Start with you to build a strong family history foundation, whether you are just starting out or embarking on a genealogy do-over.
A guide to creating your genealogy research plan using Trello. Start finding your ancestors with a organized genealogy research plan.
In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega shares some of the guidelines she follows in her family history research.
Update! This post originally contained a long introduction about using books as sources. That's been moved to its own post, here ....
Hindsight is always 20/20, don’t you think? It’s pretty easy to take a long look back and see the error of our ways. If we had that extraordinary vision, we might save ourselves countless hours of aimless research. Having worked on my own family tree or maybe “tangle of roots,” for over thirty years now, I have come to realize that my missteps may indeed be beneficial to others. In other words, “do as I say, not as I do.” Hindsight is always 20/20, don’t you think? It’s pretty easy to take a long look back and see the error of our ways. If we had that extraordinary vision, we might save ourselves countless hours of aimless research. Having worked on my own family tree or maybe “tangle of roots,” for over thirty years now, I have come to realize that my missteps may indeed be beneficial to others. In other words, “do as I say, not as I do.”
Three years ago today, I was diagnosed with cancer. And I only found out at that point because of genealogy. (Details about how that happened are here.) But in retrospect, I could have identified that something was up in my family by looking at death and other records I'd been amassing for years. (And it looks like the family knew something was up years ago, even before genetics' tie to cancer was discovered; a 1955 relative's obituary requested that donations be made to the family's cancer fund.) When you collect those names and dates to populate your family tree, you're also collecting your family's medical history. Look at causes of deaths on death certificates and mentions of places for donations to be given in obituaries. Is there a pattern down one line of your family? Medical Genealogy (no, this isn't my family) It's not just cancer. Heart disease can run in families. So can strokes and aneurysms. Look at your family history. Talk to your doctor. Visit a genetic counselor. You could save your life and give important information to other family members. But with respect to cancer, 1/40 Ashkenazic Jews and a similar number of Sephardic Jews have a BRCA mutation, as do 1/400 of the general population; these mutations can come through either your maternal or paternal side. There are other familial cancer syndromes as well. (A recent study shows the importance of testing for at least the 3 Ashkenazic BRCA founder mutations regardless of family history; details here.) There are people who say that they don't want to know. Your genes are part of you (in fact, they make you you)--whether you know it or not. So why not have that knowledge to be able to act on it to be able to either prevent diseases or catch them earlier than you would have otherwise? Or on the positive side, you could discover that your family's predisposition to a particular disease wasn't passed down to you. I think my story shows that knowledge truly is power. So if you want to give me a cancerversary present (and you know you do), look at your family medical history and act on it. Note: I'm on Twitter. Follow me (@larasgenealogy). Want to get future blog posts emailed to you automatically? Enter your email address:
Where to find British crime and punishment records. The best genealogy research resources to find your British criminal ancestors.
If you have German ancestors, chances are you've encountered some challenges trying to track them down. Changes in jurisdiction and borders, lack of central record keeping, foreign language websites and Old German script are just a few areas that trip up many family historians. This guide will help you overcome these hurdles and discover free resources.
Using Flickr for genealogy isn’t as obvious as some other websites, but it is a good resource for your toolkit.
What does that genealogy abbreviation stand for? Here are explanations of a few, useful, genealogy related abbreviations.
This is a list of free Australia Genealogy Records at FamilySearch with Australia birth records, marriage records, death records, pension records & more.
Find your English and Welsh Rural Ancestors with Tithe Maps looks at tithe maps and apportionments which are a valuable resource for anyone researching their English or welsh rural ancestors.
Irish genealogy research can be incredibly rewarding, especially if you know which online collections are most likely to help you find your ancestors. Genealogy records from Ireland are more abundant than you can imagine and many repositories offer free access.
10 genealogy research tips I wish I'd known at the start looks at mistakes made and how to avoid them when starting your family tree.
I stumbled upon this graphic of GotGenealogy.com‘s “Golden Rules of Genealogy.” Great compilation of common-sense genealogy truths.
Image from Microsoft Clip Art Recently, Ancestry released a database titled "Michigan Divorce Records, 1897-1952" .(Images are only av...
There's always something new to learn in family history. Here are my top 10 most popular genealogy tips this year.
Why you need to understand your ancestors locations. Having a good understanding of where your ancestors lived can help your genealogy
Finding out about your family’s history can be an exciting endeavor. Keeping track of all the information and placing it all into some kind of organized fashion however, can be quite a task. There are so many Genealogy websites, software programs and ways to store your findings that it can become overwhelming. It is sometimes hard to determine what should be included in your Family Tree and what isn’t necessary...
Locate free genealogy courses & webinars, improve your genealogy research skills and increase your chances of finding your ancestors.
Are you struggling to make sense of confusing DNA results? Or perhaps trying to figure out which test is the most accurate? Here's what you need to know.
A Great alternative website for British ancestry. This post looks at the genealogy subscription site The Genealogist and its unique records
Where to find free genealogy books online looks at where you can find free genealogy books and gives some examples of what you can find.
Mark Orwig is the writer of the Genealogy Explained website, and he has created a neat graphic to explain the answer to the question posed in "Do Siblings Have the Same DNA?" I encourage all of my readers to read the entire article because the science is interesting and the "deck of cards" example is familiar to most of us. The graphic is: Pictures are always better than many words, and this graphic shows why siblings (assuming they aren't identical twins) may not have the same ethnicity estimate even though they have the same parents. In the graphic, there are four grandparents who have perceived ethnicities of: * Paternal grandfather: 50% Scottish, 50% Irish * Paternal grandmother: 100% Italian * Maternal grandfather: 100% German * Maternal grandmother: 50% Italian, 50% Irish Based on the percentages, one would expect the ethnicities of the parents to be: * Father: 50% Italian, 25% Scottish, 25% Irish * Mother: 50% German, 25% Italian, 25% Irish Based on those percentages, one would expect the ethnicity of a child to be: * 37.5% Italian, 25% German, 25% Irish, 12.5% Scottish. However, the graphic shows that the two children have significantly different ethnicity estimates (based on a DNA test) than the expected ethnicity based on the expected ethnicity of the parents. This occurs because of the random nature of admixture - how the DNA segments are passed down to the next generation. For me, I have noted that the six different ethnicity estimates I have received are completely different, and do not match my perceived ethnicity based on classical genealogy research. See Comparison of My Autosomal DNA Ethnicity Estimates. I understand better now that I need to test my two brothers and both of my daughters to get a better handle on the ethnicity estimates for my family members. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to test my parents (who died in 1983 and 2002) and grandparents (who died in 1942, 1962, 1976, 1977). Like I said - Read the entire post! Thank you to Mark for permitting me to use the graphic in this blog post. ============================================== The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2018/07/genealogy-explained-do-siblings-have.html Copyright (c) 2018, Randall J. Seaver Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at [email protected].
Just getting started in your quest to discover your family history? Check out our tips for finding great stories in your ancestry!
Tired of not being able to find your documents and photos? These genealogy organization research tips can help you find the right artifact every time.
Do you want to further your genealogy skills so you can research better or faster? Have you run into a problem that seems too "...
Save money researching genealogy! Check out free websites and find frugal genealogy tips to make the most of your genealogy dollars.
Do you want to further your genealogy skills so you can research better or faster? Have you run into a problem that seems too "...
Do you like the idea of a genealogy checklist? A handy little list you just follow and mark items off so you know where you are? I lik...
Make Instant Discoveries About Your Ancestors Here Online research is getting better and better every day. With new free websites, databases and research groups popping up everywhere, family historians have a seemingly endless supply of records and resources to help them uncover family details. But with all of the amazing information now available at our … This Smart New Tool from Google is the Perfect Genealogy Research Assistant! Read More »
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.
Start with you to build a strong family history foundation, whether you are just starting out or embarking on a genealogy do-over.
Illegitimacy was not uncommon in earlier centuries. About 5% of all children born in England and Wales between 1837 and 1965 were illegitimate, which means they were born out of wedlock. Many family tree researchers will find during their research that there is at least one illegitimate ancestor in their family. Illegitimacy is no longer
How to improve your genealogy organization. Tips for making your genealogy research as effective as possible by getting organized.
Professional genealogists share their 12 top tips for staying organized, catching every clue, and making the most of your research minutes.
If you're new to genealogy, you might be feeling overwhelmed. No need. Start with these entry-level genealogy records, and you'll be climbing your tree in no time.I've worked with numerous beginning genealogists, plus I was one 30 years ago. The following record types are the easiest to access and provide many quick wins while building your family tree. While it's tempting to explore all the hints genealogy websites offer, stay focused on these record collections first. Before we begin, make sur
Tired of not being able to find your documents and photos? These genealogy organization research tips can help you find the right artifact every time.
Dig deeper in your research to find hidden gems at these four free and underused genealogy websites.
Today's freebie is a real staple. Well, actually, it's a form, a note-taking form. You can absolutely use blank paper for note-t...
A guide to creating your genealogy research plan using Trello. Start finding your ancestors with a organized genealogy research plan.
Your family history is an important gift and legacy you can leave for your children. Here are 10 free ways you can start researching your genealogy today!
Are you making this mistake with online family trees? Here’s some best practices to using public family trees so you can avoid problems later.
Ancestry hints are often helpful, they're also fraught with issues that can trick even experienced family historians.
Maps can show more than just roads. Learn about 5 different types of maps that can help you with your genealogy research.
