Unfamiliar Records
When you go about researching a family line, what are the first records you look at? Probably census, birth, marriage, and death records – and rightly so, since they can so neatly fill in the blanks on...
View ArticlePutting Flesh on the Bones
Sometimes people researching their family history seem to forget that there is more to their ancestors than a birth and death date. If we’re truly trying to get to know our forebears, those are among...
View ArticleBreak Down Brick Walls with City Directories
One of the most useful, but lesser known resources at Ancestry.com, is their vast collection of city directories. City directories offer a small glimpse—a year-to-year census if you will—into your...
View ArticleWhat Were the Search Parameters?
I recently ordered a birth certificate for a client’s ancestor who was believed to be born in Tennessee. After the usual wait time I received a certified record of “no record found.” Before simply...
View ArticleBesse Cooper is World’s Oldest Person
I just read on Dick Eastman’s site that Walton County, Georgia’s Besse Cooper is the World’s Oldest Person at 115 years old. I was curious about Besse. Who was she? What led to her longevity, her...
View ArticleFamily Health History
After a brief fright in recent medical examinations I have learned the importance of knowing your health family history! Knowing about your family’s medical past truly can lead you to a healthier and...
View ArticleFamily Legends: Fact or Fiction?
Through genealogical research, fact gets sorted out from fiction in a family legend!
View ArticleConverting a Large PDF to a Smaller One
Last week I found a great bit of information on my great-great grandfather in a book digitized by Google. He was featured in a book about poets from South Dakota (and I came across this book with a...
View ArticleMy pa didn’t have no pa! A beginner’s delight.
My interest in my family tree started early for me. When I learned in American History class that there were two Civil War generals with my surname (Johnston), I decided to find out how I was related...
View ArticleOne Hundred Years of Social Media
An interesting thing has happened in the last few years: the explosion of social networking and social media. We have been able to be constantly updated about the activities of our friends and...
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