Research – The Family History Guide Blog

August 10, 2025

FamilySearch Improved Merge Experience

Note: This article appeared previously in the Genealogy’s Star blog site. One basic fact about online family trees is their propensity to create duplicates. This apparently stems from the belief by each family tree contributor that their work is somehow unique and completely accurate. When this belief in uniqueness and accuracy is extended to the large online family tree websites,...

FamilySearch/Research Comment: 1

July 6, 2025

Happy 4th of July Weekend

We hope you all had an enjoyable and safe 4th of July weekend! Getting to know your Colonial America ancestors can be very enlightening, and there are quite a lot of records available. Here are some resources in The Family History Guide that will help you do that, arranged by category. Revolutionary War Research New England Research Early American /...

Records/Research/U.S. Research

June 29, 2025

Using Photos for Research

When we focus on our family history research, we often think only about finding documents and records. Photographs can be a valuable research tool, providing clues that match people with locations, events, and other people. The Family History Guide has some great resources for using photos to further your research, in Goal 7 of Project 4: Discover. Here is a...

Memories/Research

June 15, 2025

Celebrating Juneteenth

Juneteenth, the day commemorating the official end of slavery in the United States, is celebrated on June 19. This year is the 160th anniversary of the abolition of U.S. slavery. You can learn more about the history of Juneteenth in the United States in this Wikipedia article. The Family History Guide has some helpful resources for tracing enslaved African American...

Research

June 8, 2025

Avoiding Mistakes and Bad Habits in Your Research

It can be tempting to take the easy way, or the path of least resistance, in your genealogy research. However, this can lead to mistakes and bad habits that will end up costing you time and effort in the long run. The Family History Guide helps you get off to a good start with research, in Goal 2 of Project...

Learning/Records/Research

June 8, 2025

New QRB video: Starting Your Research in Ukraine

We have added a new QRB (Quick Research Basics) video by James Tanner, “Starting Your Genealogical Research in Ukraine.” This brings the total number of QRB videos on our YouTube Channel to 93. The video is embedded in Goal 1 of the Ukraine country page, and it’s also included below for your convenience. Enjoy!

Country Research/Research/YouTube

June 1, 2025

The Value of Original Records

It’s a familiar theme: when we see something in print, we often view it as authoritative, especially if it comes from a source we are familiar with. But not all genealogical records are of equal value, and some may even contain errors or misleading information. Finding original records can be important in your research, and knowing how to handle the...

Records/Research/U.S. Research

June 1, 2025

Is AI Helpful or Merely Trivial?

Note: This article appeared previously on the Genealogy’s Star blog site. As a genealogist, there is a division between activities that help and support genealogical/historical research and those that are mere play-time diversions. AI is not my “companion.” AI is not going to help me with my daily schedule. AI is not going to improve the quality of my life...

artificial intelligence/Records/Research

May 25, 2025

Genealogy Is Not Just Copying Names

Note: This article was published previously on the Genealogy’s Star blog site. In some parts of the world, particularly for people who descend from ancestors from Western Europe, genealogy is not a particularly new innovation or pursuit. In my 43 years of doing genealogical research, I spent the first 15 or so years copying genealogical information from my ancestors. This...

Records/Research

May 4, 2025

Happy Mother’s Day from The Family History Guide Association

We would like to take this opportunity to wish a happy Mothers’ Day to all the wonderful women who sacrifice so much for us and are such an essential part of our family history. In The Family History Guide you can find some key resources that will help you in your research of the women in your family tree: