreviations are shortened versions of words or phrases, and can be easier to use, especially on a family tree when space can be limited. You are sure to find many family tree abbreviations in transcripts of parish registers, census returns, other transcripts, indexes and genealogy books as you conduct family history research. These
Hit the online road with this travel guide of starter tips and websites guaranteed to rev up your genealogy search.
Everyone has a story, but how many of us bother to record the stories in our families? Use these online tools for writing and sharing family history.
Have you ever considered using Pinterest for your Genealogy and family history research? I started using Pinterest for my family's genealogy and I love it! It's a great way to organize the family photographs and documents found around the internet. Plus, as an added bonus, the link to the document and family photo is provided and you can easily share with family! There's no need to save old family photos to your computer (and forgetting the source). And there is no more taking other people's photographs and posting them as your own. Now, with the assistance of Pinterest, you can simply share them through a "pin." Want to learn more about using Pinterest for your family genealogy and how it can help you with your family tree? I like to think of Pinterest as an online image search engine. It's a lot like Google, Bing, and Yahoo but with a twist. Once you type in your search words your results are displayed as images and pictures. This can be very helpful for those who do family genealogy. Imagine the surprise when your ancestor's picture shows up and it's a photo you've never seen before! Plus, there is a link attached and you can click to see both the photo and the website where that picture is stored. Pinterest provides many benefits for family genealogy. 1. Pinterest gives you a place to organize your information. This information is placed onto what Pinterest calls boards. Boards can be as broad (or as specific) as you prefer. You create them and decide how to organize them. 2. Pinterest allows you to connect with family members you may have never known. Other people can find your boards and pins (images) through the Pinterest search button. 3. Pinterest also allows you to organize and save the pictures and documents you find online. You simply pin them to your boards and the link is saved along with them image. Check out our related posts about using Pinterest for Genealogy here!
There are many free genealogy sites available on the web. Here is a handy reference of 10 of the largest and most useful free family history resources.
