2022-12-26 On Vacation: The Tip of the Day is on vacation until January 4, 2023. Happy New Year, and thanks for all you do for family history work!
2022-12-26 Sharing Timeline Documents with Ancestry LifeStory: One of the challenges of sharing your research findings is doing it in a way that's simple and inviting for others to read and explore. This article by genealogist Annette Kapple explains how the LifeStory feature in Ancestry can help you present your documentation and keep it organized as you go forward with research. The article also presents a research case study showing how LifeStory was used. Learn more about LifeStory in Goal 4 of Ancestry Project 3.
2022-12-23 Access to Catholic Records: From Findmypast: "The Catholic church maintains a very strict protocol governing access to their records and how they might be digitized. Findmypast were uniquely able to fulfil their requirements and open the door for your access to these records." Check out this Findmypast blog article for details on the Catholic Heritage Archive and the resources it provides, and explore the Catholic pages in the Faiths section of The Family History Guide.
2022-12-22 That Can't Be True ... Can it? Recently I was browsing a record in the 1850 U.S. census for one of my wife's ancestors who had immigrated from Norway. I was shocked to see that the census taker had listed his current residence as ... Norway! That had to be a mistake, right? As I glanced down the page, it became clear that it was no mistake in the record, although it was certainly misleading: the current residence was a town called Norway, in Racine County, Wisconsin. See more census tips in Goal C1 of the United States page.
2022-12-21 Six Habits of the Highly Effective Researcher: Genealogist John Grenham is well known for his keen insights, served up with a dry sense of wit. In this blog article, John shares some simple but practical tips for researchers, from overcoming preconceived ideas to the art of "thinking sideways" and more. To learn more about basic research skills and strategies, check out Goal 2 and Goal 3 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-12-20 Research in the Southern Colonies: If you have ancestors who lived in the colonies of Virginia, North or South Carolina, or Georgia, you may find that research there can be a challenge. This Family Locket article provides some helpful tips on working around missing vital records by focusing on maps and legal documents to get the clues you need. For more tips and suggestions on doing research in the Southern states, see Goal A3 in the United States page.
2022-12-19 Exploring the JewishGen Website:
One of the best ways to trace Jewish ancestry is using the 
JewishGen website. The Family History Guide highlights a number of useful resources on the site, including the First-Timer video, the JewishGen Family Finder database, the JewishGen Town Finder, and the JewishGen discussion group. For additional tips on finding your Jewish ancestors, check out the Jewish research pages in the Ethnic section of The Family History Guide, or find Jewish resources in selected areas of the Countries menu.
2022-12-16 Mind Mapping: A Visual Approach to Research: If you are a visual learner, seeing a picture of the research problem you are trying to solve would be very helpful. You can do that with a technique known as "mind mapping," as explained in this Family Locket article. It describes a free website that gets you started, with tutorials to guide you. The result is your own custom view of the people, places, and relationships you're working on. For additional creative ways to look at your genealogy, see Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-12-15 Seeing Ancestor Locations: When you find a location for an ancestor event, don't miss the next big thing—seeing that location from the comfort of your own chair. This article by genealogist Wheaton Wood describes the tools you need to get started, from Google to map collections to city directories, as well as research clues you'll pick up by visualizing the placement of names and geographical landmarks. Learn more about using locations to your advantage in Goal A2 of the United States page.
2022-12-14 A Surprising Resource for Irish Research: Knowing the customs of the country where you are doing research can be a big help. For example, an unusual Irish custom is the widespread publication of death notices, followed by celebrations of the deceased's life. Genealogist John Grenham describes the process in detail, as well as sources for locating these death notices. For more information on Irish vital records, see Goal 3 in the Ireland country page.
2022-12-13 Finding Births and Deaths in Other Records: Sometimes finding vital records for an ancestor may be difficult, or even impossible in some cases. The good news is that you can often find birth and death information in other types of records. This RootsWeb article covers a wide variety of cases where vital information may be "hiding in plain sight." For tips on locating and using vital records in your research, see Goal B1 in the United States page.
2022-12-12 Access to Archival Databases (AAD): The U.S. National Archives is well-known for its vast array of genealogical records. What you may not know is that there is a huge section dedicated to free, online records— it's called Access to Archival Databases (AAD). This article by Family History Daily gets you started exploring the occupational, immigration, military and other types of records that are found there. To learn more about online archives for U.S. research, see Goal F5 in the United States page.
2022-12-09 Organizing and Preserving Your Photos: As we do family history, many of us end up with small or large collections of photo prints. Knowing how to organize, use, and protect these photos can ensure they become viable family history assets, instead of being neglected, damaged, or discarded. In this article photo expert Maureen Taylor shares eight handy tips for getting the most from your photo collection, including clues for opening up research on what they contain. See also Goal 1 in Project 2: Memories.
2022-12-08 Collecting Family Stories: Family stories are at the heart of family history. American diplomat Michael Cleverly decided he wanted to make a difference in his retirement years, so he has collected and shared family stories from the past thousand years. He shares his tips for collecting family stories in this brief RootsTech 2021 video. You can see more tips on finding family stories in Goal 8 of Project 2: Memories.
2022-12-07 The FreeREG Project: One of the best resources for British Isles research is parish registers. FreeREG is an ongoing project where volunteers transcribe parish registers for England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Northern Ireland and make them available online. This RootsTech video explains what FreeREG is and how to get started with it. You can learn more about parish registers in Goal 6 of the England country page, or in corresponding church and cemetery Goals for the other counties.
2022-12-06 Finding Missing Marriages: As you trace your lines in almost any country, you will find that some ancestors married multiple times, such as when a spouse died or there was a divorce. This article in Genealogy In Time points out that missing a marriage can lead to assigning children to the wrong parents, or not having family lines filled out as well as they could be. The article also points out some great sources for finding marriage records. Learn more in Goal B4 in the United States page.
2022-12-05 Dealing with Record Limitations: Two reasons you might not be finding the information you need: a) the record you are looking for was never created; or b) the information was not recorded where you are looking, but it can be found in another record (which may require patience and persistence). In this article James Tanner explores a number of reasons for missing information and what can be done to track it down. Learn more about record information in Goal A1 of the United States page.
2022-12-02 Avoiding Mistaken Identity: From Genealogy.com: "A particularly difficult problem can arise during your research when two or more identically-named people of roughly the same age have lived jointly in one locale. You can also find people with the same name in the same family, such as mothers and daughters. Often, they are not related to each other, making it crucial that the genealogist not confuse them." The full article has some great tips for avoiding mistaken identities in your research. See also Goal 7 in Project 4: Research.
2022-12-01 Family Research vs. Direct-Line Research:
As James Tanner explains, it is quite common to see a family tree where generation upon generation has only one member of the family identified. It is virtually impossible to keep that kind of pedigree accurate. Without the confirmation of the names of other family members, keeping this same-name situation correct presents almost insurmountable problems. You should search for everyone in every family. In cases where the wife is unidentified there are huge resources for finding the wife's name. (Search for Every Ancestor, Not Just Your Direct Line).
2022-11-30 Where Was My Ancestor Buried? Even with great online tools like Find A Grave and BillionGraves, finding your ancestor's burial location may sometimes be a challenge. The Ancestral Findings site has some helpful tips for locating unknown or alternate burial locations in these articles: Tricks for Finding the Unknown Burial Location of an Ancestor and Alternative Locations for Burial Places for Your Ancestors. Learn more about cemetery records in Goal B6 of the United States page.
2022-11-29 Location, Location, Location: You've heard the slogan in real estate, and it's just as relevant in family history— location really does matter. This Family Locket article explores the what, where, and why of research, so you can step back from just doing record searches and start getting a solid understanding of the locations that were important to your ancestors. That in turn can open more doors to discovery in your research. See also Goal A2 in the United States page.
2022-11-28 Organizing Your Family History: The more family history you do, the more information and materials you collect. How do you find a place for everything, and keep everything in its place? Habits of Highly Organized Genealogists by Family Tree Magazine could be just what you need. This article provides great tips on managing paper, going digital, getting into a organization routine, and more. Also check out Goal 1 in Project 4: Discover for additional ideas on getting and staying organized with your family history.
2022-11-25 Researching U.S. Immigrants: If you're searching for more information on your immigrant ancestors, don't miss the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services site. It has tips for researching your immigrant ancestors. There are handy links to help you learn about arrival records, nationality records, and correspondence files, all sorted by time period. There is also a live chat feature on the page that offers help with immigration questions. Also check out Goal D2 in the United States page.
2022-11-24 Happy Thanksgiving! On behalf of The Family History Guide Association, we wish you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving day. We are grateful for the sacrifices and love shared by our ancestors, and we deeply appreciate the work you do to find them and bring their memories to life. Have a wonderful day!
2022-11-23 Finding Research Clues in Newspapers: Although newspaper articles are not generally considered a primary source for research information, they can help you turn up quite a few research clues. For example, this article from the FamilySearch Wiki and this Ancestry Academy video describe how to find online newspapers, the types of research info you can find in them, and search strategies for finding the information you need. For more, check out Goal F4 in the United States page.
2022-11-22 Is That Really My Ancestor?: Sooner or later we find that person who seems like they should fit into our family tree ... but how can we be reasonably sure? This FamilySearch article shares five tips from Ancestry's Crista Cowan to help you prove your connection to an ancestor, such as analyzing and correcting information, and being thorough in your searches. For more tips and guidelines on working with genealogical evidence, check out Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-11-21 Discovering Ancestors in New England: Many of us have ancestors who lived in the northeast United States, including the New England area. Goal A3 of the United States page connects you to a wealth of resources for doing New England research, including this overview video from FamilySearch. There are also categories in Choice C for New England vital, military, tax, land, and probate records.
2022-11-18 Using Map Overlays:
Overlaying historical maps onto Google Maps and Google Earth can be quite useful, as it helps you compare historical images with current maps and satellite images. But it can also be a time-consuming process. This article from Thoughtco.com provides links to ready-to-use map overlay collections, from David Rumsey, Historic Map Works, New York Public Library Map Warper, British Library Geo-referenced Maps, and more. To learn more about using maps in your research, check out Goal A2 in the United States page.
2022-11-17 Relative Finder: The Relative Finder tool from the BYU Family History Technology Lab provides a way to see interesting and famous people in your family tree, from astronauts to presidents and more. It displays these relatives in a handy table you can sort and search. You can also create and join custom groups to connect with others and see the relationships you share with them. For more info, see Goal 4 in Project 3: Descendants.
2022-11-16 Hometown Clues for Research: While some of your ancestors may have lived in many places in their lives, most of them probably settled down in a specific place for a number of years. What do you know about their hometowns? As this Family Education article points out, there are many genealogical clues waiting to be discovered in local libraries, including books, vertical files, county histories and more, some of which may also be online. For more on town research, see Goal A2 in the United States page.
2022-11-15 What's in a Name?: FamilySearch has been rolling out a lot of new changes lately (and we are working to get those updated in The Family History Guide this week!) One of the new features, on the About tab of Person page, is Name Meaning, which gives the likely origins of first and last names for the ancestor. These are taken from the Dictionary of American Family Names by Patrick Hanks, and the Dictionary of First Names, by Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges. Learn more about surname research in Goal 3 of Project 4: Discover.
2022-11-14 The Q&A Center: It's brand new, and it's waiting for you! Check out The Q&A Center in The Family History Guide (Intro and Trainers menus). The page points you to four Google spreadsheets you can view and download: FamilySearch and Partners, Research Essentials, United States Research, and Countries Research. Each sheet has tabs with common questions asked about family history, as well as links to where to find the answers in The Family History Guide. Watch for some new tab content in the coming weeks!
2022-11-11 A Variety of Military Records: On Veteran's Day, we remember those who have served in the U.S. Military, to protect our freedoms. The Family History Guide can help you learn about and find a wide variety of military records, for each of these major conflicts: Revolutionary War, Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and others such as the War of 1812. Check out Goal E2 in the United States page to get started with articles, videos, and QUIKLinks to U.S. military record collections.
2022-11-10 Ten Things to Improve On: Are you overlooking something simple that could help you in your genealogy research? Even experienced genealogists may be missing some of these tips, as explained in this 2021 RootsTech video. An example is using the help information provided in search screens, such as from the National Archives or the Trove site, or even FamilySearch's "How to Use This Collection" links. For more tips and strategies in doing online searches, see Goal 6 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-11-09 England Research, Pre-1800: If you have been struggling to extend an English family line into the 1700s or earlier, this blog post by Tyler Stahle—4 Tips for Pre-1800 British Research—can make a difference. He discusses starting points for research, record changes, search tips, and research questions. You can find additional tips for earlier English research in Goal 1 of the England country page, steps 4 and 5 in Choice C.
2022-11-08 Beyond the Search, with Google Tools: In your genealogy work, if you use of Google only for doing occasional web searches, you may be missing a lot. In this RootsTech video, leading genealogist Thomas McEntee discusses how additional Google tools, such as Images, Drive, Transcription, Alerts, and Earth, can make a noticeable difference in your research. To learn more about including Google in genealogy, check out Goal 6 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-11-07 Discovering Scandinavian Church Records: As you search for your ancestors in Scandinavia, you'll find that church records are a great tool for expanding your family tree. In this three-part video series from RootsTech 2021, genealogist Jenny Hansen explains how to establish a parish of origin, as well as how to read and understand christening, marriage, and burial records. See also the Church and Cemetery Goals for Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
2022-11-04 Using Discrepancy Charts: When you are researching an ancestor, what do you do if you find a number of records with conflicting information? That's where a discrepancy chart can be a handy tool. For each record, make a table that includes the record name, event date, event place, age of the ancestor, and source for the record. This enables you to weigh the evidence and see which information is more likely to be correct. For more information, see this article and Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-11-03 Helping Others Avoid Incorrect Family Tree Changes: The FamilySearch Help Center has an article titled "How can I prevent other people from making inaccurate changes to Family Tree?" Avoiding errors is the first step to prevention, and the article has useful collaboration tips, including sourcing, notes, reason statements, and discussions, to keep Family Tree information as accurate as possible for all who are working on it. For more info on accuracy in research, see Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-11-02 Town Annual Reports: If you are searching for ancestor information in New England in the 1800's and 1900's, there's a little-known resource that's available for free. The article Genealogical Gold in Town Annual Reports describes the information you'll find in town reports for the government, including vital record information, names of town employees, records for the poor, and more, as well as where to find the reports online. See also Goal A4 in the United States page for info on local histories.
2022-11-01 Finding Your Ancestors in the U.S. Census: Census records are one of the easiest genealogical sources to use, and they can give you a picture of a broader geographical area for your research. This article by Marc McDermott is a great place to start: it gives a brief history of the U.S. census, the types of data that were captured, limitations of the records, and practical tips for searching the records for your ancestors. For more tips on using U.S. census records in your research, see Goal C1 in the United States page.
2022-10-31 Don't Be Afraid ... of Cemeteries: On this Halloween day, what better topic to discuss than cemeteries? In her video Don't Be Scared of Cemeteries, expert genealogist Amy Johnson Crow offers some reassuring tips on how to make the most of cemetery research, including tombstone markings and cemetery office records, as well as some practical examples for how to use the information gleaned from a visit. You can find out more about successful research in cemeteries and graveyards in Goal B6 of the United States page.
2022-10-28 Top 10 Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them: Doing genealogy research can be rewarding at times and frustrating other times. Some of that frustration can occur when you fall into easy-to-make mistakes. This Thoughtco article outlines 10 common mistakes that researchers make (especially beginners), from handling names and dates to immigration strategies, and how to avoid them. For more information on correcting myths and mistakes in genealogy, see Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-10-27 Half a Million Books—for Free: You may not be aware that FamilySearch has over 500,000 digitized family history books online, ready to be searched and explored. This BYU FHL video by James Tanner introduces you to the types of books available and how to search them, as well as copyright and usage guidelines. You can use the Key Moments section for this YouTube video to see chapters of interest. Find more resources for free books in the Surname eBooks page of The Family History Guide.
2022-10-26 The Genealogical Proof Standard Explained: The Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) is a foundational part of family history, but it's still a bit of a mystery to many researchers. Fortunately there is an excellent article by Marc McDermott in Genealogy Explained, to take you through each step of the GPS. The article also includes a handy flowchart, How to Conduct Research using the GPS, that helps you visualize each part of the process and how it all fits together. See also Goal 8 in FamilySearch Project 1.
2022-10-25 Finding Historical Photos: A great way to see into the past is with photos that were taken where your ancestors lived. This not only helps put your ancestors' live in context, but it may also provide research clues you can follow. The Ancestor Hunt website has state-by-state collections of free, downloadable images of people and places to get you started (scroll down to "State Articles"). Goal 1 in each state page of The Family History Guide has links to these photograph collections for the state, including cities, counties, and more.
2022-10-24 Interviewing Seniors—Some Practical Tips: Doing interviews is great way to capture family history information, but interviewing those of advanced age, especially who have memory issues, can be a challenge. This 2019 RootsTech article shares 20 practical tips for how to begin, engage, and complete successful interviews with seniors who have a lot to share but may need help in retrieving and communicating what they know. You can find additional interviewing tips in Goal 7 of Project 2: Memories.
2022-10-21 3 Tips for Breaking Brick Walls: When your research seems to have slowed or stopped on one of your family lines, here are three tips from Archives.com that can help get you going: 1) Explore information for collateral relatives (uncles, aunts, siblings, etc.); 2) Search online sources again and again for newly posted records; and 3) Take advantage of library and archive links, such as those you can find in The Family History Guide. For more tips on breaking through the brick walls in your research, see Project 4: Discover, Goal 7.
2022-10-20 Going Dutch: Getting Started with Netherlands Research: Finding your Dutch ancestors and learning about them can be an exciting venture. Goal 1 in the Netherlands country page introduces you to the basic research tools and strategies you'll need, to be successful in the hunt. Two of the articles of note are 4 Pro Tips for Finding Dutch Family History Resources by Legacy Tree, and this 2019 RootsTech article. For more, explore the additional Goals for the Netherlands.
2022-10-19 15 Minutes a Day: Feeling like you should be working on you family history, but life is just too busy? The 15 Minutes link in the Intro menu of The Family History Guide has some great ideas for staying engaged with the joy of family history on a regular basis. For example, in the "Fitting Family History into Your Life" section on the page, click the link in step 1. You'll find a handy schedule to help you fit family history activities into your life, arranged by amounts of time.
2022-10-07 English Odds and Ends: Have you ever been shopping and encountered a store with a delightful array of interesting items? The Family History Directory, a website hosted in the UK, is such a place for genealogists. You'll find links to free records, archives, photographs, maps and more, for England counties, as well as resources for Canada, Ireland, Scotland, and New Zealand. To learn more about England county research, access the links under the main picture on the England page in The Family History Guide.
2022-10-06 Keeping Track of Records and Information: As you work on family history research, you'll accumulate a lot of records and information, whether online or on paper. How are you keeping track of it all? This RootsTech 2021 video has some great tips on pulling all your information together, from charts to research logs to sources, to keep your research fine-tuned and easy to access. For more tips on organizing your genealogy, see Goal 1 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-10-05 Discovering Olive Tree Genealogy:
The Olive Tree Genealogy site has been online for a number of years, but it still might be new to you. It has an outstanding collecting of immigration resources, especially to the United States and Canada, and it features a wide variety of records for Canadian research, including its provinces. It also includes a Help for Beginners page. For more research info, see Goal D1 in the United States page and Goal 1 in the Canada page.
2022-10-04 100 Questions for Family History Interviews:
If you're looking for a big list of great questions to ask relatives about their lives, you're in luck. This article from Family History Daily features 100 thoughtful questions you can ask, and it includes some great tips about how to prepare for giving a successful family history interview. For more tips and information on interviewing others, check out Goal 3 in Project 2: Memories.
2022-10-03 Finding Your Italian Ancestors: Do any of your ancestors come from Italy? How do you find them, including those who immigrated from Italy to America? Check out this Ancestry video and this FamilySearch blog article to get you familiar with Italian history, immigration, and language tips. To learn more about Italian records, immigration, and research strategies, check out Goal 1 and Goal 5 in the Italy country page.
2022-09-30 Exploring the England GRO:
The General Register Office (GRO) has been collecting information on all births, marriages, and deaths in England since 1837. Some of the indexes are available for free on FamilySearch, Ancestry, and Findmypast; official certificates can be requested from the GRO for a fee. To learn more about the GRO and how it can help you with vital records research in England, see Goal 2 of the England country page.
2022-09-29 Family Locket Site:
The Family Locket site is a great resource for a variety of family history topics. It's run by a mother-daughter team that includes expert genealogists, and it features a wide variety of how-to articles for genealogy, DNA research tips, and fun family history activities. The Family History Guide has links to a number of Family Locket articles, such as Examining City Directories to Discover New Avenues of Research.
2022-09-28 Exploring School Records: As you search for more records about your ancestors' lives, remember that it's likely they were mentioned in school records at some time in their lives. You can use "school records" as keywords in your online record searches (Ancestry, FamilySearch, etc.), and this Findmypast article provides some practical tips for finding, reading, and searching education records. You can find additional info on school records in Goal F1 of the United States page.
2022-09-27 Go West! The American Migration from 1783 to 1900: As you research your United States ancestors, it's highly probable that some or many of them moved westward over time. This RootsTech video from 2021 discusses various reasons for the migration, as well as common transportation routes and modes that can help you track ancestors as they migrated. To learn more about American migration patterns, check out Goal F1 in the United States page.
2022-09-26 Keeping Memories Alive: Here are four ways to keep family history memories alive: 1) Understand that memories can be an important trigger for family history enjoyment and involvement. 2) Don't assume that because you read a story once, you'll remember all the details. Review stories to renew your connection with events and descriptions. 3) Keep others in the loop on where to find memory items for the family. Share photos, stories, and documents, and upload them to FamilySearch Memories, Ancestry, Google Photos, etc. 4) Record your own memories. In family lines where ancestors recorded little or nothing about their lives, it's harder to in the tapestry of who they were. Learn more in the Memories Project.
2022-09-23 Record Search Tips for FamilySearch: When you are ready to search for ancestor records on FamilySearch, there are ways to do that more efficiently and effectively. This FamilySearch Wiki article outlines best practices, field-specific search tips, advanced tips and tricks, and other places you can look when searches are not yielding the results you need. For additional resources to help with your searches, study the information in Goal 4 of Project 4: Discover.
2022-09-22 Researching Women in World War II: While we often focus on finding information about male ancestors in World War II, we should remember that many women also served in the war effort. This Archives.com article gets you started with history and resources for research. To learn more about records and research for ancestors in World War II, see Goal E2 in the United States page.
2022-09-21 Stories for Children: A great way to instill a love of family history is to acquaint children with stories of their ancestors. In the Kids Corner of The Family History Guide, there is a section for Family History Stories. Activities in the section include discovering, preserving, and recording family stories, as well as role-playing, crafts, videos and more. Also check out the My Memories section for additional ideas.
2022-09-20 Researching Newspapers by State: In The Family History History Guide, each of the 50 U.S. states has its own collection of state pages. The Goal 9 page is for newspaper research, and you'll find helpful resources such as FamilySearch articles and Ancestor Hunt databases for tracking down published information about your ancestors, state by state (such as for Colorado). For more tips on conducting research with newspapers, see Goal F4 in the United States page.
2022-09-19 Brick Walls and Lessons Learned: Even experienced genealogists may encounter "brick walls" in their research. In this article, noted blogger Amy Johnson Crow describes a 20-year brick wall she faced while doing U.S. Midwest research and the lessons she learned as she finally broke through it. You can find additional tips and strategies for breaking through brick walls in Goal 7 of Project 4: Discover.
2022-09-16 Researching Your Immigrant Ancestors: As you learn about your immigrant ancestors, you may be surprised to discover that there are many types of records to consider. As noted in the RootsWeb article Immigration Research Approaches, these include citizenship papers, alien registrations, passenger lists, passport applications, and more. To explore immigration records in more depth, check out Goal D1 in the United States page, or the corresponding Emigration Goal in the country page of interest.
2022-09-15 Rhyming and the U.S. Census: If you are looking for a person that should be in the U.S. census in a given decade, but the person isn't there, you may want to try name variations. This brief RootsTech video shows how to use a rhyming website to help you see how a census enumerator may have mis-heard a surname and recorded it incorrectly. You can find a wealth of additional tips and strategies for working with the U.S. census in the Vault section.
2022-09-14 Reading Gravestone Markings: When you find an ancestor's gravestone in a cemetery, you might still have a challenge to be able to read what's inscribed on it. This RootsTech video helps you understand gravestones and what's typically on them, and this GenealogyInTime article offers a remarkably simple tip that helps you read old or faded inscriptions on tombstones. To learn more about using gravestones in your research, see Goal B6 in the United States page.
2022-09-13 Compiled Military Service Records: What's in a compiled military service record? Typically it will list a service person's rank, military unit, date of entry into service, and whether discharged or separated by desertion, death, or other reasons. Ancestry.com has a number of collections of these records, with some of them being included as QUIKLinks in The Family History Guide. For more information on using compiled military service records in your research, see Goal E1 in the United States page or watch this Ancestry Academy video (requires a free account).
2022-09-12 Exploring the National Records of Scotland: When you find a website that combines learning resources with records, you're in for a treat—and that's exactly the case with the National Records of Scotland site. In the Research Guides section you'll find everything from basic vital records to census, military, land, courts, and much more, with summary articles and links. For additional information on doing Scottish research, check out Goal 1 in the Scotland country page.
2022-09-09 Where to Start Researching: It may be tempting to randomly choose a family line to research, or to always start with your direct paternal line. However, choosing the best line to begin your research can pay dividends. In this Explore Genealogy article you'll learn some basic strategies for selecting a family line, as well as how to collaborate with others who may have done previous research there. See Project 4: Goal 2 for more tips and strategies on identifying lines to research.
2022-09-08 Working with the 1890 US Census: Census records in the United States began in 1790, and those are somewhat of a challenge because there is little distinction between ages of people. As explained in this FamilySearch blog article, the 1800 US Census offered multiple age divisions for men and women, and census records remain for 16 of the 20 states that existed at the time. To learn more about 1800 US Census records, check out Goal C2 in the United States page.
2022-09-07 Track Your Progress with a Research Log: As you do your genealogy research, do you know the details of what you've covered and what you've found? This article by Family History Daily shows you how keeping a good research log can not only keep you organized but can actually transform the work you are doing. It has suggestions to help with positive and negative research results, templates and online forms to use, and more. See Goal 1 in Project 4: Discover for additional tips.
2022-09-06 Digital Storytelling with Google Earth: Need a different approach to your family history stories? You can create a fascinating digital landscape for your family history by combining places, photos, and words. Google Earth can bring your ancestors' places to life as you tell their life stories. Find out how it's done in this BYU webinar: Digital Storytelling with Google Earth. For more ideas on storytelling, see Goal 9 in Project 2: Memories.
2022-09-05 Help with DNA Questions: Taking a DNA test for family history can open doors for research, but it can also raise questions at the same time. Getting help with your questions is just a few clicks away: check out Goal 8 in FamilySearch Project 8 (or the final Goal in any of the other DNA Projects). There are links to Facebook pages, blog sites, message boards and forums, where you can ask your questions and get help. To get familiar with basic DNA concepts and terms, see Goal 1 in Project 8.
2022-09-02 30 Family History Interview Questions: The time you spend interviewing older relatives is precious, so you'll want to make the best use of it to gather the information you need. Findmypast provides a good starter list of questions you can use, including categories such as Basics, Life and Times, Family Relationships, and Dig Deeper. More interview questions and tips for conducting successful interviews are available in Goal 3 of Project 2: Memories.
2022-09-01 Countries Knowledgebase:
Doing research is a country that's new to you? The Countries Knowledgebase is like having your own collection of family history facts for over 60 countries from around the world. Topics range from geography and history to record sources, research strategies, and more, with convenient links at the top for quick access. You'll find the Countries Knowledgebase at the bottom of the Countries menu in The Family History Guide.
2022-08-31 Tips for Canadian Research: Locating your ancestors in Canada often depends on knowing Canadian regions and their history. In Family Tree Magazine's brief article titled 7 Canadian Genealogy Tips, you'll find guidelines for finding helpful information on places, provincial archives, Canadian ethnic groups, censuses and more. To learn more about Canadian research, check out the Goals in the Canada country page or explore the individual province pages.
2022-08-30 Reading Old Handwriting: Whether you're doing indexing or examining online records for research, you're likely to come across handwritten information that's hard to decipher. With these handwriting tips and examples from Findmypast, you'll be on your way to making sense of what you're seeing in records, phrase by phrase and letter by letter. Learn more about working with old handwriting in Goal 6 of Project 5: Indexing.
2022-08-29 Public Lands and Your Ancestors: Land records can hold valuable research clues, but it's important to know the background and terminology for these records. In How US Public Land Is Surveyed and Distributed, author Kimberly Powell explains how townships, sections and ranges, types of land grants, and survey plats fit into your ancestors' land-owning experience. To learn more about U.S. land records, see Goal F2 in the United States page.
2022-08-26 Tips for Finding Lost Ancestors: Some genealogy articles on the web have been around for a long time but are just as relevant today. That's the case with Diane Richard's article Tips To Help You Find Seemingly "Lost" Ancestors on the Archives.com site. Here she discusses strategies for name variations, census challenges, children without recorded parents, and more. You can find many additional resources for breaking down walls in your research in Goal 7 of Project 4: Discover.
2022-08-25 10 Effective Strategies for Research: New to family history research? Or perhaps you'd like to make sure you are heading in the right direction. In either case, check out Ten Effective Strategies on How to Build a Family Tree by GenealogyInTime Magazine. You'll learn about focusing your research efforts, dealing with older documents, handling conflicts in the information you find, and more. You can find additional tips for research strategies in Project 4, Goal 3.
2022-08-24 Brick Walls and Misindexed Records: Anyone who has done record indexing knows there is a potential for mistakes in the process, especially with difficult-to-read handwriting. Incorrect indexes can sometimes lead to brick walls in research, but this article by Ancestral Findings offers suggestions on how to work around these issues and find the information you need. For more tips on working with potential problems with records and indexes, see Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-08-23 Finding Details for Ancestor Stories: From FamilySearch: "Stories add depth to the family narrative and breathe life into your family tree." So what makes for a good story, and how do you find the details you will need? This blog article provides some insights on what to include in your stories, as well as helpful tips for resources to find interesting details. For more tips on writing engaging stories for ancestors, see Goal 8 in Project 2: Memories.
2022-08-22 Tagging Ancestors, in Ancestry: One of the cool features available in Ancestry is MyTreeTags. You can attach MyTreeTag labels to ancestor profiles to help you do custom searches for ancestors in your tree. Categories include Research Status (Actively Researching, Verified, Brick Walls, etc.), Relationships, DNA, and more, and you can create your own tags and add notes and comments for any tag. See Goal 1 in Ancestry Project 2 to learn more about MyTree Tags.
2022-08-19 What's in Cemetery Records? You can photograph tombstones and search Find A Grave, but you can also discover more information by using cemetery office records. This Family Locket article shows examples of what you can find in cemetery records, and it offers several tips for finding these records for your research. For more tips on conducting cemetery research, see Goal B6 of the United States page.
2022-08-18 Search Tips for Databases: There are thousands of genealogical databases online. When you start exploring a new database for the first time, it may take a while to figure out the best search strategies to use. In this article by Amy Johnson Crow you'll learn four essential tips for understanding database features and how to maximize your search results. To learn more about using effective online search strategies, see Goal 6 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-08-17 Exploring the JewishGen Website: One of the best ways to trace Jewish ancestry is using the JewishGen website. The Family History Guide highlights a number of useful resources on the site, including the First-Timer video, the JewishGen Family Finder database, the JewishGen Town Finder, and the JewishGen discussion group. For additional tips on finding your Jewish ancestors, check out the Jewish pages in the Ethnic section of The Family History Guide, or find Jewish resources in selected areas of the Countries menu.
2022-08-16 Discovering Passenger Lists:
Some of the earliest immigration records are the lists of passengers on boats coming to America. The key is to connect the names on the passenger lists and other associated documents with the immigrant once that person has arrived in America. This article features practical tips for searching passenger lists to find what you need. For more information, see Goal D2 in the United States country page.
2022-08-15 U.S. Regional Research:
In addition to the 50 individual U.S. state pages plus Puerto Rico and Washington D.C., The Family History Guide covers each major region of the United States for research: Midwest, Northeast (New England and Mid-Atlantic), Southern (Mid-South and Gulf Coast), and Western (West Coast/Pacific and Mountain West). There are links to helpful articles, videos, and websites in each section to assist you with your research.
2022-08-12 Exploring Historical Images: FamilySearch has a large number of records that are online but have not yet been indexed. You can search for and browse these unindexed records using the Explore Historical Images feature. This gives you a head start in finding records you may be interested in that do not show up yet in the indexed record collections. Search options are available for dates and event type, but not for names. For more information on using the Explore Historical Images feature, see Goal 5 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-08-11 Telling Your Ancestors' Stories: If research is the first part of genealogy, the second part is sharing the stories of your ancestors' lives, with details that will engage your readers. If you could use some help with that effort, here are two articles to get you started: 3 Tips to Make You a Great Storyteller and 7 Fantastic Storytelling Tools and Apps. To learn more about building and telling stories for your ancestors, check out Goal 8 in Project 2: Memories.
2022-08-10 Through the Eyes of the Parish Priest: The Family History Guide has a Hispanic Research section with links to many helpful resources for research. One of these is a series of short videos from FamilySearch, with the theme of "Through the Eyes of the Parish Priest." It covers strategies for finding and using a variety of Catholic Church records in Latin America, including baptism, marriage, burial, and confirmation. To learn more about Latin American resources, check out Goal 2 in the Hispanic section.
2022-08-09 The History of a Home: A home or house can be a gateway to interesting historical and genealogical facts. There are many online resources available for tracing the history of a home, such as learning about previous owners, geography and maps, property and architectural facts, and more. A great place to get started is this article from IPL.org, which has links to many online resources about home history and how to research it.
2022-08-08 1950 U.S. Census FAQs: Records for the 1950 U.S. Census are available online at Archives.gov, as well as FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage and other sites, with some indexes available. You can find an extensive list of FAQs about the census on the Archives.gov site, including search tips, who was enumerated, enumeration maps, census schedules and forms, and more. See additional resources for the census in Goal C2 in the United States page.
2022-08-05 What's in a Death Certificate?: There may be more genealogical information in a death certificate than you realize, and the types of information may vary according to the decade or U.S. location. Check out 27 Key Facts to Extract from a Death Certificate for an in-depth look at what you'll find, along with comparisons between certificates from New York and Ohio. For more information on using death certificates in your research, see Goal B5 in the United States page.
2022-08-04 Exploring the British National Archives: As explained in this Legacy Tree article, the British National Archives has an extensive collection of free online genealogy records to assist you in your research. You can use the advanced search feature to narrow down search results, and you can download wills and other documents from the site. For documents that have not yet been digitized, you can request a search for a small fee. Learn more in Goal 8 of the England country page.
2022-08-03 Finding Clues in Ship Manifests: As you search for information about your immigrant ancestors, ship manifests and passenger lists can be a great resource. This article from Fortify Your Family Tree outlines six key genealogical facts that were included in the manifests of most immigrant ships. To learn more about passenger lists and how they can help you in your research, see Goal D2 in the United States page.
2022-08-02 Hearth Tax in England: Tax records in England have gone through interesting phases, including hearth (fireplace) taxes from 1662 to 1689 that were collected twice a year, and window taxes from 1696 to 1851. You can find over 200,000 records online in the Hearth Tax Digital database, covering England and Wales, and you can search, sort and download information for people found in the database. For more about England tax records and how to use them in research, see Goal 5 in the England country page.
2022-08-01 The Immigrant Servants Database: Many who immigrated to Colonial America in the 1600s and 1700s were not heads of households or their children but were servants to them. Price Genealogy has created a helpful Immigrant Servants Database, with information on over 20,000 servants, male and female, who made the trip to America. You can search the entries by name, date or place of birth, place of arrival, and much more. For additional information on immigration records, see Goal D1 in the United States page.
2022-07-29 Exploring Surnames with the Guild of One-Name Studies: Do you have interesting surnames in your family tree that you'd like to learn more about? The Guild of One-Name Studies is a non-profit organization where members share information on 9,000+ surnames throughout the world. The Guild also has an extensive YouTube Channel with additional surname tips and resources. Also, you can use the surname distribution maps available on FamilySearch to explore where surnames are concentrated in various countries.
2022-07-28 10 Research Challenges: Genealogy research can be a fascinating and fulling effort, but it can also be a challenge in more ways than one. To make things a bit easier on yourself, check out these 10 Challenges and How to Overcome Them from Family History Daily. The advice includes locating offline records, handling sources properly, dealing with errors and brick walls in research, and much more. For additional tips on basic research principles, see Goal 2 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-07-27 Timelines and Research Skills: While genealogy timelines can help you pinpoint the events and locations in your ancestors' lives, using timelines can also help you develop important research skills. In this RootsTech video, Dr. Shelley Viola Murphy explains how to get started with research using timelines, as well as the benefits of timelines and how to find records associated with them. To learn more about timelines and research, check out Goal A4 in the United States page.
2022-07-26 Don't Forget Your Own Story: Doing family history research is an exciting—and extensive—process. Are we forgetting person #1 by neglecting to tell our own story for future generations? In this article by Family History Daily you'll find important tips for preserving your life story to pass down to others. To learn more about creating life stories for you and your ancestors, check out the Choices in Goal 9 of Project 2: Memories, including life sketches and stories as well as journaling.
2022-07-25 Migration Clues: Celebrating Pioneer Day may remind us that we need to track our ancestors as they moved from place to place. It helps to understand their motivations for moving, as well as the challenges you may encounter when tracing their locations. This article by Diane Richard discusses reasons, problems, clues, timelines, and routes for migrating ancestors. See Goal F1 in the United States page for additional resources.
2022-07-22 Finding Vital Records in France: In the France country page of The Family History Guide, there are a number of resources that help you find vital records (birth, marriage, and death) for ancestors. Goal 3: Civil Registration provides links to articles and videos by FamilySearch and Thoughtco, as well as an extensive QUIKLinks section for searching online record collections. Be sure to click the Provinces link to see additional QUIKLinks for each province in France.
2022-07-21 Using the David Rumsey Map Collection: Historical maps can provide a wonderful window into the details of your ancestors' lives. The David Rumsey map collection is a useful and free resource for finding these maps, in just about any country in the world. You can browse the digital maps by location, category, or year, to help you pin down locations and place names for your ancestors. For more information on using maps in your research, see Goal A2 in the United States page, or the Maps Goal in your country of interest.
2022-07-14 Vacation Time: The Tip of the Day is on vacation, from July 14 to July 20. See you on the 21st!
2022-07-13 English Surnames: Many of us have ancestry from England, so learning about English surnames can be interesting and useful for research. This article from BYU's English Ancestors site gets you started with an overview, research tips, distribution of surnames throughout England, surname variants, and other information. To learn more about English surnames and their distribution, check out Goal 1 in the England page.
2022-07-12 Research with The Family History Guide: On Thursday, July 7 we recorded a new webinar video for the BYU Family History Library, titled Research with The Family History Guide. It covers 10 important areas of research, ranging from getting started and basics to problem solving and DNA tools. Other recent BYU webinars we have done for BYU include The Family History Guide: Tips and Tricks and Training with The Family History Guide.
2022-07-11 Discovering the Knowledgebase: One of the most useful features of The Family History Guide is the Knowledgebase for United States and general research. You can find it in the Learning Path menus (FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage and Findmypast), under Project 4. There is an alphabetical list of topic links at the top of the page, ranging from basic research to breaking through brick walls, and just about everything in between. Each topic opens up to individual nuggets of information to help you learn more about the area you are researching.
2022-07-08 Finding Hidden Original Records on Ancestry and FamilySearch: As you search online record collections in Ancestry and FamilySearch, you'll discover that some entries are index-only (no records). Because indexes are summaries, you may be missing valuable information from the original record. This article by Family History Daily has some great tips on using built-in tools and links on Ancestry and FamilySearch to track down these original records for your research. See also Goal B1 in the United States page for tips on finding vital records.
2022-07-07 When You Can't Find a Death Record: Death certificates for most states weren't created until the early 1900's, but there are other ways to get the information you need. This article by Family Tree Magazine describes nine types of death records for research, such as local death records, church burials, and census mortality schedules, and where to find them. For more information on finding and using death records, see Goal B5 in the United States page, or the corresponding Goal in the Country page of interest.
2022-07-06 Location, Location, Location: You've heard the slogan in real estate, and it's just as relevant in family history— location really does matter. This Family Locket article explores the what, where, and why of research, so you can step back from just doing record searches and start getting a solid understanding of the locations that were important to your ancestors. That in turn can open more doors to discovery in your research. See also Goal A2 in the United States page.
2022-07-05 Exploring UK Birth, Marriage, and Death Records: For those doing research in the United Kingdom, there is an abundance of free birth, marriage, and death (BMD) records available online. The UK BMD site has links to BMD records by county and parish, as well as census records and other tools for finding British ancestors. To learn more about vital records in the UK, see Goal 2 in the England page, or corresponding Goals in the Scotland and Wales pages.
2022-07-04 Finding Your Revolutionary War Ancestors: Happy July 4! As we celebrate Independence Day in the United States, why not learn about ways to trace your ancestors who may have served in the conflict or lived in the areas where the war was being fought. You can get started with this article by Ancestral Findings, which gives a short intro to researching Revolutionary War ancestors. See also Goal E2 in the United States page, including the Events and People section.
2022-07-01 Discovering Ancestors in New England: Many of us have ancestors who lived in the northeast United States, including the New England area. Goal A3 of the United States page connects you to a wealth of resources for doing New England research, including this overview video from FamilySearch. There are also categories in Choice C for New England vital, military, tax, land, and probate records.
2022-06-30 Genealogy, Unrehearsed: Watching how experts solve problems—in real time—can be a valuable learning experience. Richard Miller and James Tanner are collaborating in a YouTube series of videos called Unrehearsed Genealogy Research, where they take a sample research challenge in each episode and work through the challenges on the spot. There are 13 videos so far, mostly centered around United States research. To learn more about solving problems in your research, check out Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-06-29 Finding Irish Records: Although many Irish records were destroyed in a fire at the Public Record Office in Dublin, you can still find a great number online. Two great sources are Findmypast and Ancestry. This video describes collections available on Findmypast (there's also an extended video version) and this article has tips for searching Ancestry collections of Irish records. There are also links to databases of Irish records in Goal 1 of the Ireland country page.
2022-06-28 Digging through Layers of Source Records: Paleontologists are scientists who uncover the past by discovering fossils and analyzing them. Genealogy also has its layers of research records, according to James Tanner. At the top you'll find records that are widely available and easy to search, such as census records. Near the bottom you can find "gold" in records from archives, libraries, and historical societies. For more about research strategies, see Goal 3 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-06-27 Finding Your German Town of Origin: One of the keys to establishing your research in Germany is locating the town of origin for an immigrant ancestor. In Goal 1 of the Germany country page there is Town of Origin section with some helpful links to get you started, such as articles about record types and strategies for German towns of origin, by Price Genealogy. You'll also find a brief video by Ancestry Academy for additional insights.
2022-06-24 Researching Welsh Ancestors Online: If you have ancestors from Wales and would like to begin tracing them online, you can find helpful resources in The Family History Guide. For example, this recent RootsTech video explains search criteria, major websites to use, online resources from the National Library of Wales, and more. To learn more about getting started with Welsh research, including tips for Welsh names and terms, check out Goal 1 in the Wales country page.
2022-06-23 Finding Elusive Genealogical Records: According to this article from the Origins International site, there are three basic reasons why you may be having trouble finding a certain record: 1) The record has not been digitized yet; 2) It may not exist, or was damaged or lost; and 3) Spelling mistakes in the index or record may be leading you astray in your online searches. See more tips for hard-to-find records in Goal A1 of the United States page, in the Record Information section.
2022-06-22 Learning about DNA Research:
If you'd like to get started learning about the basics of DNA and how it can help you in your family history research, check out Genetic Genealogy Simplified, from the DIY Genealogist. This brief video covers topics such as the basic anatomy of DNA, how DNA inheritance works, and how you can find your DNA-matching relatives from your test results. To learn more about DNA basics, see the resources in Goal 1 of Project 8: DNA.
2022-06-21 Tips for Trips:
A genealogy road trip can be a wonderful experience: you get to connect with your ancestors as you enjoy the places where they lived. But a successful trip does require planning and strategy. Check out this article by Treemily for some practical tips about merging genealogy research with your travels to get the results you want. For additional tips, see Goal 8 in Project 4: Discover, as well as the Vault section that deals with family history trips.
2022-06-20 Beginning a Line:
From FamilySearch: "When you begin research on a new family, start by compiling a family group record showing everything you know about them. It is important to list every known event in each person's life. The more events you list, the better. It is also important to cite the sources of your information. Some of your names, dates, and places may be guesses or estimates. Your sources for this data should explain how you arrived at the estimates." See Project 4: Goal 2 for info on identifying lines to research.
2022-06-17 Finding Unindexed Records in the FamilySearch Catalog: Did you know that there are actually more unindexed records in the FamilySearch catalog (about 2 billion) than indexed records (about 1.5 billion)? This video by James Tanner explains how the FamilySearch Catalog is organized and provides tips for locating unindexed records, which don't show up when you do historical record searches in FamilySearch. To learn more about using the FamilySearch catalog see Goal 5 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-06-16 Book a Trip to the Library: According to Legacy Tree Genealogists, "Public libraries can be one of the most overlooked resources in family history research, and are one of the most valuable. Even the smallest one might hold the largest historical collection in the surrounding area." This blog article gets you acquainted with the large online libraries as well as the research possibilities that can open up when you visit smaller local libraries and work with librarians. To learn more about using library resources in your research, see Goal F5 in the United States page.
2022-06-15 Creating a Research Binder: One way used by many genealogists to keep research information organized is a research binder. In this video by Deon Miller you can experience a step-by-step process for creating an effective binder for your research materials. Topics include items you will need, a color coding system, section numbering, pages and section content, and more. For additional tips on creating and using research binders, see Goal 1 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-06-14 Being There: Today there is a vast amount of genealogical records online, and more records are being indexed and made available each week. However, there is still a great deal of essential family history information and clues that are not online and may not be for quite a while. This FamilySearch blog article explains how you can capture that information and find research clues by visiting local archives, societies, libraries and even stores in places where your ancestors lived. For more, see Goal F5 in the United States page.
2022-06-13 Answers Hiding in Plain Sight: Sometimes we may be a bit overwhelmed by family history research, thinking of it as a "leap into the unknown." This video by Kathryn Grant takes a different approach, as she explains that working from what you already know about an ancestor or family can uncover research information that has been hiding in plain sight. You can learn more about basic research strategies in Goal 3 of Project 4: Discover.
2022-06-10 Finding Research Clues in Newspapers: Although newspaper articles are not generally considered a primary source for research information, they can help you turn up quite a few research clues. For example, this article from the FamilySearch Wiki and this Ancestry Academy video describe how to find online newspapers, the types of research info you can find in them, and search strategies for finding the information you need. For more, check out Goal F4 in the United States page.
2022-06-09 What About the Orphans? If you have one or more orphans in your family tree, you may be looking at a potential brick wall in your research. Fortunately there is help available, such as this three-part video series from RootsTech. It covers a wide variety of topics for locating orphans and orphanages, including the records and strategies you need for success in your searches. To learn more about researching orphans, see Goal F1 in the United States page.
2022-06-08 Sharing Your Family History: The things that touch your heart about your family history will often touch the hearts of your living relatives. Sharing family history stories and tree information with them is a good way to get started. This article by Kimberly Powell offers five basic ways to help others see what you have found, from CDs and DVDs to printed charts and more. For additional ideas on sharing family history and collaborating with others, check out Goal 3 in Project 6: Help.
2022-06-07 The Advantages of Church Records : In many cases, church records can open up new possibilities for information and even new branches in your family tree. In this article by Price Genealogy, you'll learn how church records often include names of witnesses or relatives of ancestors, as well as dates to help you pinpoint events that occurred in your ancestors' lives. It also describes how church records have been used in various parts of the U.S. over time. See also Goal F1 in the United States page.
2022-06-06 Relationships in U.S. Census Records: As you browse through census records online, you'll need to decide whether and how the people listed are related to your ancestor. As explained in this Ancestry video, relationships in the records could be stated or implied, or you could infer the relationship from the information provided. The video also offers additional tips for evaluating relationships in census records. To learn more, check out Goal C1 in the United States page.
2022-06-03 FAQs for DNA Testing: A popular and often effective way to break through family history barriers is DNA testing. If you're somewhat new to DNA concepts or testing, this brief Findmypast article highlights frequently asked questions, including essential terms, fundamentals of testing, and how DNA testing can help you identify additional people in your family tree. To learn more about DNA basics, see Goal 1 in Project 8: DNA.
2022-06-02 Does That Record Even Exist? In research, few things can be as frustrating as devoting time and energy to searching for a record that actually does not exist, because the type of record was not created for that time or place. In this Archives.com video you'll learn about vital records for different locations, the effect of changing place names, and more, including case studies for Ohio and Pennsylvania that demonstrate record problems and solutions. For more about using U.S. vital records in research, see Goal B1 in the United States page.
2022-06-01 Historical Context for Your Ancestors: Names, dates and places are the the backbone of genealogy, but there is so much more to an ancestor's story. Understanding the historical context of ancestors' lives helps you see their lives in perspective, and it often leads you to more research clues. Watch the Somewhere in Time video from RootsTech for tips, or use the Info button (in Choice B) to quickly find video topics such as county histories, journals, manuscript collections, and more.
2022-05-31 Getting Started with England Research: Three keys to English research are 1) understanding the types of records available; 2) knowing where to find the records; and 3) extracting the information you need for your research. You can get a good start with these tasks in Goal 1 of the England country page. Choice A features articles and videos from Ancestry, the BYU Family History Library, and Legacy Tree, as well as a timeline of events to help correlate records with historical events in England.
2022-05-30 U.S. Military Records: Many of us in the United States have ancestors who may have served in the armed forces. To learn more about U.S. military records and how they can be used in your family history research, check out Goal E1 in the United States page. Choice A has links to articles about essential records, tips for interviewing military veterans, and a brief introductory video by James Tanner to get you started in your research. See also Goal E2 to learn how to do research in each of the major U.S. conflicts.
2022-05-27 Three Types of Evidence: As you work with records in your research, you'll discover three types of genealogical evidence: direct (directly answers a question), indirect (shows a pattern or connection), and negative (information that should be there but isn't). In this Ancestry video, Crista Cowan explains "direct" at 2:55, "indirect" at 3:50, and "negative" at 6:00, and there is a detailed case study on negative evidence at 12:30. For more on evidence types, see Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-05-26 Cleaning, Storing, and Displaying Old Photographs: The chances are good that you or other family members have a collection of old family photos somewhere in your home. Are those photos being properly preserved so that future generations can enjoy the originals? After scanning them, check out the tips in this article for cleaning, storing and displaying old photos, including best materials to use, labeling tips, and more. For additional tips on preserving your old photographs, see Goal 1 in Project 2: Memories.
2022-05-25 Town of Origin: Before you can effectively search the records of another country, you need to know the name of the city, town, or parish your immigrant ancestor came from. The first step is locating the immigrant in the United States. Clues about an ancestors' town of origin may be found in diaries, family and local histories, church records, obituaries, marriage records, death records, tombstones, passports (particularly since the 1860s), passenger lists (particularly those after 1883), and applications for naturalization. For more information, see United States, Goal D1.
2022-05-24 After Your DNA Test ... If you are considering a DNA test for family history, it's good to know what to expect from the results and what steps to take to interpret them. This article from the Collecting Cousins site has a good overview, including DNA basics and terms, websites with free resources, help groups for DNA research, and more. For additional tips on different types of DNA tests and the information they provide, check out Goal 2 in Project 8: DNA.
2022-05-23 England Census: Census records were gathered in England every 10 years, from 1841 to 1911. Additionally, the 1939 Register was taken shortly before World War II. These records can be great resources for tracing your recent English ancestry. In the England country page, check out Goal 4 for helpful tips and strategies for using census records in your research. You'll also find QUIKLinks to records for each of the census collections online, and a section on using electoral roll records.
2022-05-20 The Trainer's Corner: The Family History Guide has some great resources for those who present, teach, or mentor others in family history. One of these resources is the Trainer's Corner, found in the Trainers menu. The sections on this page include A) Delivering the Class, B) Involving the Learners, C) 30 Instructor Tips, D) Course Evaluations, and E) The 5 "In's" of Instruction. Check them out and feel free to share the links with others.
2022-05-19 Free Resources for English Ancestry: Many of us have ancestral roots going back to England. The "Who Do You Think You Are Magazine" site highlights what it considers the best 25 free genealogy websites for doing genealogy research in the U.K. You can find additional resources as well as research strategies in Goal 1 of the England country page.
2022-05-18 5 Things to Do with Each Record: When you find a record for an ancestor, the typical thing to do is to write down all the genealogical clues in it. But what other activities should be on your checklist? This brief Ancestry video describes five things to do with each record you find, to keep your research on track and moving forward. Learn more about record information, including access links for the above video, in Goal 1 of the United States page (scroll down to Record Information).
2022-05-17 Record Finder: How do you know which types of records to work on first in your research, and which are not as essential? The Record Finder from FamilySearch can be a valuable tool: it lists record types by categories and suggests when it's best to use each type. The Record Finder is included in most country pages in The Family History Guide, as the list of essential records will vary by country. Check out the United States example (Record Selection Table).
2022-05-16 Wheel of Family Fortune:
One of the fun and engaging activities listed in The Family History Guide is the Wheel of Family Fortune, from the BYU Family History Technology Lab. Play it like the TV show, but solve the puzzles for ancestors in your part of the Family Tree. There is a Rules link in the upper right after you sign in to FamilySearch and begin the game. Check out the Family History Activities page for more ideas.
2022-05-12 Research Help:
Need help with research in a particular country, state, province, or English county? Check out the Get Help Goals that are typically the last in each research project. They have links to Facebook groups, forums, genealogy societies and more, to help you collaborate and get your research questions answered. For example, here's the link for the Get Help Goal in the Germany country page.
2022-05-10 Researching the Wrong Person?: One of the most unsettling feelings in genealogy might be when you realize you have probably been researching the wrong ancestor. What do you do, and how do you avoid this problem in the first place? In this Family Locket blog article, Nicole Dyer shares a personal research dilemma and how she solved it by focusing on three essential research objectives, in the correct order. You can learn more about creating research objectives and plans in Goal 3 of Project 4: Discover.
2022-05-09 Your DNA Toolbox: If you have taken a DNA test, you should know there are quite a few free tools you can use to help you use and organize your test results and DNA matches. Examples include GEDMatch, DNA Painter, DNA Match Labeling and more. This blog article by The DNA Geek gives a nice overview of popular DNA tools and what they can do for you. For more information on using DNA tools in your research, check out Goal 6 in Project 8: DNA.
2022-05-06 Using Census Enumeration District Maps: What happens when you find an ancestor in the U.S. census, but the town or city name is left blank? You can likely find the missing information by studying maps for census enumeration districts (the areas that census takers covered). This article from Family Locket gets you started with the background and tips you need, and there are two additional articles in the series. See Goal C1 in the United States page for more tips on using census records.
2022-05-05 Case Study: Brick Walls and DNA: It can be frustrating to encounter a dead end or "brick wall" in your family tree. This case study from the Genealogy Research Journal details an interesting story of how the author solved a 30-year brick wall of an ancestor in San Francisco in the early 1900's. Using Ancestry DNA test results, she contacted matches and combed through city directories to find a surprising conclusion. For more on solving brick wall puzzles, see Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-05-04 Research with School Yearbooks: One of the best resources for capturing memories and information from school days is through yearbooks. Many of these have now been digitized for easier access. The Ancestor Hunt website has a great collection of resources for finding school yearbooks, including links to yearbooks from each U.S. state and tips for using yearbook information in your genealogy research. You can find additional info on yearbooks and research in Goal F1 of the United States page.
2022-05-02 Where Was My Ancestor Buried? Even with great online tools like Find A Grave and BillionGraves, finding your ancestor's burial location may sometimes be a challenge. The Ancestral Findings site has some helpful tips for locating unknown or alternate burial locations in these articles: Tricks for Finding the Unknown Burial Location of an Ancestor and Alternative Locations for Burial Places for Your Ancestors. Learn more about cemetery records in Goal B6 of the United States page.
2022-04-29 Finding Your Swiss Ancestors: What tools and resources are available for tracing your ancestry in Switzerland? In this RootsTech 2022 video you'll learn how to get started with Swiss research, including surname resources, place names and maps, immigration and church records, and more. To continue on with Swiss research, check out the Goals in the Switzerland country page in The Family History Guide.
2022-04-28 Genealogies and Trees: The FamilySearch tree is a single, shared and global tree. You might not be aware that FamilySearch also has a Genealogies collection of many others, including trees for entire communities, oral genealogies, and partner trees, to assist you with your research. Check out this RootsTech video for details, and learn more about the FamilySearch Genealogies page in Goal 5 of Project 4: Discover.
2022-04-27 BYU Library Subject Guides: The Brigham Young University Library has handy subject guides on just about every topic you can think of—including family history, of course. Inside the family history subject guide are tabs for beginning and advanced research, family history activities, family history activities, etc., with several links to The Family History Guide. Watch for an upcoming blog post with more about these family history subject guides.
2022-04-26 Forming a Research Strategy: One of the often-overlooked keys to successful genealogy research is having a good strategy to work with. In Project 4: Discover, Goal 3, The Family History Guide has a brief introductory video by James Tanner to get you started, and the Strategies section in Choice A has additional resources such as A Guide to Research from the FamilySearch Wiki. Be sure to check out the links to other articles and videos included in the Choice.
2022-04-25 Citing Online Sources: Properly citing the online sources you use helps others understand the components of your research, and it helps you stay on track. Diana Elder from Family Locket introduced an excellent three-part series on the topic at RootsTech. Watch the videos for Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 to learn the principles of source citation and see helpful examples of how they can be used. For more on source citations in research, see Goal 9 in FamilySearch Project 1 (Resources section).
2022-04-22 Marriages in the News: A helpful but often underused way to find marriage-related information is in newspapers. This RootsTech 2022 video provides tips for searching online newspapers to find weddings, engagements, bridal showers, elopements, divorces, and anniversaries, using additional keywords besides just the name and "marriage" in the search. For more tips on finding marriage information, check out Goal B4 in the United States page.
2022-04-21 Same Person, Different Names: Usually we when we see different names in records, they of course belong to different people. But sometimes those different names are actually for the same person, which can make for challenging research. This article by Olive Tree Genealogy describes scenarios where a person may be using different names, and how you can accurately put the pieces together. For more information on dealing with names and conflicting information in research, see Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-04-20 Tips and Tricks: The BYU Family History Library recently posted a new YouTube video titled "The Family History Guide: Tips and Tricks." This video gives you an inside look at some useful features and tips for using them, such as shared and hybrid topics, hidden gems, resource stars, info buttons, and a lot more. Also watch for an upcoming article on The Family History Guide blog site for additional details about the video.
2022-04-19 Jurisdictions and Boundaries: Two of the most important things to know about a genealogical record are who created it (the jurisdiction) and where it was created (county, state, or country boundaries). The Understanding Boundaries and Jurisdictions video from RootsTech 2022 gives a solid background on these topics, including administrative divisions, place names, and terms to know for your research. Also check out Goal A2 in the United States page for more tips.
2022-04-18 Ladies and Land: The U.S. Homestead Act helped to encourage the population to move west and obtain their own property from the government. An often overlooked aspect is the role that women played. In this RootsTech video you'll learn the details of the Homestead Act and see records and examples of women obtaining land and thriving on the frontier. To learn more about doing research with the U.S. Homestead Act, see Goal F2 in the United States page.
2022-04-15 Taking Advantage of Tax Records: Death and taxes are a certainty, but chances are most of us are more familiar with death records than with tax records. You may be surprised to learn that early U.S. tax records can place an ancestor in a specific location and time, confirm land ownership, provide birth, marriage, and death dates, track migration, and more. Get more tips on using tax records in your research in Goal F2 of the United States page.
2022-04-14 10 Tips to Find Immigrant Ancestors: One of the most exciting parts of genealogy research is finding an immigrant ancestor and extending that person's line in your tree. You can get help with your quest with 10 Tips to Help You Trace Your Immigrant Ancestor, by Findmypast. It explains how to use immigration and census records, naturalization records, passport applications and more to find the information you need about your immigrant ancestors. To learn more about immigration research, see Goal D1 in the United States page.
2022-04-13 Tips for Searching Common Surnames: If you have a John or Mary Smith, or a Thomas or Ann Jones in your family tree, how do you know it's the right person? This article by Amy Johnson Crow and this one by James Tanner provide some helpful tips for sorting through identical names and seeing additional clues in records, including locations, friends and neighbors, and search radius. See Goal 6 in Project 4: Discover for additional online search tips.
2022-04-12 What's in Cemetery Records? You can photograph tombstones and search Find A Grave, but there's more information to find by using cemetery office records. This Family Locket article shows examples of what you can find in cemetery records, and it offers several tips for finding these records for your research. For more tips on conducting cemetery research, see Goal B6 of the United States page.
2022-04-11 Using Original Records: Sometimes it's easier to find ancestor information in published sources, such as newspapers, obituaries, directories, etc. However, these secondary sources may be omitting important information or in some cases getting the facts wrong. This Archives.com article explains the importance of using primary records whenever possible, such as certificates, deeds, etc. Learn more about original records in Goal A1 of the United States page.
2022-04-08 Using England Census Records: If you are looking for an English ancestor after 1840, the England censuses can be very useful. In this recent RootsTech video you'll get a brief overview of the history of the census, see how the census questions changed over the years, and follow a case study for using census records. Learn more about the England census in Goal 4 of the England country page, including a QRB (Quick Research Basics) video.
2022-04-07 Lost County Records: In your research you may eventually see a situation where the county records you are looking for have been burned or otherwise destroyed. What are your alternatives? This RootsTech video provides some helpful case studies for working around destroyed records at the county level. For more tips on dealing with limited or missing records in research, check out the Records Information topic in Goal 1 of the United States page.
2022-04-06 30 Family History Interview Questions: The time you spend interviewing older relatives is precious, so you'll want to make the best use of it to gather the information you need. Findmypast provides a good starter list of questions you can use, including categories such as Basics, Life and Times, Family Relationships, and Dig Deeper. More interview questions and tips for conducting successful interviews are available in Goal 3 of Project 2: Memories.
2022-04-05 The FreeREG Project: One of the best resources for British Isles research is parish registers. FreeREG is an ongoing project where volunteers transcribe parish registers for England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Northern Ireland and make them available online. This RootsTech video explains what FreeREG is and how to get started with it. You can learn more about parish registers in Goal 6 of the England country page, or in corresponding church and cemetery Goals for the other counties.
2022-04-04 Handling Conflicts in Information: Occasionally you may run into records that don't agree with each other, in terms of the important information that's recorded on them. What should you do in that case? This article from Legacy Tree has two solid tips to help you make the best choices with conflicting information, by zeroing in on the sources you are using. To learn more about handling conflicting information in your research, see Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-04-01 Happy 1950 U.S. Census Day: The long-awaited day has arrived, for the release of records from the 1950 U.S. census. FamilySearch has an interesting summary page for learning about the background of the census, and Ancestry has an entry in its Card Catalog but no records yet as of this morning. Stay tuned for the flood of records to come, and enjoy the upcoming search for your ancestors in the 1950 Census!
2022-03-31 Location, Location, Location: Working with U.S. census records from 1900-1930 on Ancestry can yield some good results, but it's helpful to know the role that locations play in your search results. This two-minute Ancestry Academy video walks you through using census records and how to effectively use locations in your ancestor searches, especially with the census. For more tips on using the U.S. census in your research, check out Goal C1 in the United States page.
2022-03-30 Tips for Old Photos: Who is that in the old photograph you just found, and what research clues might you be missing? If you're looking for a great collection of tips for analyzing photos, check out this Findmypast blog article. It covers topics such as finding photos, identifying dates and people, finding more information, and caring for old photographs. For more info on using photos in your research, refer to Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-03-29 Exploring School Records: One of the commonly overlooked sources for research is education records. These Findmypast articles - How School Records Can Help You With Your Genealogy Research and How to Find Incredible Old School Photos in Our Family History Records - are full of examples of available school records and tips and guidelines for using them in research. For additional links to help with school record research, check out Goal F1 in the United States page.
2022-03-28 Keeping Track of Your Information: As you gather data from your research, how do you keep it all organized so you can find what you need more easily? This video from RootsTech 2021 has some practical tips and guidelines, including strategies for pedigree charts, paper copies and digital files, research extracts, and more. You can find additional ways to organize your research data in Goal 1 of Project 4: Discover.
2022-03-25 Finding Family Bibles: A family bible may contain valuable information about births, names of family members, marriages, deaths and more. These details were often preserved in family bibles before courthouse recording was available. The Yancey Family Genealogy site has an extensive listing for family bibles online, arranged alphabetically and by location. For more info on using family bibles in your research, see Goal B2 in the United States page (scroll down a bit).
2022-03-24 New Home Page and Get Started: Today we are introducing a new look for the Home page of The Family History Guide. The top menu is the same, but the page is more concise, and the main link on the page points to a new Get Started page. That page has a series of tiles to help those who are new to the site or new to family history find what they need more easily. Check out the new look to these pages in The Family History Guide, and look for a blog post on Monday with additional details about these developments.
2022-03-23 Home, Swede Home Learning about the background of your research country can help you understand your ancestors and how they lived. A good case in point is this video from RootsTech 2022, titled Home Swede Home. You'll learn history and culture of Sweden, as well as places to look for important records to use in your research. To get more tips and resources for your Swedish research, see the Sweden country page in The Family History Guide.
2022-03-22 Who Do You Resemble? Have you wondered which of your ancestors you look most like? Using FamilySearch's Compare-a-Face tool, you can upload your photo and have it analyzed and compared with faces of your ancestors for similarities. A photo list of ancestors is returned, starting with the highest percentage matches. You can also click Learn More to see Memories for any ancestor in the list, as well as your relationship to that person. Check out additional fun family history activities in The Family History Guide.
2022-03-21 Finding Social Security Info for Research: From Genealogy.com: "For many people born in the nineteenth century before formal birth registration was required, Social Security records can provide valuable vital facts about birthplace and date, death date, or parents' names." This article dives into the background of Social Security and discusses ways you can use SS IDs and the Social Security Death Index to further your U.S. research. Also check out Goal B5 in the United States page.
2022-03-18 Solving Research Problems with Swim Lanes: As research problems get more complicated, there's a growing amount of information you need to process. A novel but effective solution shown in this video is to capture and organize source information in free canvas software, such as Miro, and use "swim lanes" to see how your sources intersect, agree, or contradict. For more tips and ideas on thinking out of the box with research challenges, see Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-03-17 Luck of the Irish: Church and Cemetery Records: Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone! A great place to start or continue your research for Irish ancestors is with church and cemetery records. In Goal 5 of the Ireland Country page you'll find links to great resources, such as research articles and videos, parish records, Irish Catholic records, headstones and cemetery records, and more. Check out the rest of the Ireland Country page for more ideas and resources.
2022-03-16 Using Network Graphs for DNA Research: Once you have taken a DNA test, there is an interesting and effective way to show the results visually. Family Locket's How to Make a DNA Network Graph and How to Interpret a DNA Network Graph get you started using the free Gephi visualization tool to build pictures of your DNA match data and see connections between match clusters for research. For more tips on DNA tools, check out the DNA Research Tools Goal.
2022-03-15 Tips for Ancestry Hints: One of the most recognized icons in genealogy is the shaky leaf on your Ancestry tree indicating there is a record hint for an ancestor. But how reliable are the hints, and what else do you need to know about them? This article by genealogy expert Amy Johnson Crow gives you an inside look at Ancestry hints and how to use them for best results. You can learn more about working with these hints in Goal 5 of Ancestry Project 2: Family Tree.
2022-03-14 Subway Maps: A New Timeline Concept: If you've been to a large city such as New York or San Francisco, you know how useful public transit maps can be. At RootsTech 2022, Goldie May developer Richard Miller introduced a "subway maps" approach for creating research timelines. These subway maps help you connect dots and colored lines on a grid to visually represent the locations and events across the lives of your ancestors. For more tips and techniques for using timelines in research, see Goal A4 in the United States page.
2022-03-10 What Are the Records You Need?: If you were to put together a list of important record types to look for, what would it contain? You can find a good example on the Genealogy One-on-One site. It's helpful for both new and experienced researchers, with links to over 30 essential record types and pages with descriptions and tips for using them. To learn more about the types of records you'll need for your research, visit Goal A1 in the United States page.
2022-03-09 Obituaries for Each County: Published obituaries can be a great resource for family history, as they often include information about the extended family of the deceased person. On the Newspaperobituaries.net site you can search for obituary sources county by county, in each of the 50 U.S. states. To learn more about using obituaries in your research, check out Goal B5 in the United States page, or Goal 3, Choice D in any of the U.S. state pages.
2022-03-08 Finding Ancestors in the U.S. Census: Ancestry Academy has quite a few short, helpful videos on doing family history research. One of them is How to Find Your Ancestor in the U.S. Census, hosted by Anne Mitchell. She guides you through examples of searching various Ancestry collections, including county censuses, to locate your ancestors. For more tips on U.S. census research, see Goal C1 in the United States page.
2022-03-07 Finding Local Histories: One of the best ways to bring your ancestors' stories to life is to learn about the history of where they lived. With today's technology you can do that both visually and textually. This FamilySearch article describes three websites that can be go-to resources for learning about and exploring local histories. To learn more about local history and genealogy, see Goal A4 in the United States page.
2022-03-04 The Family History Guide in the Expo Hall: RootsTech Connect 2022 is now in its second day, and there is still a lot to see and do online. Check out the virtual booth for The Family History Guide Association— there are 21 great videos to watch, plus free download resources. Also, The Family History Guide will be featured on the RootsTech Main Stage at 11:15 a.m. Mountain Time on Saturday, March 5. Don't miss it, and enjoy RootsTech!
2022-03-03 TreeFind and The Family History Guide: TreeFind is a handy tool from the BYU Family History Technology Labs that helps you explore FamilySearch Family Tree. You can run customized searches for ancestors, such as those with data problems, duplicates, end-of-line ancestors, or even ancestors who lived during the Revolutionary War, and much more. The Family History Guide now has a page for Tree Find: you can see its link in the FamilySearch menu, under Project 4: Discover. Check it out!
2022-03-02 Using Keywords in Ancestry Searches: Ancestry.com has a huge number of useful record collections from around the world. If your searches are not turning up the results you need, this tip from the Genealogy Research Journal might help. It explains how using the Keyword box can make a difference, especially with searches in online newspaper collections and city and town directories. Check out additional tips for successful Ancestry searches in Goal 6 of Project 4: Research.
2022-02-28 Coming to "Terms" with Genealogy: Genealogy has its own vocabulary, and it can sometimes sound like a foreign language to those new to it (indeed, many of its words are international). Here are three glossaries to help clear up the mysteries: a basic one (it's just one page long); an intermediate one (from New Zealand); and a more advanced one (quite a few peculiar words). For more lists of genealogy terms and acronyms, see the Beginner's page in The Family History Guide (scroll down to the end).
2022-02-25 Mind Mapping: A Visual Approach to Research: If you are a visual learner, seeing a picture of the research problem you are trying to solve would be very helpful. You can do that with a technique known as "mind mapping," as explained in this Family Locket article. It describes a free website that gets you started, with tutorials to guide you. The result is your own custom view of the people, places, and relationships you're working on. For additional creative ways to look at your genealogy, see Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-02-24 Helping Others Avoid Incorrect Family Tree Changes: The FamilySearch Help Center has an article titled "How can I prevent other people from making inaccurate changes to Family Tree?" Avoiding errors is the first step to prevention, and the article has useful collaboration tips, including sourcing, notes, reason statements, and discussions, to keep Family Tree information as accurate as possible for all who are working on it. For more info on accuracy in research, see Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-02-23 The Immigrant Ancestors Site: Between 1821 and 1924, about fifty-five million Europeans emigrated, many of them to the United States. Brigham Young University hosts a helpful website for tracking ancestor migrations, called Immigrant Ancestors. Here you can search passenger records from Ireland, Germany, Italy, and England, and other countries by archive or by ancestor name. For additional information on passenger lists for immigrants, see Goal D2 in the United States page.
2022-02-22 Types of Marriage Records: With today's date being 2-22-22, naturally our Tip of the Day would be about marriage records! In this Thoughtco article by Kimberly Powell you'll learn about an interesting variety of records, such as marriage banns, contracts, certificates, consent affidavits, and more, all of which may provide clues for your ancestor research. See Goal B4 in the United States page for more tips on using marriage records.
2022-02-21 Online Historical Photo Databases: If you are wondering where you can find photos online that capture the times and places of your ancestors, you are in luck. This FamilyTree article by Maureen Taylor (the Photo Detective), connects you with 22 online databases of historical photos, from Brigham Young University and the British Library to the University of Washington and the National Library of Australia. To learn more about using photos in your research, check out Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-02-18 About Migration Patterns: Why did your ancestors move from place to place, and why did they choose a location to settle? According to this article by genealogist James Tanner, the answers to these questions can open up insights for finding new information in your research. He also poses questions you can ask about your own family situation to get you started in the thought process. For more tips on understanding ancestor migration, see Goal F1 in the United States page.
2022-02-17 Finding What You Need in The Family History Guide: The Search feature in The Family History Guide is simple and powerful, yet sometimes overlooked. In the upper left of each page on the site, you can click the magnifying glass, type the item you want, and press Enter. This does a Google search within The Family History Guide (not to external sites). You'll get a list of links, and the first one or two are usually what you're looking for. Click a link in the results box to go directly to the item you want in The Family History Guide. Give it a try!
2022-02-16 Exploring FamilySearch with TreeFind: The BYU Family History Technology Lab has created an interesting tool for searching your part of the FamilySearch tree, called TreeFind. It can produce a list of direct-line ancestors, ancestors missing a parent, ancestors tied to important U.S. or world history events, and more. It can also save search results to a spreadsheet and location info to a downloadable .kml file for Google Earth.
2022-02-15 Understanding Birth and Death Records: For birth and death records in the United States, there are three common questions you may have: what information do these records contain; when did they become available; and where are they found? This article on the RootsWeb Wiki answers these questions and gives a helpful overview of U.S. birth and death records. To learn more about vital records in the U.S., including birth, death, and marriage, see Goal B1 in the United States page.
2022-02-14 Timelines from Census Records: Creating a research timeline from one or more census records can be a good way to find genealogy clues. In Ancestry's Timelines that Produce Answers, you'll learn how to get started with census timelines and discover additional information you may not have seen, including links to migration and historical events. For more tips and guidelines on creating and using timelines for research, check out Goal A4 in the United States page.
2022-02-11 Are You Making These Genealogy Mistakes?: Mistakes in family history are made not only by beginners; we can all fall into habits or errors that slow down our research progress. This article by expert genealogist Amy Johnson Crow outlines some typical genealogy mistakes, such as going faster than you should in the research process, and what you can do to avoid or resolve these errors. For more tips on avoiding genealogy mistakes, see Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-02-10 Breathing Life into Ancestor Stories: What makes the difference between a dry narrative about an ancestor, and a story that keeps us engaged to the end? Check out Breathe Life Into Your Ancestor's Story by Betty Malesky. This article has some great ideas for how to weave the community and notable events into what you write, as well as where to look for resources to add the compelling details you need. For more tips and ideas on writing effective ancestor stories, see Goal 9 in Project 2: Memories.
2022-02-09 Early U.S. Census Records: Census records in the U.S. from 1790-1840 listed only the heads of households by name, with tick marks for children. Are these records still worth searching? Check out Early Census Research on the BYU Family History Library YouTube channel and this article by Ancestral Findings for some practical tips on locating children and other information from early census records. Learn more about these records in Goal C2 of the United States page.
2022-02-08 Exploring Historical Images: FamilySearch has a large number of records that are online but have not yet been indexed. You can search for and browse these unindexed records using the Explore Historical Images feature. This gives you a head start in finding records you may be interested in that do not show up yet in the indexed record collections. Search options are available for dates and event type, but not for names. For more information on using the Explore Historical Images feature, see Goal 5 in Project 4: Discover.
2022-02-07 Using Airtable for Research Logs: Spreadsheets are a common tool for research logs, but there is another option. Airtable is a hybrid software tool that combines features of spreadsheets and databases, in an easy-to-use format. This Family Locket article gets you started with Airtable, with examples for FNA and FAN (Friends and Neighbors) research logs, as well as a link to user-contributed templates. Learn more about using software for your research logs in Goal 1 of Project 4: Discover.
2022-02-04 New England Town Guides: If you are doing research in the New England states and want to get a closer look at the places where your ancestors lived, the American Ancestors site has some great resources. For example, check out the Massachusetts Town Guide (requires a free account), which has links to vital records as well as town profiles. The profiles include links to historical documents, dates of origin, and parent counties. For more information on New England research, see Goal A3 in the United States page.
2022-02-03 A Closer Look at Reading Maps: What information about your ancestors is hiding in plain sight? There may be quite a lot, according to this three-part series of articles in Ancestral Findings. You'll learn about essential types of maps, and how overlays, boundaries, and map features can help you pinpoint ancestor locations and open up new clues for your research. Learn more about using historical maps in the United States page, Goal A2.
2022-02-02 Cousin Research: To put a different perspective on your family tree research, you can search for cousins, which includes whole families (grandchildren, siblings, etc.). This course guide by FamilySearch gets you started with cousin research, including which lines to choose and how to find the records you need. Another good resource is this handout from the Riverton FamilySearch Library. For more ideas and tips, check out Project 3: Descendants.
2022-02-01 Etiquette, Ethics, and Legalities: Although most of us have a pretty good sense of being kind and fair in our genealogy pursuits, we may need occasional reminders of how to avoid potential problems. This article on the RootsWeb Wiki does a good job of explaining basic rules of etiquette in working with others (especially with staff at archives and libraries), how to avoid ethics problems in research, and understanding legal issues such as copyright, plagiarism, and the Privacy Act.
2022-01-31 Adoption: Tips for Finding Birth Families: A quick Google search tells you that about 2% of the adult American population today are adopted. If your family history research leads you to someone who may have been adopted, this article by Kimberly Powell will help you get started with locating birth parents. It includes tips for working with adoptive parents as well as agencies who can help in your search. For more ideas on adoption research, see Goal B3 in the United States page.
2022-01-28 The Genealogical Proof Standard Explained: The Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) is a foundational part of family history, but it's still a bit of a mystery to many researchers. Fortunately there is an excellent article by Marc McDermott in Genealogy Explained, to take you through each step of the GPS. The article also includes a handy flowchart, How to Conduct Research using the GPS, that helps you visualize each part of the process and how it all fits together. See also Goal 8 in FamilySearch Project 1.
2022-01-27 Family Tree and the Genealogical Proof Standard: One of the benefits of working on the FamilySearch Family Tree is that it's a collaborative effort. However, that's also one of the challenges, as sometimes sources are lacking for ancestors, or changes are made without proper evidence. This Family Locket article does a deep dive into how to use the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) to guide the changes you make in Family Tree. See Goal 8 in FamilySearch Project 1 for more about the GPS.
2022-01-26 German Archives and Libraries: If you are researching ancestors in Germany, you'll find a lot of useful information in online archives and libraries. In his video Intro to German Archives, Miles Meyer reviews top archive resources for German research and how to find and use them, with practical examples from his own findings included. In The Family History Guide, check out Goal 2 in the Germany country page for more tips on libraries and archives.
2022-01-24 Finding Details for Ancestor Stories: From FamilySearch: "Stories add depth to the family narrative and breathe life into your family tree." So, what makes for a good story, and how do you find the details you will need? This blog article provides some insights on what to include in stories, as well as helpful tips for places to find interesting details. For more tips on writing engaging stories for ancestors, see Goal 8 in Project 2: Memories.
2022-01-21 Tips for Searching the SSDI: The United States SSDI (Social Security Death Index) is a great resource for finding information on ancestors who died after 1962. In her article Searching the Social Security Death Index, author Kimberly Powell discusses the search fields you can use, how to improve searches in the SSDI, and more. For additional information on using the SSDI in your research, see Goal B5 in the United States page.
2022-01-20 More Countries for Research: The All Countries page has links for over 50 country pages for research. If your country of interest is not in the list, you can either click a region (in parentheses) or click the More Countries link below the list. This gets you access to over 150 additional countries, with links to articles and other resources. The regions included are Africa, Asia, Central America, Caribbean, Europe, Pacific, and South America.
2022-01-18 Beginning World War II Research: Finding ancestors who served in the U.S. military in World War II can be challenging, partly due to a loss of records because of a 1973 fire in the National Archives in St. Louis. A good place to get started is with this Amy Johnson Crow YouTube interview, which explains how to track enlisted soldiers and find their records. To learn more about World War II research, see Goal E2 in the United States page.
2022-01-17 Finding Early Immigrants: The U.S. government didn't require arriving ships to keep passenger lists until about 1820. If you have ancestors who may have immigrated before then, there are still places you can check, as noted in this article in Family Tree Magazine. Resources include ship and cargo records from Boston and Philadelphia, records of ancestor court cases, etc. For more about early colonial research, see Goal D3 in the United States page.
2022-01-14 Family History Reunions: Thought about holding a family history reunion? It can be a fun and meaningful event, where family members get the chance to mingle, enjoy activities, and share family history information with each other. This article by Genealogy Explained provides a list of tips so you can plan ahead for a successful event, such as invitations, location, food, and more. To learn more about family history reunions, check out Goal 3 in Project 6: Help.
2022-01-13 Church Records Basics: Family Locket founder Diana Elder states, "... church records can be a substitute for vital records. They can also help establish an ancestor's status in the community, reveal associates, and point to previous or subsequent residences." Learn about the basics of church record research in this article, which also discusses the value of church records and the types of religious records that were created in the U.S. For more about church records, see Goal F1 in the United States page.
2022-01-12 Print Friendly: If you need to print excerpts from web pages in The Family History Guide, the Print icon is your friend. It's in the top header area of each web page. When you click it, you can remove any section of the web page that you don't want printed, including graphics, and you can Undo any removals to get the print content back again. You can also scale text or images, and print to paper or to PDF. Give it a try! (If you need to reference larger sections of The Family History Guide, please link to them.)
2022-01-11 Tips for Interviewing Relatives: So you've been thinking about interviewing a few of your relatives, to capture important family memories for generations to come. How do you get started? The Legacy Tree article titled 9 Tips for Interviewing Relatives has some great ideas for preparing and carrying out your interviews, including open-ended questions, balance of conversation, and more. To go further with family history interviews, see Goal 3 in Project 2: Memories.
2022-01-10 England 1921 Census: The 1921 Census for England and Wales is now available online at Findmypast.com. In 1921, there were 38,000 census enumerators who visited over 8 million households and gathered information on more than 38 million people in all parts of England and Wales. This 1921 Census is especially important for researchers, as the 1931 Census was destroyed by fire, and the 1941 Census was never taken because of World War II. To learn more about England census records, see Goal 4 in the England country page.
2022-01-07 Storing Your Antique Documents: As Author Laurie L. Dove writes in How to Properly Store Antique Documents, "The issue isn't whether you have important papers to pass down -- it's how many you have in the first place." Knowing how to care for your essential documents and photos can insure their survival for generations, and the above-mentioned article provides some practical insights on how to do that. For more ideas on protecting and preserving photos and documents, see Goal 1 in Project 2: Memories.
2022-01-06 Youth Activities Sheets for Latter-day Saints: We've added a new page, at the bottom of the Youth menu in The Family History Guide. On this page you'll find activities sheets you can use for planning and carrying out family history activities for Latter-day Saint youth, from scavenger hunts to a family history boot camp, and more. The sheets have links to downloadable materials to personalize the activities and make them come to life. For more activities ideas, see the Latter-day Saints Youth page.
2022-01-05 Discovering Irish Placenames: One of the interesting challenges of doing Irish research is understanding the names for places where ancestor events occurred. Fortunately, the Logainm.ie website can help. On that site you can search for placenames, download a glossary and maps of place types, find historical maps and illustrations, browse places by Irish county, and more. For additional help with Irish names, see Goal 1 in the Ireland country page.
2022-01-04 Get Started, with the Get Started Page: Happy New Year! 2022 can be a great year for family history, and a good way to discover what you'd like to do is with the Get Started page. If you're new to family history, you can find a path to pursue for the year. If you're new to The Family History Guide, you can see at a glance what's inside the site, including learning tools for research in practically any country of interest. It's also a great place to map out some plans for your family history learning in 2022.
2021-12-17 Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays: We hope you have a wonderful holiday season! We will return with more family history tips on January 3, 2022.
2021-12-16 Is That My Ancestor?: How do you know if a record hint or an online search result is actually about your ancestor, instead of someone else with a similar name, date, or location? In this short video by Family History Fanatics you'll get some tips on sorting it out, such as establishing family connections, determining occupations, etc. For more information on handling the evidences you find in your research, see Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2021-12-15 Give the Gift of Family History: As the holiday season of giving is here, you may want to consider some gifts with a family history theme. This FamilySearch blog article has some good suggestions for affordable or free items that share your family history with those you love, and this article from Family History Daily has gift ideas for the genealogists you know. You can find additional service activities in the Family Activities section of The Family History Guide.
2021-12-14 10 Other Places to Look: When looking for ancestor information, there are the usual suspects for records to search—census, marriage records, death certificates, etc. This Ancestry article, 10 Places You Didn't Think To Look, takes a different tack and explores some places you might not have thought to search. The clues will get you thinking, and they may produce some unexpected—and positive—results for you. For more ideas on thinking out of the box in research, see Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2021-12-13 International Research Tips: No matter which country in the world is your current place for research, there are some common practices and tips that can help you succeed. In the Vault for The Family History Guide, check out the International Research section. It has links to video series such as Foreign Language Research and Breaking through International Barriers, as well as a RootsTech video for Getting Started in International Research and other helpful articles and videos.
2021-12-10 Descendancy Research Tips: From FamilySearch: "Descendancy research is the process of identifying all of the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of an ancestral couple. Use descendancy research to expand the family, identify new names, and even connect with cousins." Easy Steps to Descendancy Research gets you started with the process, and it helps you find collateral ancestors who might be missing from the tree. For more tips on descendancy research, see FamilySearch Project 3: Descendants.
2021-12-09 Help with DNA Questions: Taking a DNA test for family history can open doors for research, but it can also raise questions at the same time. Getting help with your questions is just a few clicks away: check out Goal 8 in FamilySearch Project 8 (or the final Goal in any of the other DNA Projects). There are links to Facebook pages, blog sites, message boards and forums, where you can ask your questions and get help. To get familiar with basic DNA concepts and terms, see Goal 1 in Project 8.
2021-12-08 Google Apps: Free is good, and the collection of Google apps can be a great way to organize and track your family history information. In Project 7: Technology, check out Goal 3: Google Apps to learn how to use the following programs: Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Sheets, Google Slides, and Gmail. Handy articles, tutorials, and videos are included to make the learning come alive.
2021-12-07 Using the Ancestry App: When you're on the go, you can check on your family history information quickly and easily with the free Ancestry app. Instructions for downloading and using the app are found in the entry at the bottom of the Ancestry menu in The Family History Guide. Goal information for the Ancestry app includes navigating Ancestry trees, editing tree info, exploring hints, viewing ancestral places, and more.
2021-12-06 FamilySearch Calendar of Events: Every so often it's fun to look back in time and see family history events of the month for your ancestors. Using the FamilySearch Calendar, you can get a list of vital events—births, marriages, and deaths—for ancestors for the current month, view relationships or memories, and sign up to receive event notifications from FamilySearch. At the bottom of the Calendar, you can also open other months for viewing.
2021-12-03 Findmypast Features: The Findmypast site is well-known for its extensive collections of records and resources for the British Isles. If you are new to Findmypast, you'll want to check out this article about useful features on the site, such as adding photos, displaying timelines, and viewing family connections. For more tips and ideas on building and using Findmypast trees, see Project 2 in the Findmypast menu.
2021-12-02 Using Naturalization Records: A great way to discover your immigrant ancestor to the United States is through naturalization records, which document U.S. citizenship. This Findmypast blog article gets you started, as it discusses naturalization petitions, state record resources, and tips for exploring records. You can find out more about naturalization records in Goal D2 of the United States page, which also discusses researching passenger lists.
2021-12-01 Finding Civil War Records: If you have a male ancestor born in the U.S. between 1830 and 1850, he may have served in the Civil War. There are many Civil War records available online, and this FamilySearch article offers some helpful tips on working with dates, locations, and Civil War regiments. Goal E2 in The Family History Guide also has an Intro video for Civil War research, as well as links to many other helpful articles and videos.
2021-11-30 Reading Spanish Records: Many of us have a number of Latin American or Hispanic ancestors somewhere in our family trees. Knowing the basics of reading and understanding Spanish records can be very helpful. In the Hispanic Project, check out Choice C in Goal 1. You'll learn the essentials of the Spanish alphabet, handwriting tips, words and dates, and tips for the types of records you'll be using. For more about Hispanic research, see Goal 1 and Goal 2 in the Hispanic Project.
2021-11-29 Citing Sources: These two words—citing sources—can be somewhat intimidating to researchers at first. But as Diana Elder points out in her RootsTech address from 2018, "Source citations are how we can connect our ancestors to their source documents where we are learning about them." There is also a handy RootsTech blog article that summarizes the main points of the video, helping you to get a good understanding of sources and how to cite them well. See also Goal 9 in Project 1: Family Tree (Resources section).
2021-11-25 Happy Thanksgiving!: We wish you happiness and peace wherever you may be. The Tip of the Day will return on November 29.
2021-11-24 Saving Your Memories: With the holiday season now upon us, capturing family memories is certain to be fresh on our minds. Remember that what we save today becomes the family history of tomorrow. For some practical tips on saving and recording memories, check out 7 Easy Ways to Save Your Memories, a RootsTech blog article from a few years ago. You can find additional ideas for recording and preserving memories in Goal 1 of Project 2: Memories.
2021-11-23 Access to Archival Databases (AAD): The U.S. National Archives is well-known for its vast array of genealogical records. What you may not know is that there is a huge section dedicated to free, online records— it's called Access to Archival Databases (AAD). This article by Family History Daily gets you started exploring the occupational, immigration, military and other types of records that are found there. To learn more about online archives for U.S. research, see Goal F5 in the United States page.
2021-11-22 Finding Missing Marriages: As you trace your lines in almost any country, you will find that some ancestors married multiple times, such as when a spouse died or there was a divorce. This article in Genealogy In Time points out that missing a marriage can lead to assigning children to the wrong parents, or not having family lines filled out as well as they could be. The article also points out some great sources for finding marriage records. Learn more in Goal B4 in the United States page.
2021-11-19 When You Can't Find the Birth Record: One of the places we commonly think of when we're searching for our ancestors is birth records, but sometimes these are hard to locate or may not even exist. However, there are some good alternatives to birth records you can use, as explained by Crista Cowan in this Ancestry video. To learn more about birth record alternatives, including baptismal, christening, family bibles, etc., see Goal B2 in the United States page.
2021-11-18 Finding Your Ancestors in Cities: Ancestry Academy has a great collection of short videos titled Street Smarts: Finding Your Ancestor in the Big City. Sample video topics include Urban Ancestors on the Move, City Directories, and Getting to Know Your Ancestor's Community. (Note that Ancestry Academy videos require a free account to access.) To learn more about tracking your city ancestors, see Goal A2 in the United States page.
2021-11-17 Family Feed and Family Groups: FamilySearch is introducing new tools for family history collaboration: Family Feed and Family Groups. Using them, you can set up lists and groups to share memories, documents, and messages with each other. This comparison document by Kathryn Grant gives you a good overview of the similarities and differences between the two features. For more tips on collaborating with your family history, see Goal 3 in Project 6: Help.
2021-11-16 Geneopardy: From the BYU Family History Technology Labs, Geneopardy is a fast-paced family history game helps you learn about your ancestors, while enjoying a friendly competition with family or friends. The link above logs you in to FamilySearch on your account, where you can select categories such as Places, People, Dates, or Facts. Learn more about Geneopardy in this blog post.
2021-11-15 The Swiss Center: As you search for Swiss ancestors in your family tree, a good resource to keep in mind is the Swiss Center website. You'll find links to the Register of Swiss Surnames for finding Swiss names, and the Swiss Society of Genealogical Studies for help with research questions and documents. It also has a helpful section for Swiss genealogical links to help you in a variety of areas. For more information on Swiss research, visit the Switzerland country page.
2021-11-12 Finding Missing Persons in the U.S. Census: Let's say you suspect, or even have some evidence, that there could be missing family members for a set of parents. How do you go about finding them? This RootsTech article can get you started, with eight effective strategies for locating your missing people, using U.S. census records. For additional census tips and strategies, check out Goal C1 in the United States page.
2021-11-11 Reading Obituaries: *** We see them in newspapers, printed or online—obituaries can a good source of information for genealogists. Yet knowing how to interpret what's there, and even read between the lines, can lead you to more research clues. In this article by Judy Rosella you'll get some expert tips on what to look for in obituaries, including how they relate to death certificates, and how you can write your own obituary in advance. See also Goal B5 in the United States page.
2021-11-10 Free Genealogy Books on Google: Did you know that there are thousands of free eBooks related to genealogy, on Google Books? To get started, go to this link: https://books.google.com/googlebooks/about/free_books.html. Then use "genealogy" as the search term to find a list of genealogy books, including compiled family research, surnames, etc. You can click the Read button to see the text in the book, and you can click eBooks for download options, or use the "Search this book" field to find the text you want within the book. For more about free genealogical books, see Goal F5 in the United States page.
2021-11-09 Town Annual Reports: If you are searching for ancestor information in New England in the 1800's and 1900's, there's a little-known resource that's available for free. The article Genealogical Gold in Town Annual Reports describes the information you'll find in town reports for the government, including vital record information, names of town employees, records for the poor, and more, as well as where to find the reports online. See also Goal A4 in the United States page for info on local histories.
2021-11-08 500 Tips: The Tip of the Day (Today's Tip) has reached a milestone: over 500 tips have been published since January 2020. In addition to seeing them on the Home page of The Family History Guide, you can find them on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages. They are also collected by date in the Tip of the Day page in the Misc. menu. Enjoy, and here's to the next 500 tips!
2021-11-05 Discovering Cemetery Information: Cemeteries are more than just a Halloween theme; they are one of the most overlooked resources for genealogy research. If you're looking to go beyond the typical headstone information in your ancestor searches, check out this Legacy Tree article. It explains how to find cemetery records, the role of cemetery registers, establishing ancestor relationships, and more. You'll find additional tips and guidelines for cemetery research in Goal B6 of the United States page.
2021-11-04 Writing Your Own Story: Finding your ancestors and documenting their life experiences can be a very rewarding activity. Remember that one of the most important people in your family tree is you. To help you capture interesting and important items about your life to share with your family and others, read 16 Things to Write Down about Yourself. It also includes a fun "Mad Libs" activity you can try for capturing family history memories. For more ideas, see Goal 9 in Project 2: Memories.
2021-11-03 Finding Elusive Records: Some records are fairly easy to locate, such as census records or parish records. Others are harder to find but may contain valuable information about your ancestors. A series of RootsTech articles has some useful tips for locating these records on FamilySearch: check out Finding Elusive Records in FamilySearch, Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. To learn more about finding the records you need, see Goal A1 in the United States page.
2021-11-02 The Next Level: How do you move your research skills to the next level? What are the skill levels that people typically go through as they start looking for ancestors and move forward in research? The answers to these questions can be found in this interesting article by James Tanner. He uses census records as a starting point and then describes the challenges and opportunities that follow. For more tips on developing your family history research skills, check out Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2021-11-01 Exploring the Timeline Grid: Using a timeline grid can be a great way to see how the pieces of your research fit together, as well as helping you with same-name and other family history challenges. The Timeline Grid: An Easy Way to Track, Organize, and Use Your Research by Kathryn Grant gets you started with the concepts you need to know. For more information on timelines, see Goal A4 in the United States page.
2021-10-29 Finding Clues with Insurance Maps: One of the overlooked treasures in United States genealogy is the Sanborn collection of fire insurance maps. The Library of Congress has over 35,000 of them online, arranged by location, with details on business and residences in each map. You can learn more about Sanborn insurance maps from the 1800's and 1900's in this RootsTech video, as well as in Goal A2 of the United States page.
2021-10-28 Tips for Web Searches: Sometimes the research info you need isn't on FamilySearch or Ancestry, etc., but it's somewhere out there on the internet. You can find that information quicker and easier with these tips from Lifewire.com. You'll learn how site searches, quotes, Boolean operators and more can get you the genealogy search results you need. For more tips and guidelines for successful online searches, check out Goal 6 in Project 4: Discover.
2021-10-27 Asking the Right Genealogy Question: At the heart of focused, effective research there are questions. These questions are specific and designed to help you gather needed information about an ancestor. This article from the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society does a great job of explaining how to ask the kinds of questions that will get results in your research. For more tips on questions to ask, see Goal 2 in Project 4: Discover.
2021-10-26 Getting the Help You Need: In 1966 Neil Diamond had a hit song "Solitary Man." Although genealogy may seem like a solitary pursuit, there is actually plenty of help available for research. Genealogical societies, Facebook groups, family history centers, and online communities have volunteers who are ready and able to collaborate with you on your research goals. To get started with getting help, see FamilySearch Project 6, or Project 5 for Ancestry, MyHeritage, or Findmypast.
2021-10-25 Organizing Your Genealogy: Sometimes managing your family history materials can seem like a daunting task. Diane Haddad has some simple suggestions to help, in her article titled 6 Baby Steps to Organize Your Genealogy Work. True to the title, these really are baby steps that are easy to understand and implement, with the result being more efficient and effective research. Check out additional ideas for organizing your genealogy, including binders, to-do lists and more, in Goal 1 of Project 4: Discover.
2021-10-22 10 Effective Strategies for Research: New to family history research? Or perhaps you'd like to make sure you are heading in the right direction. In either case, check out Ten Effective Strategies on How to Build a Family Tree by GenealogyInTime Magazine. You'll learn about focusing your research efforts, dealing with older documents, handling conflicts in the information you find, and more. You can find additional tips for research strategies in Project 4, Goal 3.
2021-10-21 Using Homestead Records: If any of your ancestors moved west across the United States in the late 1800s or early 1900s, there's a good chance they may have acquired land through the Homestead Act. This article by Ancestral Findings gives an overview of the homestead land process and how to find records for landowners on the U.S. Bureau of Land Management website. You can learn more about homestead and other types of U.S. land records in Goal F2 of the United States page.
2021-10-20 French Church Records: One of the best resources for doing research in France is using Protestant or Catholic church records. A good resource to get you started is a RootsTech 2021 video titled Using French Church Records. It gives a good overview of record types and essential French words to know for church research. You can also learn more about church research in the France country page, Goal 4, which also covers Jewish and Huguenot records, as well as cemetery records.
2021-10-19 Where to Start Researching: It may be tempting to randomly choose a family line to research, or to always start with your direct paternal line. However, choosing the best line to begin your research can pay dividends. In this Explore Genealogy article you'll learn some basic strategies for selecting a family line, as well as how to collaborate with others who may have done previous research there. See Project 4: Goal 2 for more tips and strategies on identifying lines to research.
2021-10-18 Give Me an Estimate: In your family history research, when is it okay to guess, and how is that different from speculation? This FamilySearch article by Joan Healey provides some great insights into the art of estimating in genealogy, as well as outlining solid research principles to make your findings more reliable. For additional tips on analyzing your research evidence, see Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2021-10-08 Collecting Family Stories: Family stories are at the heart of family history. American diplomat Michael Cleverly decided he wanted to make a difference in his retirement years, so he has collected and shared family stories from the past thousand years. He shares his tips for collecting family stories in this brief RootsTech 2021 video. You can see more tips on finding family stories in Goal 8 of Project 2: Memories.
2021-10-07 Tips for Reading Old Documents: In addition to deciphering the handwriting, you may encounter a number of other challenges with reading old documents, such as picture quality, missing information, etc. In this article and video from Ancestral Findings you can explore a host of common issues with "ancient" documents and learn how to maximize your success in capturing the information you need. For help with old handwriting, see Goal 6 in Project 5: Indexing.
2021-10-06 Breaking through Brick Walls: Chances are that most of us can think of at least one branch in our family tree where we have run into a "brick wall" with our progress. Help is on the way, in a series of four BYU Family History Library videos by James Tanner: Defining the Objective, Exploring the Possibilities, Working through the Alternatives, and Resolving the Outcome. For more tips and strategies on breaking through brick walls, see Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2021-10-05 FamilySearch Historical Records: You may have noticed that there have been quite a few changes lately in the Search Historical Records screens in FamilySearch. In The Family History Guide we have updated FamilySearch Project 1: Goal 4 with new instructions and screenshots to help you use the new features easily. Choice B and Choice C in Goal 4 have the new instructions: check them out to see what's new in the FamilySearch Historical Records screens.
2021-10-04 Discovering FreeUKGenealogy: As you explore research for your ancestors in the British isles, check out the FreeUKGenealogy site for some great resources. It includes FreeReg for parish records, FreeBMD for birth, marriage, and death records, and FreeCen for free census records, all in the United Kingdom. This video demonstrates FreeReg, and this video gives an overview of Free BMD. For additional help, see the British Isles entries in the Countries menu of The Family History Guide.
2021-10-01 Finding Collateral Ancestors: *** If you are researching only your direct-line ancestors, you are missing out on the full family history experience. Collateral ancestors, such as siblings, aunts, and uncles, can provide extra clues in your research as well as providing a wealth of stories and additional perspectives. This article by Genealogy Today explains how to get started with collateral research, focusing on census, deeds and wills, obituaries, city directories and more. See also Project 3: Descendants for additional approaches.
2021-09-30 Using the FamilySearch Catalog: Ready to go off the beaten path in your genealogy research? There's a lot to discover in the FamilySearch Catalog. Here are two brief but helpful videos to get you familiar with Catalog and help you find the resources you need: FamilySearch Catalog and A Brief Introduction to the FamilySearch Catalog. To learn more, check out the articles and videos in Goal 5 in Project 4: Discover.
2021-09-29 Scotland Vital Records: If you have ancestors in Scotland, or think you might, the Scotland'sPeople website is a great resource for finding birth, marriage, and death records. This 2021 RootsTech video, Getting the Most out of Scottish Vital Records on Scotland'sPeople, helps you get started with navigating the website and finding the records you need. To learn more about Scottish research, including Scotland'sPeople, check out the Scotland country page in The Family History Guide.
2021-09-28 Tips for Lost Ancestors: Some genealogy articles on the web have been around for a long time but are just as relevant today. That's the case with Diane Richard's article Tips To Help You Find Seemingly "Lost" Ancestors on the Archives.com site. Here she discusses strategies for name variations, census challenges, children without recorded parents, and more. You can find many additional resources for breaking down walls in your research in Goal 7 of Project 4: Discover.
2021-09-27 Think Like a Detective: One of the essential building blocks for your genealogy is a good research plan. To build an effective plan, you often need to "think like a detective." In this article by Kimberly Powell, you'll learn the steps to approach research problems like a detective would, and a case study is included to illustrate the approach. For more tips on developing and using research plans, see Goal 3 in Project 4: Discover.
2021-09-24 Ancestor and Homeland Research Tips: FamilySearch recently sent out an email to its RootsTech subscribers with a must-see quote: "The Family History Guide is a tremendously good resource for experiencing your homeland and connecting to your ancestors. Using information from sites like Ancestry and FamilySearch, discovering your story has never been easier." The email then links to our Ancestors and Homelands video, produced by FamilySearch and Scott and Angelle Anderson of The Family History Guide Association. We are honored to be a go-to resource for FamilySearch. Watch for a blog post on Monday with more details about our involvement in RootsTech.
2021-09-23 3 Tips for Ancestry Searches: If you'd like to get more effective search results in Ancestry while saving valuable time, check out this article from the Ancestry Help Center. It explains how to use the Card Catalog, filters, location searches, Soundex, and spelling variations in your searches. For more information and tips on searching historical records in Ancestry, see Project 4: Research, Goal 4 (Search Records) and Project 4: Research, Goal 5 (Search Collections).
2021-09-22 Exploring the Internet Archive: One of the largest repositories of internet information (and genealogical information) is the Internet Archive site. You can find books, photos, stories, histories, and much more, to expand your genealogy research. Check out this RootsTech video, as well as Goal F5 in the United States page, for tips on exploring and using the Internet Archive.
2021-09-21 Tracing Your Ancestry with Photos: Photographs are a wonderful way to capture and share memories of your family, but they can also provide you with valuable clues in your genealogy research. This article by Explore Genealogy provides some basic pointers on how to identify timeframes and locations in photos, leading you to more information about your ancestors. For additional ideas on using photographs in your research, check out Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2021-09-20 England Research, Pre-1800: If you have been struggling to extend an English family line into the 1700s or earlier, this blog post by Tyler Stahle—4 Tips for Pre-1800 British Research—can make a difference. He discusses starting points for research, record changes, search tips, and research questions. There is also help for earlier English research in Goal 1 of the England country page, steps 4 and 5.
2021-09-17 International Research: It's a big (research) world out there. Being unfamiliar with languages, cultures, and history can make it a challenge to find your ancestors across the globe. Help is on the way in this RootsTech video by Lisa Ratzlaff. You'll learn a step-by-step process for navigating international records and finding your ancestors around the world. Be sure to visit the Countries page in The Family History Guide to unlock research tools and ideas for the countries you'd like to explore.
2021-09-16 Polynesian Genealogy: If you are curious about doing genealogy research in the Pacific, check out these RootsTech videos—Beginning Polynesian Genealogy and Oral Genealogies in Oceania—for some great suggestions and strategies. The Family History Guide also has a variety of helpful resources, including the Pacific Islands Project that covers Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, and additional islands.
2021-09-15 8 Common Genealogy Mistakes: One of the differences between beginning and experienced researchers is avoiding common mistakes. In this article by AncestralFindings.com, you'll learn about eight mistakes that are easy to make but can hold back your research progress, from not recording sources to forgetting to interview older relatives, and more. See Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover for additional tips on avoiding mistakes and bad habits in your research.
2021-09-14 Developing a Census Research Strategy: Are you spending time searching U.S. census records but not getting the results you need? This RootsTech article, 6 Tips for Developing a Census Research Strategy, could be a difference-maker for you. It has some great tips for finding hidden information in the census, as well as some cautions that can save you time and energy in your research. Check out other useful ideas for exploring U.S. census records in Goal C1 of the United States page.
2021-09-13 Using Google Chrome Shortcuts for Research: Tired of typing the same old search queries in Google Chrome? You can create shortcut links in Chrome to help you get more searches done in less time. In this brief RootsTech video, Richard Miller explains the ins and outs of Chrome shortcuts and what they can do for you. For more software tips on staying organized with your genealogy, see Choice C in Project 4: Goal 1.
2021-09-10 The Power of Photos: How can a simple photograph change what you know, or how you feel, about one or more of your ancestors? In her article The Power of Photos blogger and photo expert Helen V. Smith shares some interesting insights into how photos capture history and how to find clues about your ancestors' lives in them. In Project 4: Goal 7 you can find additional tips and strategies for using photographs in your research.
2021-09-09 25 Do's and Don'ts of DNA: DNA research can be a wonderful resource for filling in gaps in your family tree, but it can be quite involved and does have a learning curve. How do you avoid making common mistakes as you set out to do DNA research? 25 Do's and Don'ts of DNA by Melvin Collier has some useful tips, from working with Ancestry trees to handling DNA matches and more. To learn more about DNA research in genealogy, from basics to the latest tools, see the DNA Project for FamilySearch, Ancestry, or MyHeritage.
2021-09-08 Finding Civil War Regiments: You may have an ancestor who fought in the Civil War, but unless the name is uncommon the chances are good that there will be multiple soldiers with the same name. This article by Amy Johnson Crow explains how finding a soldier's regiment can be the key to identifying which ancestor is yours. For more tips and resources on Civil War research, see Goal E2 in the United States page, Choice B (which also includes a Quick Research basics video at the beginning).
2021-09-07 New BYU FHL Video for The Family History Guide: The BYU Family History Library has just published a new video on their YouTube Channel: Teaching Family History with The Family History Guide. This video explains how to present The Family History Guide website and how to prepare and deliver a variety of family history topics easily and effectively using the website. Watch for a blog post about the video this coming week.
2021-09-06 Finding Death Records: In addition to death certificates, there are actually quite a few places where you can find death information for your ancestors. The Findmypast blog article titled 9 Places to Find Information About Your Ancestor's Death explores resources such as the Social Security Death Index, gravestones, probate records, church records, and more. For more about death records, check out Goal B5 in the United States page, or the Vital Records Goal in the country page of interest.
2021-09-03 Researching Protestant Church Records: In the Faiths menu, you'll see an entry for Protestant research. This page has Choices with links to articles and videos for the following denominations: Baptist, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Quaker, and others. In the header area there is also a link to the Research by Country page, which connects you with Protestant resources for a number of countries in the world.
2021-09-02 Presenting The Family History Guide: We have added a new page to the website. It's in the Trainers menu: Presenting TFHG (The Family History Guide). This page has tips for how to create a presentation of the website in a 50-minute session, using a combination of guidance slides and the website itself. These presentations can be used for family history fairs, genealogical societies, libraries, church groups, and more. For more ideas on training with The Family History Guide, see the Trainers menu.
2021-09-01 Hidden Stories in City Directories: City directories can be a great resource for finding ancestor information. This handout from RootsTech 2019, presented by the Family History Fanatics group, introduces you to directories and then explores ways to uncover stories about your ancestors that may be hidden in them. Examples of info to look for include job changes, name changes, moves, etc. To learn more about using city directories in your research, check out Goal A2 in the United States page.
2021-08-31 Netherlands QRB Video: We recently posted a new Quick Research Basics (QRB) video to our YouTube Channel: Starting Your Netherlands Research. This video gives a brief history of the Netherlands and gets you acquainted with important record resources for finding ancestors there. The video is also included at the beginning of Goal 1 of the Netherlands country page.
2021-08-30 The Gold Mine of Land Records: There is a great deal of useful genealogy information in land records, but typically legal jargon is mixed in, which can be confusing at times. How do you find the facts you need in land records? This article by Yourigins.com gets you started: it explains why land records are important in research, as well as the nuggets of information you can often find there. For more information on land records, see Goal F2 in the United States page or the corresponding Land Goal in the country page of interest.
2021-08-27 Access to Catholic Records: From Findmypast: "The Catholic church maintains a very strict protocol governing access to their records and how they might be digitized. Findmypast were uniquely able to fulfil their requirements and open the door for your access to these records." Check out this Findmypast blog article for details on the Catholic Heritage Archive and the resources it provides, as well as the Catholic pages in Faiths section of The Family History Guide.
2021-08-26 Passenger Lists—10 Things to Know: When you are on the trail of finding an immigrant ancestor or family, passenger lists can be a great resource for finding the information you need. Ancestry's 10 Things to Know: Passenger Lists provides a practical list of ways to get started with passenger research, including timelines and search tips. You can find additional tips and guidelines for using passenger records in Goal D2 of the United States page.
2021-08-25 Researching Irish Records: We recently added a new Quick Research Basics video on our YouTube Channel: "Researching Irish Records." In this video, James Tanner explains the necessary background information and the strategies you need for successful research in Ireland. Topics in the video include Irish record sources place names, genealogy websites, civil registration and church records, census and land records, etc. To learn more about Irish research, see the Ireland country page in The Family History Guide.
2021-08-24 What Is a Reasonable Conclusion?: Finding a new person in your family tree can be an exciting event. But if you don't have direct evidence for the person, such as a primary record source, what should you do? In this article by Ancestral Findings, you'll learn about the art of "reasonable conclusions" and how they can be used to substantiate your research, even when direct proof has not been found. For more info on analyzing evidence for people in your tree, see Goal 8 in FamilySearch Project 1: Family Tree.
2021-08-23 ***Interviewing with Informed Questions: One of the best ways to bridge the generation gap in family history is to interview those who have lived long lives. Interviews are more effective when you use informed questions, which can be open or closed in nature. This article by Genealogy Today explores informed questions and how you can use them to shape successful interviews with others. You can find more resources for family history interviews in Goal 3 of Project 2: Memories.
2021-08-20 U.S. Military Records: the Other Wars: When we think of U.S. military records, the ones that usually come to mind are for the Revolutionary War (although that pre-dates the United States), the Civil War, and World Wars I and II. But there are also records available for many other military conflicts, such as the Korean War, Indian Wars, Spanish American War, the War of 1812, and more. The Family History Guide can help you learn about and find these resources. In the United States page, see Goal E2, Choice F to get started.
2021-08-19 Types of Marriage Records: When you need to find a marriage record, what are you actually looking for? It may surprise you to know that there are a number of different types of marriage records, from certificates to applications to banns (intent to marry) and more. This article by Kimberley Powell gives a good overview of 10 types of marriage records and how to use them in your research. You can learn more about marriage records in Goal B4 of the United States page, or in the Vital Records or Civil Registration Goal for the country page of interest.
2021-08-18 Finding Elusive Records in FamilySearch: Are you finding the records you need in FamilySearch, or are your searches missing the mark? There is a three-part series of RootsTech articles titled Finding Elusive Records in FamilySearch that can help. It begins with FamilySearch maps, collections, and the Catalog, and finishes with using batch numbers in searches. For additional tips on doing record searches in FamilySearch, see Project 4: Discover, Goal 4.
2021-08-17 Getting Started with Obituaries: Newspaper obituaries can be a great resource for finding family history information. They often include vital dates, places of residence, military service, employment, etc. An obituary also may include insights into an ancestor's character and experiences, providing a unique perspective into that person's life. A good overview of how to find and use obituaries for research is found in this article by Price Genealogy. See also Goal B5 in the United States page.
2021-08-16 Collecting Previous Research: How would you like to discover a goldmine of family history information? There may be one closer to you than you think, when you explore research done by others in your family. This FamilySearch Wiki article describes where to look for home and family sources of information for your genealogy, as well as how to determine the reliability of the information you find. To learn more about gathering information from others, see FamilySearch Project 2: Memories, Goal 2.
2021-08-13 Starting Your Irish Research: We recently added a new Quick Research Basics (QRB) video to our YouTube Channel: Starting Your Irish Genealogy Research, by James Tanner. This video provides a good background of the key historical events in Ireland that affect research. It also provides tips and guidelines for finding your Irish ancestors and their families in a variety of records. Learn more about Ireland research in the Ireland country page of The Family History Guide.
2021-08-12 Good Citations: There are good vibrations, and then there are good citations. A citation is a detailed note you write to help others know where you found genealogical information for an ancestor. Having accurate, detailed citations helps everyone breathe a bit easier about what you have found in your research. This article by Legacy Tree Genealogists gets you started with citations and breaks down the essential parts of a citation. For more info on using citations, see FamilySearch Project 1: Goal 9 (Resources section).
2021-08-11 Vacation Time: The Tip of the Day is taking a break until Thursday, August 11. Happy summer to everyone, and thanks for the great work you do to support family history!
2021-07-30 Finding Female Ancestors: Sometimes, finding the female ancestors in your tree can be a challenge. Maiden names may be missing, and customs in the past focused more on men than women. In this article from Archives.com, Lisa Alzo offers five practical tips on finding your female ancestors, from census records to locating friends. Check out additional useful tips in Goal B4 of the United States page.
2021-07-29 Finding World War I Records: Over 4.7 million men from the United States served as soldiers in World War I, and additional millions served in support services. There is a good chance that someone in your family participated in the war effort, and their service was recorded. This brief video by James Tanner helps you get started finding records associated with World War I, to trace your ancestors. Find more resources for World War I research in Goal E2 of the United States page.
2021-07-28 Pass-along Cards—DIY: In the Media menu of The Family History Guide, select Media Resources and then Pass-along Cards, to order cards from The Family History Guide Association. But there is also a do-it-yourself option: scroll down to "Print Your Own Cards" where you can print a sheet of cards and cut them yourself. And there's more ... you can select other languages for cards, including Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese, and Chinese (traditional and simplified).
2021-07-27 Beyond the Census: After you have found an ancestor in the U.S. census and captured the information there, what's next? The census can be a great gateway to open more research possibilities. This article from Findmypast illustrates how to make the link from a person in the census records to other related records, such as military, immigration, city directories, land ownership and more. For more ideas on expanding your reach with the U.S. census, see Goal C1 in the United States page.
2021-07-26 Ancestry Projects: If you're looking for an easy-to-use help system for Ancestry.com, The Family History Guide has what you need. There's a collection of Projects, Goals, and Choices, with step-by-step instructions to help you set up your account, build and navigate your tree, find hints and records, take advantage of DNA testing and more. There's also a Vault section that handles a wide variety of topics, with links to articles and videos. Check out Project 1: Get Started and Project 2: Family Tree.
2021-07-23 Celebrating Pioneer Day: Tomorrow is Pioneer Day, celebrated by millions of Latter-day Saints in honor of the original Mormon pioneers who entered the Utah Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. If you have pioneer ancestors, whether Latter-day Saint or not, you can find some helpful resources in The Family History Guide for tracing their migrations and ancestry. In the United States page, check out Goal F1, Choice B for links to helpful articles and videos for your research.
2021-07-22 Reading Old Documents: In today's world there is far less emphasis on handwriting, but going back in time it was pretty much how everything was done. Reading old manuscripts, with strange letters, unusual script and forgotten words, can be a challenge. To get started, here are some tips for reading old genealogical documents, courtesy of AncestralFindings.com. You can find more tips and guidelines for understanding old handwriting in Goal 6 of FamilySearch Project 5: Indexing.
2021-07-21 Family History Do's and Don'ts: Every so often it's good to have a reminder about what to do, and what not to do, as we do our family history research. Here are The 12 Important Genealogy Dos and Don'ts You Need to Know, courtesy of Family History Daily. You'll learn about good habits to follow as well as common pitfalls for researchers. For additional tips on avoiding common mistakes in your research, check out Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2021-07-20 Mortality Schedules - A Census Bonus: We usually think of the United States census records in the familiar 10-year editions, from 1790 to 1940 (and coming soon, 1950). But there are also special schedules of information that were published, such as the mortality schedules that list the deaths that occurred up to a year before the census. This article by Amy Johnson Crow gives a good overview of mortality schedules and how to use them in your research. Learn more in Goal C1 of the United States page, Choice B (near the end).
2021-07-19 German Words and Scripts: If you are doing any research on German ancestors, or plan to do some in the future, you may enjoy this new video on our YouTube Channel: German Records, Words, and Scripts. It provides good information on getting familiar with German words and names in records, and it includes a link to a German script generator so you can create examples of phrases in the German script you choose. To learn more about German words and handwriting in your research, see Choice D in Germany Goal 1.
2021-07-16 Organizing Your Family History: The more family history you do, the more information and materials you collect. How do you find a place for everything, and keep everything in its place? 9 Habits of Highly Organized Genealogists by Family Tree Magazine could be just what you need. This article provides great tips on managing paper, going digital, getting into a organization routine, and more. Also check out Goal 1 in Project 4: Discover for additional ideas on getting and staying organized with your family history.
2021-07-15 Now That's an Interesting Story! Some family history stories are a bit on the dry side, but others draw us into the lives and places of the characters we are reading about. The difference may be how well you are weaving history into the story. The RootsTech blog article Places to Look for Engaging Details about Your Ancestors shares some great tips for blending history and narrative, to help your family history stories come to life. For more tips on creating engaging family history stories, see Project 2: Memories, Goal 8.
2021-07-14 Keeping a Family Journal: How well do you remember the small, touching experiences that have happened in your family through the years? A good way to preserve those memories is to create and keep a family journal. In her article 24 Ways and Reasons to Keep a Family Journal, blogger Trina Holden shares tips for making journals a fun and meaningful family experience. You can find additional tips on creating and sharing journals in Project 2: Memories, Goal 9.
2021-07-13 What Does Your Surname Mean?: Have you wondered about the meaning of ancestor surnames in your family tree, or perhaps your own surname? This Findmypast blog article has some helpful examples for learning more about surnames, including factors such as geography, occupations, and family relationships. Learn more about using surname patterns in research in Project 4: Discover, Goal 3.
2021-07-12 The Other Half of Research is Writing: According to expert researcher Harold Henderson, we are often in such a hurry to find new genealogical information that we don't take the time to "put the meat on the bones." In his article Why We Don't Write, and How We Can, Henderson takes us through the process of breathing life into family history findings, while accomplishing the three "P's" ... Prove our conclusions; Propagate our findings; and Preserve our information. Explore more tips for writing family history stories in the Vault section of The Family History Guide.
2021-07-09 Searching Databases Like a Pro: ***Not happy with the database search results you're getting? Genealogy Today has a great article that offers tips for searching online databases. These guidelines help you decide how to enter ancestor names to get best results, as well as finding places and occupations in major databases. You can learn more about doing effective searches in Project 4: Discover, Goal 6 (Develop Search Skills).
2021-07-08 U.S. Immigration in the 1920s: Before 1920, immigration into the United States was pretty much "open door." However, immigration policies changed in the mid-1920s, affecting the flow of immigrants. This FamilySearch blog article describes what happened and how you can find clues for your ancestors who may have arrived in the U.S. after this time. Also check out Goal D1 in the United States page to learn more about immigration basics for research.
2021-07-07 Finding Vital Info in Newspapers: Sometimes it may be difficult locating vital information for an ancestor, such as birth, marriage, or death records. A research alternative you should consider is newspapers. This Findmypast article explains how to discover vital info in published newspapers, including additional content and perspectives that wouldn't appear in official documents. Learn more about newspaper research in Goal F4 of the United States page, or in corresponding Goals for various countries.
2021-07-06 12 Essential Skills for Genealogists: You may be thinking of essential skills as reading difficult handwriting, knowing where archives are located, etc. But this article by Genealogy Today focuses instead on the mindset of a genealogist: thinking outside the box, collaborating with others, organizing information, seeing the big picture of your family tree, and more. To review important research skills and objectives, see Project 4: Discover.
2021-07-05 Tips for Google Searches: It's pretty well known that you can use Google to search for ancestor information online. However, your Google searches might not be returning the information you need: too much, too little, or off track. In this ThoughtCo article, Kimberly Powell shares some handy tips for using search operators to get better results, as well as strategies that can keep you moving in the right direction. To learn more about using Google searches in genealogy, see Goal 6 in Project 4: Discover.
2021-07-02 Finding Ancestors in Church Records: In the United States, vital events in your ancestors' lives were often recorded in church records. Witnesses to these events also may include extended family members. Adding Branches with Church Records, by Price Genealogy, gives a brief history of U.S. church records and where to find them, and it provides several case studies showing how church, census, and other records can work together. For more information on discovering and using church records, see Goal F1 in the United States page.
2021-07-01 U.S. Census Search Tips: What do you do when your searches in U.S. census records are not turning up clues for your ancestor? This Findmypast article, 5 Tips for Searching Census Records, can help you make the breakthroughs you need. It explains how to vary your search parameters, why to look for other people, and how to refine your approach to using dates. Learn more about using the U.S. census to find your ancestors in Goal C1 of the United States page.
2021-06-30 Sharing Memories with Slideshows: A great way to share your family history memories with others is by creating simple slideshows, to capture photos or ancestors or living family members. This can be done with FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, or other software and platforms. In FamilySearch, first create an online photo album in Memories and then use the Slideshow option; instructions can be found in Choices C, D, and E of Project 2: Memories, Goal 11.
2021-06-29 Building a Family Tree: Whether you are working with FamilySearch, Ancestry, RootsMagic, or any other family tree software, there are some basic principles you'll want to follow as you build your tree. How to Build a Family Tree: Tracing Your Ancestors, from the National Genealogical Society, outlines a good path to follow, from gathering family information to recording to finding more records. There are additional tips for getting started with family trees in the Vault section of The Family History Guide.
*2021-06-28 Getting Un-stuck in your Genealogy: Chances are good that at some point you've been stuck on one or more lines in your family tree. How do you get "un-stuck" and start moving ahead? This article from Findmypast has some practical suggestions for finding new records and getting help from others, to get past your genealogy roadblocks. You can find more tips for breaking through your brick walls in Project 4: Discover, Goal 7.
2021-06-25 ***Finding Misspelled Ancestor Names: Some of your ancestors may have spelled their surnames in multiple ways, even within the same family. So how do you sort out the variations? This article from Genealogy Today has some tips on how to approach name variations, from phonetic spelling to wildcard variations. You can find out more about name variations and spelling in Project 4: Discover, Goal 6, as well as in Section 32 of the Vault page.
2021-06-24 FamilySearch Source Box: The Source Box lets you reuse record sources instead of retyping them each time you need to use them. To view your Source Box, click your name in the upper right corner, and from the drop-down menu, click Source Box. With the Source Box you can store over 10,000 sources, organize your sources in up to 200 folders, and add sources of your own into Family Tree. For tips on using the Source Box, see Goal 8 in Project 1: Family Tree.
2021-06-23 Intro to Research: If you are getting started with family history research and would like to see what resources The Family History Guide has that can help you, a good place to visit is the Intro to Research page. You can find it at the top of the Countries menu. The page includes a brief introduction video and then points you to the research projects for FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, and Findmypast. Also referenced are the two Research Knowledgebases, one for general and United States, and the other for various countries.
2021-06-22 Getting Started with Google Earth, Part 2: What if you could see historical information about your ancestors, in a current Google Earth view? You can, and an article titled Google Earth for Genealogy, Part 2: Adding Historical Maps & Data shows you how to do that. You'll learn how to import historical maps into Google Earth, how to see land features of where your ancestors lived, and more. See also Goal A2 in the United States page.
2021-06-21 Getting Started with Google Earth: Google Earth is a free and fun way to map the locations where your ancestors lived. This article from NewYorkFamilyHistory.org provides a basic introduction to using Google Earth, including links to tutorials. It also shows how to add a U.S. census record to a Google Earth map, to integrate the information. For more about using mapping tools such as Google Earth and Google Maps, see Goal A2 in the United States page.
2021-06-18 City Directories by State:
City directories can provide many additional research clues about the people living in a town or urban area. The Ancestor Hunt website has a great collection of free city directories, arranged by U.S. state. Most of these are also linked from the state pages in The Family History Guide, in Goal 2, Choice B for each state. To learn more about using city directories, see Goal A2 in the United States page.
2021-06-17 5 Reasons for Documenting Your Family's Story: Here are five ways that preserving and documenting the story of your family—immediate or extended—can enrich and bless your life, courtesy of Frazer Consultants: 1) It keeps your family traditions alive; 2) You learn stories and life lessons from your ancestors; 3) Medical history becomes more clear; 4) It can create stronger relationships between family members; and 5) It can improve your sense of well-being and self-esteem. For more ideas on preserving memories, see Goal 1 in Project 2: Memories.
2021-06-16 People of Medieval Scotland: How far back does your Scottish ancestry go? Check out the People of Medieval Scotland website to learn about ancestors and documents from 1093-1406. You can search for people, facts, sources, places, and transactions, and you can filter by relationships. There is also a map that places pins for ancestors in geographical locations. To learn more about Scottish research by time period, see Goal 1, Choice C in the Scotland country page.
2021-06-15 Finding Irish Towns: When doing Irish research, you'll find that location is often the name of the game. The Irish Townlands website is a great resource for pinning down places in Ireland where your ancestors may have lived. Arranged from large to small, its entries include counties, baronies, civil parishes, electoral divisions, townships, and sub-townships, with corresponding maps and links to genealogy resources for the locations. For more info, see Goal 9 in the Ireland country page.
2021-06-14 Maximizing Your Research Time: If you're a busy person—and who isn't these days?— then you'll want to get the best results with the limited time you have for doing family history research. In this article on the Archives.com site, Lisa Alzo shares some useful tips for maximizing your research time, including calendaring, time management, using research plans and more. You can find additional tips for fitting family history into your life in the 15 Minutes page of The Family History Guide.
2021-06-11 Is Your Research Accurate?: The Ancestral Findings site has a great article that explains five ways to tell if your research is accurate. Although these are not guarantees, they are definitely helpful: 1) Find the same information in multiple sets of records; 2) Find research from others that matches yours; 3) Gather sources that provide evidence; 4) Look for secondary evidence to back up your assumptions; and 5) Get evidence from DNA test results.
2021-06-08 Finding Female Ancestors: An essential part of filling out your family tree is finding the female ancestors in your lines, whether direct-line or children in families. The Family History Guide has two great sections to help you get started and go farther in finding your female ancestors. In the United States page, go to Choice C in Goal B4 for some helpful tips and strategies. And in the Vault, you'll find plenty of additional resources, with links to over 20 articles and videos to explore for researching female ancestors.
2021-06-07 Tips for England Census Records: As you track your ancestors in England, you may find the 1841 and 1851 Censuses to be of great help. You can find a number of useful tips for using these census records in A Date Guide to English Genealogy, Part III from the GenealogyInTime website. It explains the types of information found in these census records, how to avoid incorrect assumptions, and how to find additional clues for research. To learn more about England census records from 1841-1939, see Goal 4 in the England country page.
2021-06-04 Tracing Ancestors in Voting Records: Family Tree Magazine has several helpful online articles about how to use voting records to learn more about your ancestors. The Document Detective: Voter Registration article reviews the types of information that typically appeared on voter registration cards, and it gives tips for how to use the information in your research. You can find out more about voter registration and research in Goal F3 of the United States page.
2021-06-03 Migration Clues: How do you track your ancestors as they moved from place to place? It helps to understand the motivations for moving and the common problems you may encounter when tracing ancestors on the move. This article by Diane Richard discusses reasons, problems, clues, timelines, and routes for migrating ancestors. See Goal F1 in the United States page for additional resources.
2021-06-02 The 1940 Census—Next Steps: After finding your ancestor in the 1940 Census, where do you go next to discover more information about the person? This article by James Tanner in LDSGenealogy.com suggests a wealth of record resources that are related to what you may discover in the 1940 Census, including city directories, voting records, land and property records, place of birth, and more. To learn more about what's in the 1940 Census and how to use it in your research, see Goal C2 in the United States page.
2021-06-01 Researching Local History: Learning about the towns or cities where your ancestor lived helps you better understand their lives, and it may open doors to new research clues. Kimberly Powell's article Resources for Researching Local History outlines six practical tips for getting to know the places where your ancestors lived, from reading local published histories to interviewing local residents. Find out more about using local histories in the United States page, Goal A4.
2021-05-31 Compiled Military Service Records: What's in a compiled military service record? Typically it will list a service person's rank, military unit, date of entry into service, and whether discharged or separated by desertion, death, or other reasons. Ancestry.com has a number of collections of these records, with some of them being included as QUIKLinks in The Family History Guide. For more information on using compiled military service records in your research, see Goal E1 in the United States page or watch this Ancestry Academy video (requires a free account).
2021-05-28 The Ellis Island Experience: According to this article in GenealogyInTime Magazine, about 1/3 Americans can trace their ancestry through Ellis Island, a small island off the coast of New York's Manhattan. The article explains travel patterns of families, cases where immigrants might be rejected, how names were recorded, and more. For additional tips on tracking immigration through Ellis Island and other ports, see Goal D2 in the United States page.
2021-05-27 U.S. Census: Next Steps: As you begin your search through records in the United States census, you may be wondering what information might be "hiding in plain sight." This FamilySearch blog article gives some helpful tips for finding additional research clues in census records, such as timelines, state census records, features by decade, and more. See also Goal C1 in the United States page and the Census Records: Next Steps section in the Vault.
2021-05-26 Labeling Digital Photographs: Scanning family photos is an important step in preserving and sharing them, but what about the background info: who is in the photo, where was it taken, and when? Check out How to Label Your Digital Photographs by Kimberly Powell for tips on using software, including your PC or Mac operating system, to add "metadata" (descriptive digital information) to each of your digital photos. For tips on scanning photos, see Goal 1 in Project 2: Memories.
2021-05-25 FamilySearch Catalog - Practice: The FamilySearch Catalog has online entries that enable you to find many genealogical items in the FamilySearch Library. To help you develop your search techniques for the Catalog with hands-on exercises, check out these articles: FamilySearch Catalog Class and Find - FamilySearch Catalog. For more about the FamilySearch Catalog, see Goal 5 in Project 4: Discover.
2021-05-24 Death Certificate Codes: Did you know that there are "secret codes" on many death certificates recorded in the United States? These codes link to a database for documented causes of death. This article by Family History Daily explains where to find them and how to look them up online. To learn more about using death certificates and other death records in your research, see Goal B5 in the United States page.
2021-05-21 Overlooked Genealogy Clues: In the Ancestral Findings article 3 Overlooked Clues in Genealogical Documents, these helpful information clues are discussed: 1) the year of immigration, in U.S. Census records; 2) the names of witnesses in deeds, wills, and other legal documents; and 3) death certificate informants, who are usually relatives of the deceased. For more information on the types of information you can find in various records, see Goal A1 in the United States page.
2021-05-20 New Quick Research Basics Videos: In our blog post last week we mentioned that three new Quick Research videos had been added to our YouTube Channel: Surname Maps, Using Mapping Tools, and Using Historical Maps. This week we have added two more videos: Spain Research Overview and Spain Research: Church and Civil Registration, narrated by James Tanner. These latest videos are also included in Goal 1 and Goal 3 of the Spain country page.
2021-05-19 Finding Ancestry Researchers: There may be a number of Ancestry users who are researching some of the same people you are. You can find these users with the Member Search feature in Ancestry, focused on research interest. You can also specify the Surname, Location, and Year for ancestor events you are interested in. You'll get a list of users with links to their public trees with names in common. See also Ancestry Project 5: Help for more collaboration tips.
2021-05-18 Ancestor Stories with "Meat on the Bones": At RootsTech 2019, blogger Rosemary Cantrell shared a presentation titled Put Some Meat on Them Bones: Telling the Stories. In it, you'll learn about narratives vs. individual stories, understanding what types of stories need to be told, basic writing tips, and more. in order to fill out the details of your ancestor stories. See additional tips on writing ancestor stories in Project 2: Memories, Goal 8.
2021-05-17 Guiding Children in Family History Activities: In the Kids Corner of The Family History Guide there is a Parents and Leaders link (just above the first video). When you open it, you'll find information on how family history awareness can increase self-esteem in children. You'll also see additional links for getting kids involved in family history, as well as coaching and motivation tips. Then be sure to check out the many fun and useful activities in the Kids Corner, great for kids 10 and younger.
2021-05-14 Finding a Genealogical Society: The National Genealogical Society is having its annual conference next week (May 17-21), which will be virtual. On their website, you can look up genealogical societies in the U.S. to get help from and collaborate with on your family history. The Get Help Goals in most countries also have links for international societies. To learn more about genealogical societies, see Project 6: Help, Goal 2, Choice B.
2021-05-13 Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor: The Ancestry video "Finding Your Immigrant Ancestors" narrated by Crista Cowan has been around a while but still has some great tips and pointers to resources. You can find her video embedded in The Family History Guide in United States Goal D1, Choice B. There is also an Info button above the embedded video: hover over it to see a list of sections of interest within the video that you can directly access.
2021-05-12 Surnames and Maps: From FamilySearch: "Sometimes it is possible to guess where a surname originated through surname distribution maps. These maps graphically display locations where surnames occurred at different periods in time. This strategy provides genealogists with a starting point for research in the birth country, when that information cannot be discovered through sources recorded in the new country of settlement." Check out this list of surname mapping resources on the Wiki.
2021-05-11 Immigration to and through Canada: Many people came from Great Britain to Canada in the 1800's, and a number of them continued on at some point to the United States. To help you track your ancestors' arrivals and migrations, check out Goal 5: Emigration in the Canada country page. In Choice A, note the resources for passenger lists and the article titled Finding Your Lost Ancestors in Canada. Naturalization records are discussed in Choice B, and additional resources are included in Choice C.
2021-05-10 This Is Family App: "This Is Family" is a free app for iPhone, iPad or Mac M1. Featured in the Kids Corner of The Family History Guide, it helps young people create a family tree, dress up ancestor avatars to see how they look, make pictures with different backgrounds, save the pictures, and more. You can also watch an overview video about the app to see its features, or look it up in the FamilySearch Solutions Gallery.
2021-05-07 Stories of Our Ancestors: From James Tanner: "The stories of the lives of our ancestors is not the side show, it is the show. It is the main feature. Sometimes we think we don't have time to spend on mundane things like the lives of our ancestors; we are too busy pushing back the years and marking off the check boxes on our pedigree charts to waste our time with stories." (Source: Going Beyond Just Names and Dates). To learn more about finding and creating your ancestor's stories, see Goal 8 in Project 2: Memories.
2021-05-06 Record Search Tips for FamilySearch: When you are ready to search for ancestor records on FamilySearch, there are ways to do that more efficiently and effectively. This FamilySearch Wiki article outlines best practices, field-specific search tips, advanced tips and tricks, and other places you can look when searches are not yielding the results you need. For additional resources to help with your searches, study the information in Goal 4 of Project 4: Discover.
2021-05-04 Will Your Genealogy Materials Survive? Most of us have uploaded some amount of genealogy information to an online source such as FamilySearch Family Tree, Ancestry, etc. But what about our original documents, our computer passwords and accounts, and family photos? Will they survive after we are gone, or will they be lost or discarded? This RootsTech article has some useful tips on how to address that problem, including a link to the video "How Not to Leave Your Genealogy Behind" by Amy Johnson Crow and Curt Witcher.
2021-05-03 To Do Lists to the Rescue: How do you keep from being distracted in your research, with all the bits of information floating by in the records, documents, and photos you find? Using a "to do" list might be the answer. You can create a list on your phone or tablet, or use a word processing document or spreadsheet to help you. FamilySearch has a built-in To-Do List in the right panel of its home page, and Ancestry has "My To-Do List" in the lower right of its home page. To learn more about To Do lists, see Choice B in Goal 1 of Project 4: Discover.
2021-04-30 Canadian Census Records: One of the best ways to find and track your recent Canadian ancestors is through census records. In Canada, national censuses have been conducted from 1851 to 1921, and some regional censuses are available from 1825 to 1926. In Goal 3 of the Canada country page, you'll find QUIKLinks to all these census records, plus resources that include articles and videos, worksheets, and more.
2021-04-29 GEDCOM Files and FamilySearch: If you have a family tree built in Ancestry, MyHeritage, RootsMagic, etc. you can create a GEDCOM version of your tree and upload it to the FamilySearch Pedigree Resource File. Although it's not merged into Family Tree, others can view important info such as names, dates, and relationships, using the Genealogies option in the Search menu of FamilySearch. Sources you have are not included, and if you want to make changes you will need to remove the uploaded file and create a new version. For more information on Genealogies and GEDCOM files, see Goal 5 in Project 4: Discover.
2021-04-28 Youth Apps for Family History: In the Youth menu of The Family History Guide there is a page dedicated to fun and useful family history apps. These include links to learning the FamilySearch, Ancestry, and MyHeritage apps, as well as using apps from the BYU Family History Technology Lab (Geneopardy, Wheel of Family Fortune, Pedigree Pie, etc.) and the FamilySearch Solutions Gallery (JoyFlips, Traditions of the Ancestors, Puzzilla, etc.)
2021-04-27 Using Burial Records in Research: What if you can't find the death record for an ancestor? In the 1800s, U.S. counties were not always reliable in keeping death records, while in the 1900s state record keeping made death records easier to find. The answer may be to look for burial records, which may contain additional information about family members who are buried near your ancestor. See this MyHeritage blog post for more information, or check out Goal B6 in the United States page.
2021-04-26 Getting Started with GEDmatch: GEDmatch is a free online site where you can upload results from your DNA testing (Ancestry, MyHeritage, 23andMe, etc.) so it becomes part of a larger shared database. You can then run a variety of reports and use handy tools to analyze your test data and see how it fits in with other users who have joined GEDmatch. For tips on getting started with GEDmatch, including instructions for uploading your test data, see this tutorial. For more info on GEDmatch, see Goal 4 in Project 8: DNA.
2021-04-23 England Probate Records: As you go farther back in your research in England, probate records (legal transfer of property, such as wills) can be a helpful resource. The BYU Discovering English Ancestors site has a page dedicated to getting started with English probate research. It covers both pre-1858 and post 1858 eras, with 1858 being when record keeping switched from church-based to civil-based. You can find more information in Goal 5 of the England country page.
2021-04-22 Article Quizzes: In addition to the Goal Quizzes available in the header area of selected Goals, there are now article-based quizzes in The Family History Guide. So far there nine of these, all in the United States pages; more will be added for other countries. Each quiz is short: just 5 questions, with 4 multiple-choice and one true-false. Check out the list of article quizzes at the end of the main Quizzes page, then study the articles and try the quizzes.
2021-04-21 Activities Planning Sheet: In the Activities menu of The Family History Guide, you can find the Activities Planning Sheet. It's a Google spreadsheet you can download and save in a variety of formats, to help you track the activities you have done or plan to do. The sheet lists all the family history activities on the site and has columns for date, planning notes, notes for next time, and a rating of 1 to 5.
2021-04-20 Deciphering Ancestor Nicknames: As you search through records and sources, sometimes you may find an ancestor listed with a nickname. Some are fairly common, such as Joey for Joseph (and sometimes what appears to be a nickname may actually be the given name). But what about names like Sadie or Tad— what would be the given names, if those are nicknames? Check out this article by Thoughtco that has an extensive list of nicknames and given names in English. You can learn more about name variations in Project 4: Discover, Goal 6.
2021-04-19 3 Tips for Breaking Brick Walls: When your research seems to have slowed or stopped on one of your family lines, here are three tips from Archives.com that can help get you going: 1) Explore information for collateral relatives (uncles, aunts, siblings, etc.); 2) Search online sources again and again for newly posted records; and 3) Take advantage of library and archive links, such as in The Family History Guide. For more tips on breaking through the brick walls in your research, see Project 4: Discover, Goal 7.
2021-04-16 City Directory Abbreviations: Using city directories online can be a great way to track your ancestors' whereabouts. However, sometimes you may run into some puzzling abbreviations on the pages. Fortunately, this article from GenealogyInTime has a solid list of descriptions to help out, along with links to abbreviations for first names and occupations. See Goal A2 in the United States page for more information on using city directories.
2021-04-15 FamilySearch Ancestor Surnames: Where does your surname fit in with the millions of others on FamilySearch? Check out Ancestors.FamilySearch.org and then click "Browse Surname Directory" to start exploring. There is also a screen to help you find the meaning and origin of surnames. You can find additional tips and instructions for using the FamilySearch surname directory in Goal 3 of FamilySearch Project 4: Discover.
2021-04-14 Brick Wall Case Studies: One way to learn about solving brick walls in research is to read examples of how it's done. There is a group of about 20 helpful brick wall solutions on LDSGenealogy.com, mostly for United States research, that show strategies for finding locations, records, and people. Most of these are also linked from The Family History Guide in U.S. state pages. For more information on solving brick walls, see Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2021-04-13 Churches and Denominations: In The Family History Guide you can find resources for general U.S. church records in Goal F1. For Protestant resources, including denominations, and for Catholic records, see the Faiths menu. The Catholic and Protestant pages in that menu also include "Research by Country" pages with links to country pages that have additional information for church records. To find information on Latter-day Saint church records, see Choice B (scroll down) in Goal F1 of the United States page.
2021-04-12 Using Hints from Ancestry: Ancestry hints come from census records, vital records, and public family trees. This article from Ancestry Support explains where to find hints; how to handle new, undecided, ignored, and accepted hints; how to turn hints on or off; and what to do when hints become unavailable. To learn more about these hints and how to attach and use them in your Ancestry tree, see Project 2: Goal 5 in the Ancestry learning path.
2021-04-09 Getting Started with Maps: Maps can be some of the most helpful and most enjoyable family history resources. So what are the basic types, and how do you get started using them in your research? This article from Genealogy.com provides a good starting point, describing how to use political maps, county maps, historical maps, European maps, and more. For more information on understanding and using maps, see Goal A2 in the United States page, or the Maps Goal in each corresponding Country page.
2021-04-08 Closing & Opening Choices: In The Family History Guide, Choices are where you find the steps and resources you need for learning and research. We have recently changed how you can close and open (hide and show) the material inside Choices. At the top of each Project page, there used to be two separate buttons: Close Choices and Open Choices. Now there is a single button—Close Choices. Click it to close all Choices on the page, and then click the same button (now titled Open Choices) to open them all. Also, each Choice has a + or - icon at the end of the title, to remind you that you can click Choice titles to individually close or open them.
2021-04-07 Facebook Groups for Counties: When you are doing research at the county level in the United States, help is available in The Family History Guide. At the bottom of each U.S. state page is a list of counties with links to resources you can use (for example, here is the link to California counties). The latest additions are links to Facebook groups and genealogical societies for counties. These links are indicated by "F" on the page.
2021-04-06 Kickstarting Your Research: If you feel like you are in a rut with your genealogy research, this article from FamilyHistoryDaily can help you break free. It describes 10 strategies you can try, such as researching descendants and neighbors, doing photo research, trying new sites and databases, and more. There are also some helpful suggestions on breaking through brick walls in The Family History Guide—see Project 4: Discover, Goal 7, Choice G.
2021-04-05 Preserving Family Memories: This article from the New England Historic Genealogical Society gives some great tips and guidelines for preserving, handling, and storing your family history documents, photographs, and other objects. Examples include how to handle old books, how to unframe art, and how to reformat or copy important documents. For more information on preserving your family history keepsakes, see Goal 1 (Choice D) in Project 2: Memories.
2021-04-02 New Look for the Home Page: When you access the Home Page for The Family History Guide, you'll notice a new look. There's one cover photo now, with a centered layout for the text and buttons. On phones, the single photo makes for less scrolling. The photo may be changed occasionally for variety. The three buttons are numbered in suggested order of use: 1 for the Overview video, 2 for the Tour, and 3 for the Get Started page. The top menu works as before and is basically unchanged.
2021-04-01 Top "Headlines" for April 1: 1) Ancestry.com teams with Petco to provide DNA testing for your dog or cat's family tree; 2) The Family History Guide Association acquires FamilySearch, with help from Bill Gates; 3) Findmypast announces new chronology tool for time-travel, so you can literally find your past; 4) The BYU Family History Technology Lab develops a mind-reading feature for census enumerators and indexers. *Note: These headlines are intended for humorous purposes. Your results may vary.
2021-03-31 Scottish Genealogy Sites: In The 10 Best (Mostly Free) Scottish Genealogy Sites for Finding Your Ancestors from FamilyHistoryDaily.com, you'll discover ten of the best Scottish genealogy websites, most of which are free. Making the list are gems such as the National Records of Scotland, ScotlandsPeople, National Archives of Scotland, GenUKI (Genealogy for the U.K. and Ireland) and more. Also explore the Goals in the Scotland country page of The Family History Guide for more tips on Scottish research and resources.
2021-03-30 New Video—Introduction to The Family History Guide: We recently added a new video on our YouTube Channel: Introduction to The Family History Guide. It's just over seven minutes long, so it offers a more in-depth look at some of the features of the website than does the Overview video on the Home page. This new video is in the "Learn about The Family History Guide" playlist, and we will be adding links to it in several places in the site.
2021-03-29 Beginning United Kingdom and Ireland Research: Many of us have ancestors who were born in the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, etc.) or Ireland. A good way to get an overview of doing research in these countries is with this article by FamilyHistoryDaily.com: The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Researching Your Ancestors in England, Wales, Scotland or Ireland. It covers history, online records, resources, and tips for research. For QUIKLinks to record collections, visit the United Kingdom page in The Family History Guide.
2021-03-26 Show Me Video: Browse Memories: Ancestor photos are a powerful and meaningful way to share and preserve family history. We've added a video in the Show Me playlist on our YouTube Channel. It's for FamilySearch Project 2, Goal 4: Browse Memories. This video walks through the concepts of finding and browsing photos and other memories for ancestors in Family Tree. You can also find the video by using the Show Me link, in the header area at the top of the Goal 4 page.
2021-03-25 Finding Historical Photos:
A great way to see into the past is with photos that were taken where your ancestors lived. This not only helps put your ancestors' live in context, but it may also provide research clues you can follow. The Ancestor Hunt website has state-by-state collections of free, downloadable images of people and places to get you started (scroll down to "State Articles"). Goal 1 in each state page of The Family History Guide has links to these photograph collections for the state, including cities, counties, and more.
2021-03-24 Seeing Patterns in Your Past: Genealogy is really all about patterns. Researching the historical, cultural, social, religious, and occupational background of your families helps you recognize these patterns. Looking at a family as merely a biological unit is like looking at the world in black and white rather than color. Instead of only looking for "standard" genealogical records, also learn about the history, geography, and culture of the places where your ancestors lived to begin seeing the patterns of how and where your ancestors lived. See also Pattern Recognition as a Goal in Genealogy by James Tanner.
2021-03-23 Tips for Using City Directories: City directories can provide a wealth of information about your ancestors. To get a good introduction to city directories, check out this FamilySearch handout that was produced a few years ago. In the section titled "Uses for City Directories" you'll find 12 ways to connect them with the research you are working on, such as identifying relationships within a family and determining dates for births, marriages, and deaths. See Goal A2 in the United States page for more information.
2021-03-22 England Civil Registration: There is a new Quick Research Basics video on our YouTube Channel for England Civil Registration. It's narrated by Kathryn Grant and covers topics such as the history, geography, and indexes for English civil registration. You can learn more in The Family History Guide in Goal 3 of the England country page, where this video is also available.
2021-03-19 FAQ Page for The Family History Guide: If you haven't seen it yet, there is a new page for FAQs. Topics include About The Family History Guide, Website Basics, Outreach and Use, FamilySearch and The Family History Guide, Language Support, Media, Presentations and Training, Records and QUIKLinks, and the Online Tracker. Each topic includes common questions and answers, with a number of helpful links as well.
2021-03-18 Getting Started with Findmypast: Findmypast has great record collections for research in the U.K. and Ireland, apropos as we just passed St. Patrick's Day yesterday. Read this blog article for tips on adding records, photos, facts, and hints to your Findmypast tree, and learn more in the Findmypast menu of The Family History Guide. You can create a free trial membership for Findmypast, or a free account if you're a Latter-day Saint: see this page for details.
2021-03-17 Researching U.S. Immigrants: The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services site has tips for researching your immigrant ancestors. There are handy links to help you learn about arrival records, nationality records, and correspondence files, all sorted by time period. There is also a live chat feature on the page that offers help with immigration questions. In The Family History Guide, check out Goal D2 in the United States page for more information.
2021-03-16 FamilySearch Account Tips: In FamilySearch, where do you change your username or password? Or how do you control the emails that FamilySearch sends you, or stop an app or website from accessing information you added to Family Tree? You can do all of these things and more, using the Settings link found under your name or picture, in the upper-right corner of the Family Tree screen. There are tabs for Account, Notifications, and Permissions. For more information and tips, see Goal 13 in FamilySearch Project 1 in The Family History Guide.
2021-03-15 Using Map Overlays:
Overlaying historical maps onto Google Maps and Google Earth can be quite useful, as it helps you compare historical images with current maps and satellite images. But it can also be a time-consuming process. This article from Thoughtco.com provides links to ready-to-use map overlay collections, from David Rumsey, Historic Map Works, New York Public Library Map Warper, British Library Geo-referenced Maps, and more. To learn more about using maps in your research, check out Goal A2 in the United States page.
2021-03-12 Activities Planning Sheet:
As you select and carry out family history activities, this new Activities Planning Sheet in the Activities menu can be helpful. It's a Google spreadsheet with columns that list the titles of activities for families, individuals, youth, and kids; the date(s) you held the activity; planning notes as needed; notes for the next time the activity is held; and a rating from 1 to 5 (5=best). Once you open the sheet, use the File menu to make a copy to your own Google drive or download it as an Excel or OpenDocument spreadsheet. Then you can edit and customize it as you like.
2021-03-11 Research Help, U.S. States:
Need help with research in a particular U.S. state? Check out Goal 12: Get Help in any of the 50 state pages plus District of Columbia, or Goal 8 for Puerto Rico. These pages have links to Facebook groups, forums, message boards, genealogy societies and more, to help you collaborate and get your research questions answered. For example, here's the Get Help link for Massachusetts.
2021-03-10 Customizing Activities:
The Family History Guide has over 200 fun and meaningful family history activities for all ages. Once you've found an activity to do, here are three tips to help you customize the activities for your needs: 1) Select items within the activity to focus on, saving others for another time if necessary; 2) Personalize the activity by including material specific to your family members or friends; and 3) Plan the activity as needed, doing a practice run yourself to see if there are issues that need to be addressed ahead of time.
2021-03-09 Relative Finder:
The Relative Finder tool from the BYU Family History Technology Lab provides a way to see interesting and famous people in your family tree, from astronauts to presidents and more. It displays these relatives in a handy table you can sort and search. You can also create and join custom groups to connect with others and see the relationships you share with them. For more info, see Goal 4 in Project 3: Descendants.
2021-03-08 Sharing Your Ancestry Tree: You can give others the rights to view or modify your Ancestry tree. In the Trees tab, you can click the Share link and assign the role of Guest (view only), Contributor (add photos, comments, stories, but not edit tree info), or Editor (do all the above plus add, edit, or remove tree info). This feature helps families and friends work together on a shared tree. For more information, see Goal 4 in Ancestry Project 1: Get Started.
2021-03-05 Recording Names
When you record names in genealogy, 1) Enter them as they are spoken in the language they were originally given; 2) Record them as they were given at the time of birth, with variations in notes or alternative name sections; 3) Use the specific characters (available in Windows, Mac, etc.) used in the original languages; 4) Do not use Mr., Mrs., or other such designations, titles, etc. unless they were part of the name at the time of birth; and 5) Do not use abbreviations unless they were actually part of the name at birth. Learn more in this blog article by James Tanner.
2021-03-04 Making an Audio Documentary
Do you have a fun, interesting family tradition that you would like to record and share? Check out Family Activity F3-06: Make an Audio Documentary or Podcast in The Family History Guide. It has tips and ideas for creating recordings, podcasts, and documentaries that will make your family traditions come to life. You can also find a great collection of ideas in the Activities Index at the bottom of the Activities menu.
2021-03-03 When Did U.S. Vital Records Start?
Let's suppose you are doing some New England research, and you have ancestors in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Birth records were available in MA starting in 1841, but not in NH until 1920, and not in VT until 1955. You can get a handy comparison chart of vital record dates from Family Tree Magazine, with a free email signup. That will help you save time by not looking for records before they existed. Learn more about U.S.vital records in Goal B1 of the United States page.
2021-03-02 MyHeritage Deep Nostalgia™
My Heritage has developed a new feature called Deep Nostalgia that animates an individual face in a photo that you upload. The result is a short, high-quality video where the person's face in the photo can smile, blink, and move. The photos are enhanced prior to animation using the MyHeritage Photo Enhancer. For more information on how this feature works, and to see samples of these animation videos, read this blog post.
2021-03-01 Research with Google News: Would you like to browse old newspapers quickly and easily, looking for ancestor clues? It's easy to do at Google News, using the Newspapers section. You can browse through the long list or use the alphabet links at the top of the page. Select a newspaper issue, click the page, and start reading. You can also zoom the view. For more information on research with newspapers see Goal F4 in the United States page, or the Newspapers Goal in the corresponding Country page.
2021-02-26 New RootsTech Video—Ancestral Homelands: Here is the second video produced by The Family History Guide Association and sponsored by FamilySearch as part of their Beginners Track. (If you haven't signed up for RootsTech Connect 2021, now is a great time to do that!) https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/rtc2021/session/ancestors-and-homeland-research-with-the-family-history-guide
2021-02-25 New RootsTech Video—Family History Activities: This is well worth checking out at RootsTech. It was produced in a partnership with FamilySearch and Scott and Angelle Anderson of The Family History Guide Association. (If you haven't signed up for RootsTech Connect 2021, now is a great time to do that!) https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/rtc2021/session/the-family-history-guides-100s-of-activities-connect-families
2021-02-24 Geography Swings: If you find that the places for events in a family seem to swing widely back and forth, such as by hundreds of miles, you may be dealing with two separate families that have been incorrectly merged together. That can happen when surnames are the same or very similar. Using source records you can carefully divide the families into their proper forms. For more information on using geography and location as clues for research, see Project A2 in the United States page.
2021-02-23 RootsTech Tomorrow! We are entering a bold new era of RootsTech online, starting tomorrow at 5 p.m. Mountain Time for the Expo Hall and the next three days for the full conference. If you haven't registered yet, there is still time: click here to register. The latest count is over 430,000 attendees worldwide! Enjoy the online classes, and be sure to visit The Family History Guide online booth, watch our new videos, and say hello in our Chat room. We look forward to meeting you!
2021-02-22 The 1920 U.S. Census: From Ancestral Findings: "[In] the 1920 census, you will find street names and house numbers next to the heads of households on this census. It is valuable genealogical information that you can use to pinpoint exactly where your ancestors lived in 1920. Addresses may have changed over the decades ... but you can find the correct address with local city and town records. You can use the address to view it virtually on Google Maps. This is a wonderful way to have a look at things your ancestors saw every day, and get an idea of how they lived in 1920."
2021-02-19 U.S. Census Tip: A census record is not just a list of names with some added information, it is also a snapshot of a neighborhood and a community. Because census records are geographically compiled, knowing the location where your ancestors lived is necessary to identify the right person or family. So, look at the census pages both before and after the sheet you found for your ancestor. The enumerators would go up and down the streets, and it is common to find related families living in close proximity to each other. For more census tips, see Goal C1 in the United States page.
2021-02-18 Restoring Colors in Photos: Most of our online photo collections of family and ancestors have at least several where the colors are noticeably faded. Fortunately there is a great solution for restoring colors in photos: it's MyHeritage In Color™. Using this feature, you can restore the colors in one of your photos in typically between three to 10 seconds, depending on the level of detail. You can use In Color at the above link, or as a part of the MyHeritage Photo Gallery.
2021-02-17 European Archives: There are many useful, free online archive websites where you can search for your European ancestors. In the Quick Research Basics playlist on our YouTube Channel, we recently added a series of short videos by Miles Meyer that take you on a virtual tour through these archives and how to use them. In these videos you'll find helpful resources for countries including France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, England (British Isles), and Ireland.
2021-02-16 GenealogyLinks.net: A great resource for doing research in most countries is Genealogylinks.net. There are links to its resources in many places in The Family History Guide, most often in the Partners area beneath the large picture for the country page. There are also links for U.S. state pages, Canadian provinces, Australian states, and English counties. For U.S. states, the links also go down to the county level.
2021-02-15 The Review Process: There's a tendency to look at "completed" information as something we don't have to think about again, but reviewing information can lead to new discoveries. First, review documents, records, and sources that are already in place: they may have valuable clues for finding additional family members. Then review what you have already concluded about family lines, based on the additional information you have found in records and documents. See Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover for more ideas on evaluating and reviewing family history information.
2021-02-12 Documents from the Living: At times we may be so focused on searching for online records that we overlook documents that our living relatives have and could share with us. Not sure which family history documents to ask for? Check out this extensive list from FamilySearch that covers everything from family bibles to fishing licenses, and wedding announcements to wills.
2021-02-11 Black History Month and Family History: February is Black History Month in the U.S., and there are some great resources in The Family History Guide that can raise your awareness. In the African American section, check out Goal 4: Slavery Resources. Two of the items discussed there are the Freedmen's Bank and Bureau, and the Underground Railroad. Both of these have links to helpful articles and videos, to help you trace slave ancestors and shine a light on important events in Black history.
2021-02-10 Three Ancestor Mapping Tools: Interested in seeing where your ancestors lived on a world map, and events associated with their lives? Here are three FamilySearch-related tools to help you do that: 1) FamilySearch Places; 2) Map My Ancestors (on the Family Tree App); and 3) RootsMapper (a third-party program). Check them out to see your ancestors' lives in a whole new visual way!
2021-02-09 Discovering the Knowledgebase: One of the most useful features of The Family History Guide is the Knowledgebase for United States and general research. You can find it in the Learning Path menus (FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage and Findmypast), under Project 4. There is an alphabetical list of topic links at the top of the page, ranging from basic research to breaking through brick walls, and just about everything in between. Each topic opens up to individual nuggets of information to help you learn more about the area you are researching.
2021-02-08 Getting Started with Irish Research: The Family History Guide is a great place to begin your journey to discover your Irish ancestors. One of the resources is Irish Genealogy Research from the McClelland Library. It features a step-by-step checklist for the important things you need to know and do, such as identifying your research goals, finding records in the U.S. for Irish immigrants, and locating Irish jurisdictions for records. To learn more about basic research in Ireland, see Goal 1: Research and Records in the Ireland country page.
2021-02-05 Canada Archives and Libraries: The Libraries and Archives Canada site is a great resource for finding a wide variety of information about your Canadian ancestors. There is an A to Z Index you can browse, and you can also find information by topic or by type. To search for ancestors in their databases, use the Ancestors Search link in the Search the Collection menu. See also Goal 11 in the Canada country page.
2021-02-04 Webopedia for Tech Terms: An important part of doing family history is understanding technology basics, and a great way to get acquainted with terms used in technology is on the Webopedia site. There are tabs for Definitions, Insights, and Reference, each with many helpful examples. For more on technology terms and concepts, see the Computer Basics section in The Family History Guide.
2021-02-03 Linking Ancestors between Ancestry and FamilySearch: If you have a Church of Jesus Christ account, you can connect individuals between your Ancestry tree and your part of the FamilySearch Family Tree. That way, you can a) see FamilySearch information for them while you work in Ancestry; b) have certain updates made to an individual in FamilySearch reflected in your Ancestry tree, and c) add more relatives for a person, from Family Tree. To learn more, see Ancestry Project 1: Get Started, Goal 1 Choice E.
2021-02-02 Family Tree Contributions: As you work on adding and updating information in FamilySearch Family Tree, there's a handy way to see what you have accomplished. At the bottom of the Family Tree menu, select My Contributions. There are tabs for seeing yearly stats, people whose information you've updated, and private people (living) you are connected to in Family Tree. Learn more about the My Contributions feature in Project 1: Family Tree, Goal 6.
2021-02-01 5 Common Genealogy Mistakes: Here are five common mistakes of researchers, from Olive Tree Genealogy and Legacy Tree: 1) Collecting ancestors without sources; 2) Fishing for famous ancestors; 3) Focusing only on direct-line ancestors and ignoring complete families; 4) Stopping with just one record about an ancestor; and 5) Being disorganized, with papers or files scattered around. Learn more in Project 4: Discover, Goal 1.
2021-01-29 Finding Business Records: Business records are not usually thought of as genealogy records, but they can be quite useful. Here are three basic ways to track business records for your ancestors: 1) Newspaper articles about business activities; 2) City and phone directories that list your ancestor's business; and 3) Professional or trade organizations that publish journals or newsletters. Learn more in the U.S. Research Knowledgebase.
2021-01-28 Storytelling on Social Media: Using social media to share stories can be a powerful way to help family and friends feel connected to their family history. In the Activities section of The Family History Guide there are helpful ideas on how to do this. See Activity I5-03: Use Social Media for Family History Story-telling and see what speaks to you. For more ideas on sharing stories, see Project 2: Memories, Goal 9.
2021-01-27 New QRB Video: Explore Other U.S. Records:
Beyond the staples, such as census, vital, military, and cemetery records, what other United States records are waiting to be discovered in your research? This new Quick Research Basics video explores records for orphanages, schools, and businesses, and how they can provide additional clues for your ancestors' lives. Learn more in Choice C of Goal F1 in the United States page.
2021-01-26 Adding an Unconnected Person in FamilySearch: Adding a person who is not yet connected to you might make sense when you believe the person to be related to you, but records are not yet located to establish the relationship. In FamilySearch you can find this feature at the bottom of the Recents menu. For more information on adding an unconnected person to Family Tree, see Choice D in FamilySearch Project 1: Goal 7.
2021-01-25 Digital Storytelling, Google Earth: Need a different approach to your family history stories? You can create a fascinating digital landscape for your family history by combining places, photos, and words. Google Earth can bring your ancestors' places to life as you tell their life stories. Find out how it's done in this BYU webinar: Digital Storytelling with Google Earth.
2021-01-22 Hi-Five Live—RootsTech 2021: At 10 a.m. MST, the GATHERING series on Facebook Live has hosts Scott & Angelle Anderson joined by Diane Loosle and Mike Sandberg of FamilySearch to talk about the World's Largest Family Reunion— RootsTech 2021. Diane is a Senior Vice President at FamilySearch, and Mike is a Senior Product Manager. Scott is the Public Relations Director and Angelle the Marketing Director for The Family History Guide Association. Tune in live here or watch the video later on the Hi-Five Live Facebook page.
2021-01-21 History, Land, and Property: From James Tanner—"Doing genealogical research without a knowledge of history is like wandering in a forest without a compass or map. Land and property records are not generally classified as genealogical records; they are mainly historical records that contain information about your ancestors." You can learn more about land and property records in Goal F2 of the United States page, as well as in corresponding Goals in the Country pages.
2021-01-20 Using Cluster Research: Also known as FAN (Friends and Neighbors), cluster research is where you trace the people living near your ancestor, or those who knew your ancestor, to gain additional research clues. Local city directories and newspapers can be helpful in this regard. In Goal 7 of FamilySearch Project 4, Choice D has links to several articles and a video that explain how to get started with cluster research for selected ancestors.
2021-01-19 Delayed Records of Birth: If there was no record made at the time of a birth, some states will provide a delayed birth record, as a substitute for a birth certificate. These records may be even more valuable than the original certificates given at the birth, because the person applying for the delayed certificate has to provide proof of his or her own birth. For more info finding and using birth records, see Goal B2 in the United States page.
2021-01-18 New QRB Video: Travel and Migration Records: We've added a new Quick Research Basics video on our YouTube Channel: United States Travel and Migration Records. James Tanner discusses the how to use a variety of records to trace your ancestors as they moved across the country and settled in different areas. The video is also linked in Goal F1, Choice B of the United States page.
2021-01-15 "Aunts and Uncles": From Rog Gardiner in Scotland: "I have/had 4 'real' aunts in my family but 6 'other' aunts. There is a somewhat cultural habit of calling our parents' friends 'aunts and uncles'. Sometimes this endearment comes up in English Census records, where a friend of the family just happens to be in the household when the enumerator calls. In innocence, the person giving the information has sometimes labeled the friend as aunt or uncle, thereby causing me to try and track the person down on the presumption that they are a family member."
2021-01-14 New QRB Video: Church Records: There is a new Quick Research Basics video on our YouTube Channel: United States Church Records. James Tanner discusses the history of church records in the United States and gives tips for using these records effectively in your research. The video is also linked in Goal F1, Choice A of the United States page.
2021-01-13 Tips for Finding Obituaries Online: In her FamilySearch blog article, Kathryn Grant shares four things to know about an ancestor, to aid in finding an obituary online: 1) The death date, or range of dates; 2) The death place; 3) For women, the surname of marriage; and 4) Names or other information about family members. To learn more about obituaries and death records, see Goal B5 in the United States page.
2021-01-12 Interviewing Reluctant Relatives: Noted blogger and genealogist Sunny Morton describes six qualities an interviewer should emulate when interviewing a relative who is reluctant to open up: sensitive, caring, brave, curious (but respectful), and patient. She also provides tips on using each of these qualities in interviews. For more info on preparing for family history interviews, see Goal 3 in FamilySearch Project 2.
2021-01-11 Small-Town Newspapers: Once you find your ancestor mentioned in a rural or small-town newspaper, it's a good idea to search the rest of the issue for mention of other relatives, as they were frequently mentioned there as well. The Chronicling America site is a good place to start your newspaper searches; it has millions of free online newspaper records, from 1690 to the present day.
2021-01-08 Naturalization and Passenger Lists: We've added a new video to the Quick Research Basics series. It explains the history of naturalization (obtaining citizenship) in America and how records may be found. It also discusses the role of ship passenger lists for immigrants coming to the United States. You can view the video on YouTube as part of our Quick Research Basics playlist, or at the beginning of Goal D2 in the United States page.
2021-01-07 Research Around the World: At the bottom of the Get Started page in The Family History Guide there is a link for Research Around the World. It opens additional links for country pages for exploring research. This is useful for those new to The Family History Guide who may not be familiar with the Countries menu—they can find the research links they need on the Get Started page. There is also a section on the Get Started page for general research, as well as sections for learning FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, and Findmypast.
2021-01-06 Using Discrepancy Charts: When you are researching an ancestor, what do you do if you find a number of records with conflicting information? That's where a discrepancy chart may come in handy. For each record, make a table that includes the record name, event date, event place, age of the ancestor, and source for the record. This enables you to weigh the evidence and see which information is more likely to be correct. For more information, see this article and Goal 7 in Project 4: Discover.
2021-01-05 New Quick Research Basics Videos:
Here are the latest additions to our Quick Research Basics video series: United States Immigration, Beginning England Research, and U.S. Newspaper Research. This brings the total of videos in the YouTube playlist to 9. Videos planned for the near future will include Church Records, Military Records, Cemetery Records, and more.
2021-01-04 3 Tips to Find Migrating Ancestors:
From FamilySearch: "1) Rivers and mountains channeled migration trails into predictable patterns. 2) When you know where a family settled, you can often infer where they came from. 3) First settlers often named their new town after the place they left behind." To learn more about tracing your ancestors through migration patterns, see Goal F1 in the United States page.
2020-12-31 Happy New Year: The Family History Guide wishes you a Happy New Year tomorrow. May your 2021 be a safe, productive, and enjoyable year. The Tip of the Day will return on January 4, 2021.
2020-12-30 Three New QRB Videos: We've added three videos to the Quick Research Basics playlist on our YouTube Channel. These are United States Goal A2, Location and Geography; United States Goal B1, Understanding Vital Records; and United States Goal C1, Census Records. These videos are great introductions to essential research topics, and you can also access them in the individual Goals in The Family History Guide.
2020-12-29 Facebook Live with MyHeritage: On December 30, MyHeritage will be hosting an online conference of some of genealogy's top experts, using Facebook Live. One of the panel members is our own James Tanner, Chairman of the Board of The Family History Guide Association. Other participants include Thomas MacEntee, Lisa Louise Cooke, Roberta Estes, Diahan Southard, Daniel Horowitz, and Maureen Taylor. Don't miss this event! For more information, see this blog article on the Genealogy's Star website.
2020-12-28 Come, Follow Me Companion, 2021: A new year is almost here, and we have begun a new series of lessons for the Come, Follow Me Companion for family history. You can read this blog article about the new lessons, and you can see the Home page for the series here.
2020-12-24 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays: The Family History Guide Association wishes you the best this holiday season. Thanks for all your family history efforts! Look for the return of the Tip of the Day on Monday, Dec. 28.
2020-12-23 Map My Ancestors: On your mobile device, check out the Map My Ancestors tool. It's part of the Family Tree app, and it provides a handy way to see locations for events that happened in your ancestors' lives. You can tap circles on a world map to zoom in and discover more ancestors and more events in FamilySearch. For step-by-step instructions on using the features in Map My Ancestors, see Goal 5 in the Family Tree App Project (bottom of the FamilySearch menu).
2020-12-22 Youth: Places and Cultures: One way that family history can come alive for youth is when they discover the places and cultures of their ancestors. In the Youth section of The Family History Guide, the Places and Cultures page offers three areas to explore: country pages, Geo/Culture/History Goals for most countries, and research basics, including knowledgebases for general and country-specific research. There are also links to FamilySearch activities such as Walk Where They Walked, Feel What They Felt, and Family Traditions.
2020-12-21 Conflicting Evidence: Here are six tips for handling conflicting evidence, from Archives.com: 1) Notice it (don't hide it or ignore it); 2) Make sure it matters (does it affect additional research?); 3) Keep looking (check out additional records and sources); 4) Analyze (evaluate each piece of evidence); 5) Correlate (organize the info for new perspectives); and 6) Write and record your conclusions. See additional ideas for working with conflicting evidence in Project 4: Goal 7.
2020-12-18 Social Media Ideas for Family History: Social media, especially Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, can be great ways to share family history stories and memories with others. In the Family History Guide, check out Activity I5-03 in the Activities for Individuals section. It has a link to a great overview article about storytelling on social media, as well as the 52 Stories Project, where you answer one question a week and create 52 stories for the year.
2020-12-17 Getting Organized: If you would like to spend more time doing research and less time going around in circles, it's time to organize your findings. This article by American Ancestors is a good place to start, as it covers research logs, to-do lists, and keeping organized as you go. It also has a link to a free research log template you can download. For more tips on organizing your genealogy research, see Goal 1 in Project 4: Discover.
2020-12-16 Immigration and Church Records: When you are researching an immigrant ancestor, don't forget to search for church records. It is sometimes possible that the immigrant transferred their membership in a church to the same denomination in America. The church priest or minister may have noted the congregation of origin. Learn more about working with church records and immigration records in The Family History Guide.
2020-12-15 South Africa Research: It's where English, Afrikaans, and Dutch all meet in one place—South Africa. You can find great resources for South African research in The Family History Guide, including Goals for getting started, vital records, emigration/immigration, culture and history, and more. Also included are QUIKLinks for record collections and links to South Africa provinces.
2020-12-14 Two More QRB Videos: There are two new videos in the Quick Research Basics series: Form a Research Strategy and Develop Search Skills. You can access the videos on our YouTube Channel. There is also an article on The Family History Guide blog site that provides more details about the series and what videos are coming next.
2020-12-11 Quick Research Basics: We are introducing a new series of videos in The Family History Guide: Quick Research Basics. The first one is for Goal A1 of the United States page—United States Records. You can access it on our YouTube Channel and in Goal A1, just above Choice A. These videos give you a quick introduction to the concepts that are in the Choices for the Goal. We will be producing more of these videos, so stay tuned and enjoy!
2020-12-10 Australia Research: If you have an ancestor that comes from the "land down under," the Australia page in The Family History Guide is worth checking out. You'll find basic resources in Goal 1, civil and vital records in Goal 2, immigration and convict records in Goal 3, and much more. There are also pages for Australian states, with their own research Goals and Choices, as well as QUIKLinks to record collections from FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, and Findmypast.
2020-12-09 The Family History Guide in Public Libraries: Most public libraries offer online learning programs, especially during these times of social distancing. The Family History Guide is a great resource for libraries and their guests, and we recently launched a new page on the website especially designed for them. A number of libraries have already contacted us about linking to our site or providing remote training using The Family History Guide. If you know of a library that could benefit from The Family History Guide, feel free to share the link above with them.
2020-12-08 Scotland Census Records:
From FamilySearch: "Census records are a valuable source of genealogical information for Scotland because they list names, relationships, ages, places of birth, and marital statuses. Starting in 1841, the census began listing valuable genealogical information, such as listing people by name. Currently, the censuses from 1841 to 1911 are available for public use. Census records are one of the best ways to locate ancestors at a given place and time." Explore Scottish census records in Goal 3 of the Scotland page.
2020-12-07 Family Stories & Family Myths:
Family stories passed down for generations usually contain kernels of truth, but they may also contain exaggerations and errors. How do you determine what's real and what's not? In her article Family Myths: Separating Fact From Fiction, blogger Sandra shares the valuable insights she learned while tracking down one of her own family stories of an immigrant ancestor.
2020-12-04 Beginning a Line:
From FamilySearch: "When you begin research on a new family, start by compiling a family group record showing everything you know about them. It is important to list every known event in each person's life. The more events you list, the better. It is also important to cite the sources of your information. Some of your names, dates, and places may be guesses or estimates. Your sources for this data should explain how you arrived at the estimates." See Project 4: Goal 2 for info on identifying lines to research.
2020-12-03 Family History Is Everywhere: An activity from the Kids Corner: Have a scavenger hunt in your house (or at a relative's home) to see how many things you can find that are about your family history. You can look for birth certificates, a family bible, old pictures and scrapbooks, or anything that reminds you of the past. If the items are moveable you can make a display, and if not, you can take and print pictures. Create a name for your "family history museum," and have your mom and dad (or grandpa and grandma) tell you stories about the items. Remember to have someone record the stories as they are told.
2020-12-02 Wildcards in Searches:
If the name or place you're looking for may be spelled with variations, then wildcard searches are for you. Use ? to search for any one character at that position in the word, or * to search for a range of characters in the word. For example, Ja?on finds Jason, Jaron, and Jadon, while Ja*on finds those names plus Jamison, Janson, etc. For more information on using wildcards in record searches, see these slides.
2020-12-01 Who's Missing?:
Ever wonder which ancestors might be hiding out in plain sight, waiting to be found? Here are three simple tips from Kathryn Grant to help you recognize who might be missing in the family tree (whether FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, etc.): 1) Look for adults without spouses; 2) Look for couples with few or no children; 3) Look for gaps between the births of children. For more tips on using basic strategies in your research, see Goal 3 in Project 4: Discover.
2020-11-30 Family Heirlooms:
Family heirlooms are a great source of family memories and stories. What should you do with them to preserve their value? This series of articles from HowStuffWorks.com has some great ideas to help you manage and protect heirlooms for the next generation. You can find additional tips in this RootsTech article and in The Family History Guide.
2020-11-26 Happy Thanksgiving!: The Tip of the Day will return on Monday, Nov. 30.
2020-11-25 Castle Garden Immigration: Before Ellis Island, Castle Garden in New York was America's first immigration center. The Castle Garden website makes available eleven million records of immigrants who arrived at the Port of New York from 1820-1892. Today more than 100 million Americans can trace their ancestry to this early period of immigration. You can use the Search tab on the site to explore records. For more information on passenger lists, see Goal D2 in the United States page.
2020-11-24 Death Certificates: Did you know that death certificates can be both a primary and secondary source of information about ancestors? Details about the death, such as location and time, are recorded by a medical professional at or near the time of passing. Other information on the certificate, such as name and address of the deceased, and names of parents, would be secondary information, relying on the family member or friend making the statement. For more information on death certificates see Death Certificates: Both a Primary and Secondary Source and The Family History Guide.
2020-11-23 Indexing Skills: Looking to improve your skills at indexing records online? In The Family History Guide you can learn how to get started with indexing in Project 5, Goal 2. Then you can work on indexing techniques and get answers to your questions in Goal 4. This Goal also includes tips for learning how to index records in other languages, with handwriting charts included from FamilySearch.
2020-11-20 Latter-day Saint Youth Pages: We have added a new series of pages in The Family History Guide for Latter-day Saint youth. You can find the link to the pages at the bottom of the Youth menu, and in the Faiths menu (Church of Jesus Christ). Topics for the pages include Gathering Israel; Take an Ancestor to the Temple; Temple and Family History Activities; Family Heritage; Come, Follow Me Companion for Youth, and Service.
2020-11-19 Ancestry Hints: In Project 2: Ancestry Tree, Goal 5 helps you understand how to work with Ancestry record hints. The following Choices are included: A) Find hints for individuals; B) See all hints; C) Review and attach hints; D) Get tips for viewing records; and E) Provide alternate information. In the Goal list (top of the page) there is a link to a Show Me video you can watch to see how use record hints on screen.
2020-11-18 Misindexed Records: If you hit a dead end in your research, it may be that one or more records are not indexed correctly in a record collection. Here are three solutions to try, courtesy of Ancestral Findings: 1) Check all of the spelling variations for your ancestor's surname; 2) Search by just the first name (if you also know the place of birth and age of the person); and 3) For surnames that might include spaces, try the search with and without the spaces. For more tips on working with records, see Goal 7, Choice B in Project 4: Discover.
2020-11-17 England Census: Census records were gathered in England every 10 years, from 1841 to 1911. Additionally, the 1939 Register was taken shortly before World War II. These records can be great resources for tracing your recent English ancestry. In the England country page, check out Goal 4 for helpful tips and strategies for using census records in your research. You'll also find QUIKLinks to records for each of the census collections online, and a section on using electoral roll records.
2020-11-16 Using Maps for Research: From FamilySearch: "Maps are also helpful in locating places, parishes, geographical features, transportation routes, and proximity to other towns. Historical maps are especially useful for understanding boundary changes. Maps are published either individually or as an atlas (a bound collection of maps). Maps may also be included in gazetteers, guidebooks, local histories, historical geographies, encyclopedias, and history texts." To learn about helpful strategies for using maps in research, see Goal A3 in the United States page.
2020-11-13 FamilySearch Catalog: The FamilySearch Catalog contains additional records that may be helpful in your searches. From FamilySearch: "The Catalog is a guide to birth, marriage, and death records; census records; church registers; books; periodicals; family histories and many other records that contain genealogical information. These records may be searchable online, on microfiche or microfilm, in a book or in a computer file." In Project 4: Discover, check out Choice B of Goal 5. You'll find a wealth of articles and videos about how to get the most out of the FamilySearch Catalog in your research.
2020-11-12 Boundless Genealogy: Check out the YouTube Channel for Boundless Genealogy, hosted by Melissa Finlay, AG. You'll find over 60 videos, with topics such as using city directories, finding marriage records, and busting through brick walls in your research. A number of these videos are now linked in The Family History Guide in various Choices.
2020-11-11 A Variety of Military Records: On Veteran's Day, we remember those who have served in the U.S. Military, to protect our freedoms. The Family History Guide can help you learn about and find a wide variety of military records, for each of these major conflicts: Revolutionary War, Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and others such as the War of 1812. Check out Goal E2 in the United States page to get started with articles, videos, and QUIKLinks to U.S. military record collections.
2020-11-10 Citing Sources: Where did that information in the family tree come from? How reliable is it? Sometimes citations are auto-generated for you by the family history platform, and sometimes you need to create them from scratch. In any case, knowing how to write a clear and useful source citation can be very helpful to yourself and others who find your research. This article by Family Locket—Source Citations: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly— provides some great tips for deciding what to include in your source citations.
2020-11-09 Belgium Church Records: From FamilySearch: "In the period before 1795, Church records are the main genealogical resource in Belgium. The main types of church records are: baptisms, marriages, burials, and confirmations. The records will be written in Latin for Catholics (the vast majority of the population, and the only legal religion before 1781), or in the local language, either Dutch, French or German. In 1795, civil registration becomes the major information source for births, marriages and deaths in Belgium." For more about Belgium church records and and civil registration, see Goals 2 and 4 in the Belgium country page.
2020-11-06 Reading Gravestones: BillionGraves, Find A Grave and many other sites have useful photos of gravestones. But what about those strange markings and inscriptions you sometimes see on the gravestones—what do they mean? In the United States page, Choice B of Goal B6 has some great tips on using tombstone information for research, including detailed videos at the end of the Choice from RootsTech and the Allen County Public Library.
2020-11-05 Working with Ancestry DNA Matches: If you have taken an Ancestry DNA test or are considering it, be sure to check out Project 7: Ancestry DNA in The Family History Guide. Goals 4 and 5 provide in-depth info on how to gather, understand, and take advantage of your DNA cousin matches. This can open up many opportunities for research and collaboration with people around the world.
2020-11-04 Where's That FamilySearch Feature?: Do you know where to find these three features in FamilySearch? The answers are below the asterisks. (When you're finished, you can tell your friends about this Tip to see how well they do.) (For help with learning FamilySearch features, see Project 1: Family Tree in The Family History Guide.) ... 1) Add an unconnected person in your tree; 2) Show a list of your Private People; 3) Display or hide research suggestions.
*****
1) Bottom of the Recents menu; 2) My Contributions tab; 3) Options button, in Landscape, Portrait, or Descendancy view.
2020-11-03 About City Directories:
From FamilySearch: "Directories were created for salesmen, merchants, and other interested in contacting residents of an area. They are arranged alphabetically giving lists of names and addresses. The most helpful directories for genealogical research are city and county directories of local residents and businesses. Directories are particularly helpful for research in large cities, where a high percentage of the people were renters, new arrivals, or temporary residents. A directory may be the only source to list an ancestor if he or she was not registered to vote and did not own property." For more info on using city directories in research, see Choice D in Goal A2 of the United States page.
2020-11-02 Occupations and Records:
This video from American Ancestors, Using Occupations to Trace Ancestors, shows how to find records for various occupations, including railroad workers, apprentices, craftsmen, physicians, tavern keepers, merchants, sailors, clergy, and farmers. It also explains how to find occupations in census records, city directories, passenger lists, and newspapers. To learn more about occupational records and research, see Choice C in Goal F1 of the United States page (scroll down).
2020-10-30 Avoiding Beginner Mistakes:
Amy Johnson Crow points out several common genealogy mistakes that beginners make: 1) Getting hung up on spelling, 2) Adding records too quickly, 3) Jumping back generations too quickly, and 4) Focusing only on direct ancestors. Watch her video Beginner Mistakes and How to Avoid Them to learn more, and explore Choice A in Goal 7 of Project 4: Discover for more tips on avoiding common problems in your research.
2020-10-29 Genealogy Societies:
Need to connect with others doing research in your localities? Check out the many genealogy societies across the U.S. and the world. Most are free to join, and they have great resources at the county, state, and regional levels, with experienced researchers who are willing to help with your questions. For information on finding genealogy societies, see Goal F6 in the United States page. Info is also available in Goal 12 of each U.S. state page, and the Get Help Goals for country pages.
2020-10-28 Tracking Immigrant Ancestors:
For the last one hundred years, individuals have had to obtain some sort of permission to move across an international boundary, or even internal political boundaries within a single country. At times, some countries imposed and still impose travel restrictions on their own citizens, and the process of moving from one city to another to work requires documentation. That need for permission generates a whole slew of documents you can use to identify and track individuals. Even if permission was not necessary, there are still documents that track the movements of individuals and families. For an introduction to immigration records, see Goal D1 in the United States page.
2020-10-27 Finding Birth Parents for Adopted Ancestors:
In Choice B of United States Goal B3, there's a link to a helpful video by James Tanner: "Adoption and Finding Birth Parents for Genealogists." The topics covered in the video include History of Adoption, Poor Houses, Adoptions in the U.S., Finding Records, Orphans and Foundlings, and DNA Research. You can use the Info button below the title to jump directly to a section in the video.
2020-10-26 Keeping Memories Alive:
Here are four ways to keep family history memories alive: 1) Understand that memories can be an important trigger for family history enjoyment and involvement. 2) Don't assume that because you read a story once, you'll remember all the details. Review stories to renew your connection with events and descriptions. 3) Keep others in the loop on where to find memory items for the family. Share photos, stories, and documents, and upload them to a common site such as FamilySearch Memories, Ancestry, Google Photos, etc. 4) Record your own memories. In family lines where ancestors recorded little or nothing about their lives, we have a much harder time filling in the tapestry of who they were.
2020-10-23 Dates and Events:
From Genealogy.com: "... put more faith in the record that was created closer to the event or was created by the individual himself. For example, a birth date on a birth record is more likely to be accurate because it was created at the time of the event. A birth date on a marriage certificate has fairly good chances of being accurate because the individual probably wrote down his own birth date. A birth date on a death certificate has smaller chances of being accurate: first, it was created several years after the actual birth, and second, someone other than the individual had to have provided the birth date on the death certificate."
2020-10-22 Passport Applications:
Passports were issued in the United States as early as 1789, and prior to 1856 individual states could also issue them. The genealogy information found in passport applications can be quite extensive. This FamilySearch blog article provides a good introduction to using passport applications for research, and Choice B in Goal D3 of the United States page has additional resources to help you learn about passport records.
2020-10-21 About Newspapers:
Newspapers' content stretches way beyond obituaries. Newspapers were the daily diary of the world. Especially in small towns, newspapers were the Facebook of their day and told the story of the families living in the circulation area. In The Family History Guide there are Goals for newspaper research in all U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and most countries. For a good intro, see this FamilySearch handout.
2020-10-20 English Wills:
From FamilySearch: "Wills were made primarily by the middle and upper classes, the majority of whom were nobility, gentry, merchants, or tradesmen. Most wills were left by males with property. Before 1882 a wife who died before her husband could not make a will except with her husband's consent or under a marriage settlement created before her marriage." For more on English wills and probate records, see Goal 5 in the England country page.
2020-10-19 Switzerland Research:
Swiss research may cover lines of German, French, or Italian ancestry. The Family History Guide can help you on your journey of discovery, with Goals for Research and Records, Civil Registration, Church and Cemetery, and Geography/Culture/History. There are also QUIKLinks for records from FamilySearch and Ancestry. Check out the Switzerland country page to get started.
2020-10-16 Midwest States Research:
Goal A3 of the United States page is all about helping you with Midwest research. You'll find videos from FamilySearch for Midwest states and the Great Plains, followed by two videos with tips on strategies to use and a case study to wrap things up. Also available are U.S. state pages for Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Missouri, Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin, each with QUIKLinks to record sources from Ancestry and FamilySearch.
2020-10-15 The 1940 U.S. Census:
The Family History Guide has a number of links to great articles and videos for learning how to use the 1940 U.S. Census in your research. One example is Using the 1940 U.S. Census to Build Your Family Tree by Kathryn Grant. It explains who you can find, how to search the records, how to read the data, and more. To learn more about doing research with the 1940 U.S. Census, see Choice A in Goal C2 of the United States page.
2020-10-14 Polish Research:
Getting started with researching your Polish ancestry? Check out the Poland country page in The Family History Guide. There are Goals for Basic Research, Census and Vital Records, Church and Cemetery Records, Emigration and Immigration, and more, each with links to handy articles and videos about Polish research topics. You'll also find a section on Culture, History, and Geography, as well QUIKLinks for record collections from FamilySearch, Ancestry, and MyHeritage.
2020-10-13 Why Some Genealogy Info May Be Wrong:
Here are three reasons why to double-check the info you have: 1) A person gave false or misleading info in a record, to avoid an embarrassing situation; 2) The index or transcription may have been copied incorrectly; and 3) The person recording the info wrote it as it sounded, not with the correct spelling. For more about dealing with record issues and problems, see Choice B in Goal 7 of Project 4: Discover.
2020-10-12 English Nonconformist Records:
"In English history, nonconformist were Protestants who did not conform to the governance and usages of the established Church of England." (Wikipedia). Denominations include Baptist, Congregational, Methodist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Society of Friends (Quakers), Unitarian, and others. The Family History Guide has links for nonconformist research in England, as well as in most of the individual counties (see Goal 4 in each corresponding county page).
2020-10-09 Finding More Records:
Five steps to discovering more records: 1) Make sure you are looking in the right place; 2) Begin your search for records, not for people; 3) Find out about a variety of records; 4) Milk the records you do find for all they are worth; 5) Carefully examine and evaluate each record found. See 5 Steps to Discovering More Records and Goal A1 in the United States page.
2020-10-08 Mexico Research:
Looking south of the border for your family history? Check out the Mexico country pages in The Family History Guide. There are Goals for Basic Research, Civil Registration, Church and Cemetery Records, Emigration/Immigration, and more. Also included are QUIKLinks to records from national sources and each of the Mexican states. The final Goal is a recap of the Geography, Culture, and History of Mexico.
2020-10-07 Inherited Genealogy:
When you inherit genealogy info, look critically at every date and determine whether or not the dates and places entered are consistent. 1) Did the counties or even the countries entered in your data even exist at the time of the event in your ancestors' lives? 2) Are the dates outside of the time when records were kept in the place of the event? 3) Could the parents have actually known each other and gotten married? 4) Are the places where the children are reported to have been born consistent with the birth places of the parents and the place where they were married? 5) If there are inconsistent places, how did they occur? 6) Could the mother have been in the place where the children are recorded as being born? (Source: Examine Inherited Pedigrees Carefully)
2020-10-06 Asian Family History:
There are several places in The Family History Guide where you can find resources for doing Asian family history research. In the Countries menu, the Ethnic section leads to Asian research page. Country pages are available for China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Pacific Islands, Philippines, and South Korea. There is also an Asia Misc. page that has Choices for 45 smaller countries and islands.
2020-10-05 Insurance Maps:
Sanborn Insurance Maps, available on the Library of Congress website, provide details for many city locations. In many cases, the maps can help identify old buildings shown in photographs and may give valuable clues as to the churches and businesses in the area where you are searching for your ancestors. For more information, see Sanborn Insurance Maps - an Overlooked Genealogical Resource)
2020-10-02 Southern States Research:
Many of us have ancestors from the South, anywhere from Texas to Florida, or Louisiana to Virginia. In The Family History Guide, you can use the individual state pages, or you can access the Regional page and go to the Choice for the Mid-South and Gulf Coast areas. You'll find a series of videos from FamilySearch and links to additional articles and websites, all specializing in U.S. Southern States research.
2020-10-01 Where Surnames Come From:
Surnames come from a variety of sources. Patronymics and matronymics: surnames are derived from the given name of a parent. Occupation: examples include Tanner, Smith, Miller, etc. Topographic: surnames come from landscape features such as hills, lakes and valleys. Descriptive: surnames indicate qualities such as young, white, strong, etc. See The Sirens' Call of Names in Genealogical Research and The Family History Guide.
2020-09-30 Managing Online Tree Changes:
There are several things you can do to minimize the impact of people making changes in online trees: 1) Add as many sources as you can to each individual; 2) Correct existing entries before building on them; 3) Watch all of the family members of a target ancestor, for changes being made; 4) Communicate with anyone making an unreasonable or incorrect change; 5) Be persistent, but take time to think and reflect and not react as if the changes were personal affronts. See How to Stop People from Making Incorrect Changes in Family Tree
2020-09-29 U.S. State Censuses:
State censuses were often recorded on years when the U.S. Federal Census wasn't, and they include much of the same types of information. Years and frequency of these censuses vary by state. In The Family History Guide, see the United States page, Goal C1, Choice C for some helpful resources. These include links to articles and videos from Ancestry and FamilySearch.
2020-09-28 New Family History Training Resources:
In the Trainers Menu of The Family History Guide you'll find some new and powerful resources for your family history training. The Prepare a Class page helps you build training classes quickly and effectively. The Worksheets, blank and completed, are downloadable Word docs that serve as templates for your class plans. Together, these resources enable you to teach from The Family History Guide website, without the need to create extensive slide decks and handouts.
2020-09-25 Take Another Look:
From Amy Johnson Crow: "My question for all these years has been, 'When and where did Matilda die?' ... I hadn't looked for Matilda on FamilySearch for a while, so I started exploring. And there she was. Matilda McFillen in FamilySearch's collection, 'Illinois Deaths and Burials, 1749-1999.' Death in 1899 in Kankakee County, Illinois." This shows the value of checking the major sites for new record collections, as they are frequently being added and made accessible. Learn more about breaking through research brick walls.
2020-09-24 Poland Research:
If you have Polish ancestry, or know someone who does, the Poland country pages in The Family History Guide can help you make good progress with finding ancestors. The main Poland page provides tips and techniques for research, as well as Polish language resources. Other pages cover vital and census records, and church and cemetery records, including QUIKLinks for easy access to records on Ancestry, FamilySearch, and MyHeritage.
2020-09-23 Genealogy Quizzes:
You can find two fun, brief quizzes on basic genealogy here: https://www.funtrivia.com/playquiz/quiz201826171c2f8.html (easier) and http://www.witsend.org/gen/gentest.htm (harder). Give them a try and see what you remember! You can also find quizzes about The Family History Guide in the Quizzes page.
2020-09-22 The History of Where Your Ancestor Lived:
Learning more about the history of locations in your ancestor's life can open doors to new research. Here are three tips to get you started: 1) Look for the places in Wikipedia and read the available history on that website; 2) Do a Google search for "the history of ..."; and 3) Read an online book in Google Books or WorldCat about the history of your selected area. For more ideas on histories and timelines, see Goal A4 of the United States page.
2020-09-21 Youth Pages:
The Family History Guide now has a section for Youth family history. You can access it from the top (or side) menu. The Youth Home page links to individual pages, including Stores and Photos, Activities (links to the Youth Activities pages), Family Tree, Places and Cultures, Indexing, and Apps and Sites.
2020-09-18 African American Research:
The African American pages (Countries menu, Ethnic) of The Family History Guide have some great resources for genealogy. There are Goals and Choices for getting started, using effective research techniques, exploring records such as from the Freedmen's Bureau, slavery resources, and more. Also included are QUIKLinks to records and links to helpful articles and videos.
2020-09-17 Brazil Research:
The largest country in South America, Brazil, is a fascinating blend of many cultures and peoples, including European immigrants, Africans, and native inhabitants. The Brazil country page in The Family History Guide features Goals for Civil Registration, Immigration, Geography and Culture, and more. It also has plenty of QUIKLinks for record collections from FamilySearch, Ancestry, and MyHeritage.
2020-09-16 Newspaper Basics:
From the FamilySearch Wiki: "Newspapers often report family information. Birth announcements may contain the infant's name, birth date, and parents' names, as well as the religion of the family. Wedding announcements may contain the wedding date and place, the names of the bride, groom, bride's parents, and groom's parents, and the religion of the family. Death notices and obituaries may contain the name and place of residence of close family and friends of the decedent, as well as the decedent's death date and place, birth date and place, and biographical information." See also Goal F4 in the United States page.
2020-09-15 Norway Research:
Researching Norwegian ancestors? Get off to a good start with the Norway country page. It has Goals for basic research, census records (featuring DigitalArkivet), churches and cemeteries, emigration, and more. There are also QUIKLinks to help you find records faster and easier, a Get Help Goal, and a summary of geography, culture, and history.
2020-09-14 Record Types:
As you begin searching for your ancestors, it's important to know the basic types of records that are available and what they contain. In the United States country page, Goal A1 begins with some great resources to illustrate types of records, including an article by Findmypast that describes 20 record types and a FamilySearch video that provides an overview of how records are used.
2020-09-11 Guided Tour:
The Home page of The Family History Guide now has a Tour button, next to the Get Started and Overview buttons. It launches a window that explains the key features in the website and lets you try them out. A blog article with more information on the Guided Tour will be posted on 9/14/2020. Enjoy!
2020-09-10 Evidence Types:
From FamilySearch, Evaluate the Evidence: "Direct statements give a straightforward fact. For example, a baptismal record may state the birth date of the child being baptized. Whenever possible, try to find records that directly state specific facts as proof of a genealogical event or relationship. Indirect statements support a fact by reasonable inference. For example, if a census record lists a person's age as 45 in 1851, it implies a birth in or near 1806." Learn more about evidence in research here.
2020-09-09 Wie Was Wie:
Need help tracing your Dutch ancestry? The Wie Was Wie (Who Was Who) database is a great resource to help you get started. WieWasWie contains records from many provincial, regional, and city archives in the Netherlands, such as for baptism, birth, marriage, death, burial, and passenger lists. Learn more about Wie Was Wie in the Netherlands country page, Goal 4: Civil Registration.
2020-09-08 Colonial Ancestors:
Do you have early American or colonial ancestors in your family tree? You'll find some great resources in the United States country page, Goal D3, Choice A. There are videos from Ancestry and BYU, articles from Findmypast and Olive Tree Genealogy, and an eBook titled "Colonial Families in America." All of these help you track early immigration to British America and settlements in the new land.
2020-09-07 Church Record Tips:
In the U.S. and Canada, there was not always a parish or congregation in the area where the parishioners lived. So they would often travel to the nearest congregation, or a visiting minister would stop by for important church rites. In either case, records for rural parishioners would likely be held at the larger congregation. For more information on church records, see this FamilySearch blog article by Sunny Morton and check out the Goal in The Family History Guide.
2020-09-04 Finding Obituaries:
The presence or absence of an obituary in any given newspaper depends entirely on the circumstances of the person's death and the interest of the community, and in some instances, if the family could afford to place the announcement. Failing to find an obituary in an index is really no indication that such a document does not exist. In some instances obituaries may have been published in other county, or even regional or state newspapers. Searching for obituaries should always include as many online digital newspaper collections as you can gain access to. From Searching for Death Information.
2020-09-03 Swedish Church Records:
A good resource for Swedish research is church books. The Slaktdata.org website provides a database of transcribed church records you can search. It also provides a name search feature for people, as well help information for searching. Record information includes birth, estate inventory, moving information, etc. For more information on Swedish church records, see Goal 4 in the Sweden country page.
2020-09-02 Common Mistakes in Genealogy:
Here are 6 common mistakes that genealogists, especially beginners, make in their research:
2020-09-01 Caribbean Research:
The Family History Guide has some great resources for tracing your ancestors in the Caribbean area. Check out the country pages for Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean pages, and the new More Countries page for smaller islands in the Caribbean. You'll find links to helpful articles and videos, as well as record collections you can search.
2020-08-31 Wales Census Records:
From FamilySearch: "The Wales national census records are especially valuable because they list nearly the entire population and are readily available at many repositories, including the Family History Library. Using the national census is essential for Welsh genealogical research, especially in the industrial districts of south Wales, where most people were originally from a rural area. From 1851 onwards, census records give the parish of birth for each individual in a household." Learn more about using the Wales census here.
2020-08-28 Back to School:
The Ancestor Hunt website has a great collection of school records for each state in the U.S. The types of records include attendance records, report cards, class photos, school census, and more. You can find links to these school records on each state page in The Family History Guide, Goal 7, Choice B. Here's an example for the state of Florida.
2020-08-27 U.S. Church Records:
Church records can be a great resource for genealogy. In The Family History Guide, Goal F1 in the United States page has what you need to get started. Of special interest is the Research Guide (Step 4) published by the Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness site. In addition to an overview, it discusses types of church records, how to locate them, and suggestions for searching.
2020-08-26 Canadian Emigration, Part 2:
From the FamilySearch Wiki: After 1850, the tide of migration still flowed from Canada to the United States. Between 1851 and 1951, there were up to 80 emigrants, both natives of Canada and others, who left Canada for every 100 immigrants who arrived. Many eventually went to the United States after brief periods of settlement in Canada. Canadians from the Atlantic Provinces often went to the "Boston states" (New England). A favorite 19th-century destination of Canadians leaving Upper Canada (Ontario) was Michigan. About one in four Michigan families finds a direct connection to Ontario. Many also find links to Quebec. At least two million descendants of French Canadians now live in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Many also live in New York and the Midwestern states.
2020-08-25 Canadian Emigration, Part 1:
From the FamilySearch Wiki: The first large emigration from Canada was between 1755 and 1758 when 6,000 French Acadians were deported from Nova Scotia. Some settled temporarily in other American colonies and in France. Many eventually found permanent homes in Louisiana, where they were called "Cajuns." During the "Michigan Fever" of the 1830s, large numbers of Canadians streamed westward across the border. By the late 1840s, over 20,000 Canadians and newly landed foreign immigrants moved to the United States each year. California gold fever attracted many, beginning in 1849.
2020-08-24 Voting Records:
As we gear up for this election year, remember that voting records can be a great resource for researching your ancestors in the United States. In Goal 3 of each State page in The Family History Guide, Choice E has a link to a FamilySearch article that points you to census and voting record resources at the county and district levels. Here's an example for California.
2020-08-21 Ancestor Addresses:
Finding the specific location where an ancestor lived can make the difference between identifying the right family and going off on a wild goose chase. For the past 100 years or so, you can simply look up the ancestor in a directory. These other record types can contain the ancestor's exact address: Employment, Military, Land and title, Tax, Court, legal notices, Immigration, Institutional, Cemetery, Mortuary, Probate, Census, Vital, School, and Church. See also Finding an Ancestor's Address.
2020-08-20 Family Quiz:
How well do you know your family? Create a quiz and have your family members answer the questions along with you. Find the answers you don't yet know and preserve what you learn. See a sample quiz on the Make Family History website. Try making a quiz for each family line. Another idea for your living family or ancestors is a matching game with the names or photos and something unique about each one to match to the right person. Find more family history activities here.
2020-08-19 Discovering Jewish Ancestors:
In the Countries menu there is an Ethnic section that points to the Jewish research page. There are six Goals: Research, Libraries & Archives, JewishGen Website, Holocaust Resources, Search Records, and Get Help. You'll find links for records, as well as for helpful articles and videos. There are also links to various Jewish resources in individual Country pages, usually in the main page or the Church Records page.
2020-08-18 Research in South America:
The Family History Guide has some helpful resources for helping you find your ancestors in South America. In the Countries menu, select South America and then choose from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, or South America Misc. The Misc. section has pages for Ecuador, Uruguay, and Venezuela, as well as a "More Countries" page for Bolivia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, and Suriname. Each country page has links to articles and databases to help you learn about and discover the records you need.
2020-08-17 The Whys of Immigration:
Look for reasons that made your immigrant ancestor move in the first place. In a family tree, a person may be listed as living in a certain location and then moving to another location that does not make any sense. Usually, it turns out that the second person is in fact a different person. If you find information about an ancestor that runs counter to the normal migration pattern, this is an invitation to do more intensive research into the history surrounding the family. Learn about U.S. immigration here, or see the Immigration Goal in the country page of interest.
2020-08-14 Canadian Research:
A great way to learn about Canadian ancestors is in the Canada country page in The Family History Guide. Goal 1 gets you started with basic research tips and links to helpful videos and articles, such as the Canada Record Finder from FamilySearch. Choice B also explores additional resources you can use for finding your Canadian ancestors.
2020-08-13 Danish Research:
If you have Danish ancestors, or think that you might, the Denmark country page in The Family History Guide is a great place to find them and learn more about them. There are tips for basic research, as well as for census, church, and cemetery records. There is also a Goal for Arkivalieronline, a handy database for looking up information on Danish ancestors. And Goal 14 finishes up with some great resources for learning about the culture, geography, and history of Denmark.
2020-08-12 FamilySearch & The Family History Guide:
Today at 4 p.m. Mountain Time, Wendy Smedley from FamilySearch and Scott and Angelle Anderson from The Family History Guide talk about involving the whole family in family history. This is also a great opportunity to see how The Family History Guide fits with FamilySearch in providing great activities for family history. Don't miss it! Learn more here.
2020-08-11 Puzzilla:
Looking for a handy way to view the cousins in your family tree, or do descendancy research? Give Puzzilla a try. It's free and crammed with features to help you navigate your FamilySearch tree in new ways. You can see step-by-step instructions for using Puzzilla, as well as links to articles and videos, in FamilySearch Project 3, Goal 3.
2020-08-10 Get Started:
There's a new look to the Get Started page in The Family History Guide. It's question-driven now. There are over 300 basic questions people might ask about family history, linked to places in The Family History Guide that provide the answers. There are also a number of helpful videos embedded in the page to provide extra insights. Check out the new Get Started page here.
2020-08-04 Vacation:
The Tip of the Day is on vacation for the rest of this week. It will return on Monday, August 10.
2020-08-03 France Research:
The France country page is great to explore for those with possible French ancestry. Goal 1: Research gets you started with records and resources, and you'll also find Goals for Civil Registration, Church and Cemetery, and even Culture and History. FamilySearch has recently added the French records site Filae to its Partner program, along with the Geneanet site; read more about it in this blog article from The Family History Guide.
2020-07-31 Historical Maps:
Historical maps can be a great resource to help you locate towns and areas where your ancestors may have lived. Two great resources for free online maps, covering locations around the world, are the David Rumsey Map Collection (use the top menu) and Old Maps Online (use the search buttons). For more information on using maps to locate your ancestors, see Choice B in Goal A2 of the United States page.
2020-07-30 Tax Records:
Did you know ... the U.S. federal government directly taxed citizens in 1798, 1814 to 1816, 1862 to 1866, and at other times until 1917 when personal income and other taxes were introduced. Tax records may include the name and residence of the taxpayer, occupation, description of the real estate and name of the original purchaser, description of some personal property, etc. To learn how to find and use tax records in your U.S. research, see Choice D in Goal F2 of the United States page.
2020-07-29 Scottish Heritage:
Do you have Scottish ancestry, or wonder if you do? A great place to begin or continue your search is in the Scotland country page. It begins with a Goal for basic research and records, which also introduces you to the ScotlandsPeople website and the study of Scottish surnames and clans. There are plenty of links to helpful articles and videos, as well as QUIKLinks for direct record searches.
2020-07-28 Rules for Research:
Here are 12 basic rules for helping you in your genealogy research, from James Tanner: 1) When the baby was born, the mother was there. 2) Absence of an obituary or death record does not mean the person is still alive; absence of a record does not mean the event did not occur. 3) Every person who ever lived has a unique birth order and a unique set of biological parents. 4) There are always more records. 5) You cannot get blood out of a turnip (connections to royalty or famous persons must be documented, not assumed). 6) Records move. 7) Water and genealogical information flow downhill (information becomes more scarce going back in time). 8) Everything in genealogy is connected (butterfly effect). 9) There are patterns everywhere. 10) Read the fine print. 11) Even a perfect fit can be wrong. 12) The end is always there (end of a documented family line).
2020-07-27 Italian Civil Registration:
If you have not been using the Portale Antenati for your Italian civil registration research, it's time to dive in to that amazing database. Learn more about a variety of civil registration and vital record resources in Goal 3 of the Italy country page. You'll also find QUIKLinks to records for the entire country and for regions in Italy.
2020-07-24 Pioneer Immigrants:
FamilySearch has posted a blog article with overviews of the pioneer immigrant movement in the 1800's. It also has links to the extensive Saints by Sea collection from Brigham Young University. Read the FamilySearch article here, and learn more about pioneer migration in the United States page, Goal F1, Choice B.
2020-07-23 Swedish Names and Terms:
In the Sweden country page there are some helpful resources to get you acquainted with Swedish research: genealogical words, spelling and phonetics, naming customs and surnames, and handwriting for records. Check out Goal 1, Choice B for details and links to articles and videos.
2020-07-22 5 More Questions to Ask about Records:
1) Which records came just before and after this record, and would they give further information? 2) Is the record part of a series of records that may contain further information about the family? 3) Where are other associated records located? 4) How reliable is the information contained in the record? 5) What other information is suggested by the record but missing? Learn more about records in the Research Knowledgebase for The Family History Guide.
2020-07-21 Focusing Your Research:
How do you deal with genealogy information overload? Here are five tips to keep your research focused: 1) Focus on a short list of research objectives. 2) Spend time processing and evaluating the information you gather. 3) Don't get caught up in the details. 4) Don't limit your inquires unnecessarily. 5) Keep careful notes but attach the notes to specific individuals. Learn more in this article.
2020-07-20 Germany Church Records:
Church records can be a great resource for tracking your ancestors in Germany. In The Family History Guide, check out Goal 3 of the Germany country page. You'll learn how to find church records on FamilySearch, how to explore the Archion.de database for Protestant Church records, how to coordinate German church and town records, and more.
2020-07-17 Canadian Provinces:
Doing Canadian research? You'll enjoy the Province pages in The Family History Guide, for British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland. There are pages for basic research, census, immigration, and much more, as well as QUIKLinks to record collections. In the Canada page, use the links just below the main picture.
2020-07-16 Irish Immigration:
There are some great resources in The Family History Guide for finding your Irish ancestors, including those who immigrated to the United States. In the Emigration & Immigration Goal for Ireland, you'll find topics such as Basics, U.S. Records, Patterns and Strategies, Place of Origin, Passenger Lists, Potato Famine and more. Get started here.
2020-07-15 Exploring the England GRO:
The General Register Office (GRO) has been collecting information on all births, marriages, and deaths in England since 1837. Some of the indexes are available for free on FamilySearch, Ancestry, and Findmypast; official certificates can be requested from the GRO for a fee. To learn more about the GRO and vital records in England, see Choice A in Goal 2 of the England country page.
2020-07-14 6 Questions to Ask about Records:
The next time you are examining an ancestor's record, ask yourself these questions (courtesy of FamilySearch) to help you come up with more research clues: 1) When and where was the record created? 2) Who created the record? 3) Why was the record created? 4) Who provided the information for the record? 5) How was the information recorded? 6) How was the record preserved? For more info about using records, see Goal A1 in the United States page.
2020-07-13 Writing a Life Sketch:
When you decide to put together a life sketch for an ancestor, these tips from Legacy Tree Genealogy may come in handy: 1) Begin with an interesting story or detail; 2) Widen the national and historical context for events in your ancestor's life; and 3) Add visuals, such as Google Maps pictures of places where they lived, historical maps, etc. For more ideas, read this blog article and see Choice B in Project 2: Memories, Goal 9.
2020-07-10 Spelling Ancestor Names:
Here are five tips for dealing with spelling variations: 1) Many of your ancestors may not have known how to spell their own names. Don't assume that parents taught their children any one particular way of spelling their name. 2) Many people were known only by a nickname and never used the name they were given at birth. 3) They wrote what they heard. Many of the records we rely on to search out our ancestry may have been created by someone other than the ancestor. 4) The use of a family name or surname varies from culture to culture. 5) The pool of names used by any given family or culture may have been very small. For more info on name variations and spelling, see Choice D in Project 4: Discover, Goal 6.
2020-07-09 Irish Research:
If you have Irish ancestors in your tree, a great place to visit is the Ireland Country page in The Family History Guide. You'll find Goals for Basic Research, Civil Registration, Church Records, Emigration, Land & Property, and more, with links to helpful articles and videos. There are also many QUIKLinks to record collections from FamilySearch, Ancestry, and Findmypast, all integrated into the Goal pages.
2020-07-08 Freedmen's Bureau:
From FamilySearch: "The Freedmen's Bureau was created by Congress on March 3, 1865 at the end of the American Civil War to aid the newly-freed slaves (freedmen) and refugees. It was created to supervise relief efforts, including education, health care, food and clothing, refugee camps, legalization of marriages, employment, etc. Because the Bureau's records contain a wide range of data about the African American experience during slavery and freedom, they are a valuable source for African American genealogy." Learn more in the African American Project, Goal 4, Choice B.
2020-07-07 States, Counties, and Provinces:
In addition to Country pages for research, The Family History Guide has sub-pages for four countries: U.S. states (50 plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico), England Counties (36), Canadian provinces (10) and Australian states (7). They all have links to great articles and videos, as well as QUIKLinks for record collections. You can find links to these sub-pages just below the main picture on the four country pages mentioned.
2020-07-06 Surname eBooks:
The Family History Guide now has a page with over 400 links to free eBooks for British Isles and American families. They are downloadable and searchable, and they provide great historical context as well as genealogical information on descendant lines. You can find the Surname eBooks link in the Discover/Research Projects of The Family History Guide, as well as here. For more information, see this blog article.
2020-07-03 Death Records:
From the FamilySearch Wiki: "Your ancestor's death is more recent than his birth or marriage. It is usually best to work from recent events backward, from the known to the unknown. The death record usually tells you where your ancestor last lived. Then you can look for other records for that place, [such as] burial and probate. Death records exist for many persons born before birth and marriage records began [and] may contain birth and marriage information not available anywhere else." Visit the United States page, Goal B5, to learn more about using death records for research.
2020-07-02 Immigrant Ships:
Did one or more of your ancestors sail to America on an immigrant ship? There are some great resources in The Family History Guide for tracking them down on passenger lists and other documents. In the United States page, go to Goal D2, Choice B. You'll see links for Ellis Island, the Steven Morse search tools, worksheets, the Immigrant Ships site, and more.
2020-07-01 Partner Platforms:
The FamilySearch Partners include Ancestry, MyHeritage, Findmypast, American Ancestors, and Geneanet. What are the differences and similarities between each, and when does it make sense to use them? You can find articles and videos with overviews, comparisons, free signups, and details in the Partners page of The Family History Guide. It's also included near the bottom of the Intro menu. And The Family History Guide helps you learn each of these platforms with helpful step-by-step instructions and resources.
2020-06-30 Family Heirlooms:
One of the most endearing types of physical memories is a family heirloom. What heirlooms do you and your family treasure, and what will you leave to the next generation? The HowStuffWorks site has some great tips for caring for heirlooms, how to divide them among family members, and what to do before passing them down. Check out the articles in the Learn More section as well as Project 2: Memories, Goal 1, Choice B.
2020-06-29 Easier Google Searches:
You can do Google searches for ancestor information, using extra search parameters to narrow down the results. But remembering all those parameters and how to use them can be a bit of a pain. That's where the AncestorSearch tool from Randy Majors comes in handy. It lets you enter your search terms in a convenient on-screen form, rather than strung out on a command line. To learn more, see this article on the RandyMajors.com site.
2020-06-26 Research Logs:
From FamilySearch: "Keep good research logs for each family. List the objective of each of your searches; for example, list John Doe's name and the type of event (birth, marriage, or death). List every record you plan to search before you search it. If you do not find what you seek, write "nil" on the log so you know you have already searched there. If you do find it, summarize what you found (person and event). Also list letters you write, phone calls, and Internet searches and results on your research log." (https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Research_Logs) For more ways to use research logs, see Goal 1 in Project 4: Discover, Choice C.
2020-06-25 Topics Page:
In the Family History Guide you can find just about any family history topic in the Topics page. It's an alphabetical collection of links, found in the Intro menu, taking you quickly to whatever you need to learn about. There are currently nearly 500 links to choose from, including geographies, research techniques, family history platforms, and much more.
2020-06-24 The WANDER Method:
According to expert genealogist and blogger Amy Johnson Crow, the research path is not so much a straight line; rather, it has twists and turns along the way. The "WANDER" method helps you stay on course: W = What do you want to find; A = Analyze what you already have; and N through R are explained in her blog article. For more info on research strategies, see Goal 3 in Project 4: Discover.
2020-06-23 History, Not Mystery:
Your genealogy research should be well-grounded in history, so you can find the right events and locations for the right people. Here are three simple ways to learn more about the history of where your ancestor lived: 1) Search for "the history of ..." in Wikipedia; 2) Use the Place Search feature of the FamilySearch Catalog (use State, County, Town, History); and 3) Search worldcat.org using the place name and "genealogy" or "history." For more information, see The Family History Guide.
2020-06-22 Browsing Memories:
FamilySearch Memories contains a huge collection of photos and documents, and it continues to grow. It may have information about an ancestor's school, church, military unit, club, and more. You can use the Find feature to locate an item of interest, and you can use Advanced Search Features to find a range of items quickly and easily.
2020-06-19 Record Layers:
Records can be thought of as existing in five "layers" of accessibility. Records and sources in lower layers are more difficult to find and research than those in higher layers. Each time you move back in time 50 years or more, or a record is not available online, the next level comes into play: 1) Easily obtainable records, such as census; 2) Limited geography, such as vital and land; 3) Specialized, such as church and military; 4) Not readily available online, such as tax and water records; 5) Harder to find, such as records from historical societies and colleges. See Searching through Layers of Sources to Find Your Ancestors.
2020-06-18 Online Consultations:
In these challenging times, the Family History Library in Salt Lake City is making it a bit easier for you to find your ancestors. They are offering free, 20-minute consultations to help you with your personal research questions, using Microsoft Teams for remote meetings. Find out more in this FamilySearch Wiki article, and see more ways you can get assistance in Project 6: Help.
2020-06-17 Explore Historical Images:
There are many records available on FamilySearch that have not yet been indexed. You can access these records using the Explore Historical Images feature (scroll down). Images are searchable by geographic area, date, and life event. Learn more about using this feature in FamilySearch Project 4, Goal 5, Choice D.
2020-06-16 DNA Q&A:
If you have taken a DNA test, The Family History Guide can help you answer the "what's next?" questions that are likely to arise. Check out the Help with Questions Goal in the DNA Projects: it has links to a number of Facebook Groups, DNA blog sites, and forums on DNA testing and research. You'll also find a helpful Genetic Genealogy Glossary and list of questions about DNA tests in Goal 1, Choice B.
2020-06-15 Obituaries:
Obituaries can be great resources for tracing your ancestors. They may contain the birth date of the deceased, marriage date, names of parents and spouse, children, occupation, education, and the location of living family members at the time the obituary was written. In some instances obituaries may have been published in other county, or even regional or state newspapers. Searching for obituaries should always include an many online digital newspaper collections as you can gain access to. For more information on finding and using obituaries, see Goal B5 in the United States page, Choice E.
2020-06-12 Migration Paths:
Why do people move, and where do they move to? Finding answers to these questions can open up new avenues in your research. In Choice B of Goal F1 in the United States page, you'll find links to some great articles and videos, including case studies, that help you get "inside the minds" of those who are on the move. You'll also discover geographic migration paths and patterns in migration to add new perspectives.
2020-06-11 Getting Others Involved:
Family history is a great work to be engaged in, but sometimes we may feel we are walking the path alone. There are family and friends who could also receive the blessings and enjoyment of family history, but how do we draw them in? Here are two helpful articles from the Ancestral Findings site to get you started: Drawing Those Hesitant Relatives into Your Family Tree Research and How I Got My Family Involved In Genealogy Research. See The Family History Guide for more ideas on how to collaborate with others.
2020-06-10 Traditions of the Ancestors:
The last Goal in most of the Country pages is for Geography, History and Culture of the selected country. We've added links in those Goals to a new site: Traditions of the Ancestors. It has some great articles to get you acquainted with your country of interest. The site requires a free account to access the articles. For example, check out the Italian page for Traditions of the Ancestors.
2020-06-09 Online Books for Research:
Good sources for online genealogical books include the following: WorldCat.org, Books.Google.com, Books.FamilySearch.org, Archive.org, MyHeritage.com, and HathiTrust.org. They often contain valuable information on surnames and local histories. Many of these are in the public domain and are viewable without restriction. For more information on using online books in your research, see Choice C in Goal F5 of the United States page.
2020-06-08 Ancestry: U.S. State Resources:
In the U.S. state pages for Ancestry, the main tab is for searching record collections. The other two tabs are probably less visited but have some interesting information. The History tab lists historical facts and features a Help and Advice section, while the Resources tab has useful tips for working with census, vital, and other records. Here's an example of the Louisiana page; click the History or Resources tab near the top.
2020-06-05 Search Tips for FamilySearch:
You're looking for an ancestor, you type the info into the Search Records screen in FamilySearch, and ... no results. Or, not the results you wanted. What next? Help is available in Choice B of Project 4: Discover, Goal 4. Included is a detailed article from FamilySearch with suggestions on how you can get better search results in many situations.
2020-06-04 Countries Knowledgebase:
It's like having your own collection of family history facts for over 60 countries around the world. Topics range from geography and history to record sources, research strategies, and more, with convenient links at the top for quick access. You'll find the Countries Knowledgebase at the bottom of the Countries menu in The Family History Guide, or here.
2020-06-03 Finding Old Photographs:
Besides FamilySearch Memories, where might you look for old photographs of ancestors? AncestralFindings.com suggests these resources: Ancestry.com, DeadFred.com, newspapers and obituaries, and old wills. Read the blog article here, which also includes a video and gives a brief history of photography. You can learn more about gathering photos and documents of ancestors in Project 2: Memories, Goal 2, Choice B.
2020-06-02 Finding More Records:
James Tanner shares five steps you can use to find additional records for your ancestors: 1) Make sure you are looking in the right locations; 2) Begin your search for records, not for people; 3) Find out more about the records you are dealing with; 4) Milk the records you find for all they are worth; and 5) Carefully examine and evaluate each record for clues. See the article here and learn about record locations in The Family History Guide.
2020-06-01 Researching with Military Records:
From Genealogy.com: "Military records, especially military pension records, can be an excellent place to find genealogical information. Through them, you can often find information such as birthplace, age at enlistment, occupation, and names of immediate family members." The Family History Guide has links to articles and videos for these major U.S. conflicts: Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I, World War II, and Korean War. It also has QUIKLinks that take you directly to record searches for each one. To explore these military record resources, see Goal E2 in the United States page.
2020-05-29 U.S. Census Limitations:
U.S. Census records are some of the most useful for researchers. However, some limitations should be noted: 1) Human error may occur in understanding and copying what a resident said. 2) Names may be misspelled or vary from other records. 3) Literacy rates were lower in rural areas for earlier censuses. 4) Place of origin may be misinterpreted or incorrectly assumed by the census taker. 5) A resident may give false information about age. 6) Enumerators rarely missed residents, but in cases where they did, it was usually due to the residents moving. For more information, see Step-by-Step Guide to Using Online Census Indexes: Part Six.
2020-05-28 Gathering Photos and Documents:
If you are digging for buried family history treasure, it might just be an email or phone call away. In Goal 2 of Project 2: Memories, Choice A has some helpful tips on sharing memories with others, notably in the FamilySearch article "How to Gather Family Information." Once you find a photograph you've never seen, or a story or document you've never read about an ancestor, the value of doing this activity becomes very clear. Widening the net with others can bring you more results and build new relationships as well.
2020-05-27 County and Town Histories:
The research team from Findmypast puts it this way: "If you really want to become an expert in your own family's history, you absolutely need to study the places they lived" (see linked article below). Two of the benefits of studying the history of where your ancestors lived are finding more stories and finding more records. Two resources to get you started are Local Histories: A Case Study and How Learning Local History Will Help Your Genealogy Research. For more information on histories and ancestor timelines, see Goal F2, Choice E in the United States page.
2020-05-26 Homesteading:
There's a good chance some of your ancestors may have acquired land through homesteading. 10% of U.S. land was given away under the Homestead Act; homestead lands were located in 30 states; 40% of homesteaders who "proved up" their claims earned a deed from the federal government; and about 4 million claims were made under the Homestead Act. Learn more about how you can find and use homestead records to track your ancestors' migration in the United States page, Goal 8, Choice F2 (scroll down).
2020-05-25 Life Stories:
Creating and sharing a life story for an ancestor can bring that person's memory to life for all who read it. Although creating the story may seem a difficult thing to do, there is help available in The Family History Guide. Check out Project 2: Goal 8, Choice C (Create life stories for ancestors). You'll discover tips on finding historical details, plotting your story with index cards, writing about ancestors powerfully, and more. You may want to start with the Life Sketch in FamilySearch Memories and go from that point.
2020-05-24 Scandinavian Research:
To help you with your research in Scandinavia, The Family History Guide has Country pages for Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Goals for each include Research, Census, Church and Cemetery, Emigration and Immigration, Newspapers, and more. There are also QUIKLinks to record collections in FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, and Findmypast. The Vault section also has links for Scandinavia.
2020-05-23 Find the Children, then the Ancestors : If you are stuck on an ancestral line in your genealogy, more information on the missing person's children may help. Instead of starting with a missing spouse, start with the children or grandchildren. This foundational research provides a base for your investigation, so you can correctly identify families and spouses in each generation. Without that research, it's like you are building a bridge in the air. For more details on this approach, see Find a Missing Ancestor by Searching for the Children.
2020-05-22 Breaking Research "Brick Walls":
Some family lines are relatively easy to research, while others may seem like running into a brick wall. Sometimes the answer may be using a different approach or strategy that had not occurred to you. The Family History Guide has a great section on solving research problems, including brick walls. See Project 4: Discover, Goal 7; especially Choice G for tips and strategies you can try.
2020-05-21 Practicing What You Learn:
In most of the Choices in The Family History Guide, there are Exercises that help you practice the skills or knowledge you have acquired. Click an Exercises link and you'll see how to demonstrate Good or Proficient skill levels for the particular Choice. You can then use these skill levels to set slider bars in the Online Tracker, to keep an ongoing log of your progress. As an example, click the Exercises link at the end of Choice A in Project 2: Memories, Goal 3.
2020-05-20 Where Am I From?:
The FamilySearch Where Am I From? feature is a handy way to visualize your ancestor information. The Generations tab uses numbered circles to help you find ancestors in various parts of the world. The My Family Lines tab displays a relationship diagram connected to a world map. The My Heritage tab shows cultural information for ancestors in different countries. For details on using "Where Am I From?" see Goal 10 in Project 4: Discover.
2020-05-19 Research Plans:
One of the keys to success in family history is developing a good research plan. You could think of it as having a blueprint for a home that you want to build. You can discover some great tips for research plans in Project 4: Discover, Goal 3, Choice B. A nice, quick summary of research plans can be found in this article from Price Genealogy: How to Develop a Genealogy Research Plan in 6 Easy Steps.
2020-05-18 Google and Indexing:
When you index records that have difficult handwriting, place names can be difficult to distinguish. Google can help with that. Type as much of the place name as you recognize, and do a Google search on it. If you are close with the spelling, you'll often see the place name you want in the results correctly spelled. Or, Google may return a "Did you mean ..." response, which may be helpful as well. As you return to the record, see how well the Google place name fits (or does not fit). Chances are you'll learn a bit about deciphering handwriting as well.
2020-05-17 Town of Origin:
Before you can effectively search the records of another country, you need to know the name of the city, town, or parish your immigrant ancestor came from. The first step is locating the immigrant in the United States. Clues about an ancestors' town of origin may be found in diaries, family and local histories, church records, obituaries, marriage records, death records, tombstones, passports (particularly since the 1860s), passenger lists (particularly those after 1883), and applications for naturalization. For more information, see United States, Goal D1.
2020-05-16 Canadian Church Records:
Three-fourths of all Canadians claim affiliation with one of four churches: the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church of Canada, The United Church of Canada, or the Presbyterian Church in Canada. The Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church kept more detailed records than some other religions. Other groups, especially those that did not baptize infants, often did not keep church registers unless required by law. Common church records include baptism, marriage, and burial. Learn more about finding and using Canadian church records here.
2020-05-15 Stars Reports:
After you log in to the Online Tracker, you can click a star in front of any article or video link to darken it, showing that you read or watched that item. But there's more: you can also click Stars in the Online Tracker to create a report showing all your items in The Family History Guide with darkened stars. Dates are included for when you marked the items, as well as links to each of them.
2020-05-14 England Cemetery Research:
Before the Burial Acts of 1852 and 1853, most people were buried in church graveyards. The Burial Acts enabled the town officials to purchase and use land as civil graveyards. Private companies also maintained cemeteries before and after this time. Civil cemetery registers are located at local archives or libraries or are held by the group controlling the cemetery. For more information on church and cemetery resource for England, see Goal 6 in the England country page.
2020-05-13 Service Activities:
One of the best ways to catch the spirit of family history work is to help others with theirs. In the Family Activities section, check out Goal 6: Service Activities for ideas. You'll find fun opportunities such as Cemeteries and Smartphones, Give the Gift of Family History, Do a Family History Interview, Visit a Story Room, and Index as a Family.
2020-05-12 Native American Research:
Tracing Native American ancestry can be challenging, but The Family History Guide has the resources to help you. In the Countries menu, click Ethnic and then select Native American. Choice A in Goal 1 gets you started with links to helpful articles and videos. You can also find Native American resources in Goal 12 of each U.S. state page.
2020-05-11 Learning Social Media Tools:
If you are new to one of the mjor social media platforms for family history, The Family History Guide can help you can come up to speed. In the Computer Basics section choose Social Media Skills. You will then see Goals for learning Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, with helpful article and video links to guide you.
2020-05-10 Searching with Ancestry:
In The Family History Guide there are four separate Goals to help you get the best results for your searches in Ancestry.com: 4-Search Ancestry Records, 5-Search Collections, 6-Analyze Search Results, and 7-Homepage Options. Each Goal has Choices, steps, and screen shots that take you through the process of searching Ancestry records and analyzing what you find.
2020-05-09 Dates in Research:
A death record may contain a birth date calculated from the assumed age at death. Or, birth dates in census records may also be calculated from the age given on the date of the census and are commonly off one year. Calculated dates are "acceptable" as long as they are clearly indicated as calculated. If the date of the birth of a child seems to indicate that the mother was too young or old to have children, it is not a good idea to immediately remove the child from the family, because the date of birth or age of the mother might be wrong. For more information, see this article: On the Inexactness of dates in genealogy
2020-05-08 YouTube Playlists:
In the YouTube Channel for The Family History Guide you'll find a large number of helpful family history videos. They are divided into the following playlists: Show Me (25 videos), Explorations (41 videos), Learn about The Family History Guide (6 videos), Activities (20 videos), and Inspirational (7 videos).
2020-05-07 MyHeritage Matches:
Smart Matches are pathways to connect people as families and relatives. People who have relatives in countries that do not have online available records benefit extensively by communicating with those people on MyHeritage that live in the target countries. Record Matches are the core of the information provided from the MyHeritage SuperSearch™ technology. They provide a lot of information not available elsewhere. There are also DNA matches, which help confirm relationships and can be useful for adoptees or those with complex family relationships. In MyHeritage, brown icons are for Record Matches, green icons are for Smart Matches, and purple icons are for DNA matches.
2020-05-06 Probate Records:
The transfer of a person's property after death are collectively referred to as probate actions. Probate records may include wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. Probate records are essential for research because they often pre-date the birth and death records kept by civil authorities. In The Family History Guide, you can find Goals for probate, land, and court records in each U.S. state page, as well as in most Country pages. For example, here is a link for the California page.
2020-05-05 Latin American Research:
The Family History Guide has some great resources for doing Latin American research. In the Countries menu there are pages for Mexico, Central America, and South America, as well as the Hispanic page in Ethnic (bottom of the menu). Another useful resource is the Countries Knowledgebase. It has nuggets of information and research tips for Latin American countries. You can scroll the page (alphabetically by country) or use the abbreviation links at the top of the page to find the country you're looking for.
2020-05-04 May the Source Be With You:
Not only does a source provide information about a specific event, that same source may also provide information about other events and evidence that can be used to extend family lines. To have an accurate record, it is necessary to have some level of verification. That verification can only come through providing original sources. This not an optional activity. As you examine records, make notes, sometimes called source citations, about where you found the information so that subsequent researchers (even yourself) can find the record again. For more information on finding and using sources, see Project 1: Family Tree, Goal 8.
2020-05-03 Evaluating Evidence:
From Evaluate the Evidence, FamilySearch Wiki: You must also determine if the events described in the records really could have happened. Some events (such as joining the military at the age of ten or twelve, being born on the father's birthday, or owning a considerably larger estate according to a probate inventory than recent tax lists or census records indicated) are less credible than others. Such events are possible but unlikely. If the records present an unlikely situation, you may have stumbled across records of two unrelated people with similar names.
2020-05-02 Family History Training:
Genealogy lectures can be nice—or they can be boring. How do you raise the interest level in your training classes and presentations? One way is to involve your learners in what they are learning. In the Trainers menu, The Trainers Corner has some helpful resources such as Involving the Learners. Here you'll find tips for discussion points, engaging questions, visual aids, and exercises, stories, and games. Carefully selecting a few of these can raise the bar for your training effectiveness.
2020-05-01 Uploading Photos:
Ever forget the steps and options for uploading your family history photos? In The Family History Guide you'll find step-by-step instructions for uploading photos to FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, and Findmypast. Photos are a great way to document ancestors' lives, and they become a source for collaboration on FamilySearch, as well as when you invite others to your tree on other platforms or social media.
2020-04-30 Research Tools:
Project 4 has helpful research tools for FamilySearch and each of its Partners, to help you find records more effectively. The following tools are included: FamilySearch Record Searches and FamilySearch Tools; Search Ancestry Records, Search Collections, Analyze Search Results, and Homepage Options; MH Research Menu; and FMP Search Menus.
2020-04-29 Stories vs. Myths:
Traditional stories are fundamental to creating the connections between the researcher and the ancestor. The researcher can learn from the stories how the life of the ancestor affected all of his or her descendants. The damage comes when the myth competes with the reality as supported by historical records and replaces reality. For more information, see Myths in genealogy in The Family History Guide Knowledgebase.
2020-04-28 England Counties:
The Family History Guide has Goals for 40 counties in England, from Bedfordshire to Yorkshire. You'll find links to these counties under the main picture on the England country page. Goals include Research, Archives, Vital Records, Church, Probate, Maps, Newspapers, Websites, Search, and Help.
2020-04-27 Military Records:
Military records can provide evidence of military or patriotic service, residence at time of military service or pension, birth information, family relationships, and relatives who served. The Family History Guide has military Goals for countries and states, with links to helpful articles and videos, as well as QUIKLinks to military collections.
2020-04-26 Handwriting Help:
Having trouble reading the handwriting on old records? Whether you're doing research on your lines or indexing records for others, difficult handwriting can pose a challenge. There's handwriting help available in The Family History Guide: see Goal 6 in Project 5: Indexing for tips on deciphering letters and words in the documents you are reading.
2020-04-25 Cemeteries:
Cemetery records often include birth, marriage, and death information and clues to military service, religion, membership in an organization. Family members were often buried near each other. Types of cemeteries include church, government (town, county, state, and national), military, fraternal organizations, corporations, and family or private. For more information on using cemetery records in research, see the United States page, Goal B6.
2020-04-24 Stories for Children:
A great way to instill a love of family history is to acquaint children with stories of their ancestors. In the Kids Corner of The Family History Guide, there is a section for Family History Stories. Activities in the section include discovering, preserving, and recording family stories, as well as role-playing, crafts, videos and more.
2020-04-23 Understanding DNA Basics:
You can get a quick but solid introduction to genetic genealogy in Project 8: DNA, Goal 1. You'll learn the basics of chromosomes and inheritance, common terms used with DNA, how DNA tests enable family history research, and more. This helps you prepare to take a DNA test and understand the results for your family history.
2020-04-22 Beginning Immigration Research:
Always start researching the immigrant's children and even grandchildren. Most researchers begin with the immigrant and spend a lot of time looking for a record containing a record of the immigrant's birth. Since the immigrant was not born in America, the records about his or her birth are not likely here. So the idea is to find records preferably from the immigrant or his family that tell where they originated.
2020-04-21 Goldie May Goal & Choices:
We have added a Goal and six Choices for the Goldie May research assistant. The Choices cover Installation, Objectives, Tasks, Strategies, Research Log, and Citations and Notes. Each Choice has step-by-step instructions to help you succeed in your research using Goldie May.
2020-04-20 Home School Resources:
In the Activities menu of The Family History Guide, you'll find an entry for Home School. This page has some great resources to help you bring family history learning into the home. The main items are Activities, Country Pages, Trees and Memories, Tracking Progress, Come, Follow Me Companion, and More in The Family History Guide. There's also a section with additional resources for home schooling techniques.
2020-04-19 The Same-Name Dilemma:
What do you do when you find two or more people with the same name, each with similar dates, who could be your ancestor? It may be tempting to just select the one who looks like the "best fit," but there are better approaches. In Project 4: Discover, check out Goal 7, Choice B. Near the bottom you'll see links to several articles and a video with tips on how to handle this problem, including working with records, using whiteboards and research plans, etc.
2020-04-18 Free Templates:
Are you looking for some welcome variety in the family history charts you work with? Why not take advantage of some great resources for charts, using the free resources in The Family History Guide. In Goal 12 of Project 1: Family Tree you'll find links to download custom pedigree charts, fan charts, group sheets and more. Although these are designed to be printed and filled in manually, there is an interactive PDF version of a pedigree chart (see the FamilySearch Wiki article) that may also be of interest.
2020-04-17 Search Tips:
You can find some helpful tips for doing ancestor searches in The Family History Guide. Go to Project 4: Discover and check out Choice A in Goal 6 (Develop Search Skills). Here you'll find links to articles about doing searches on FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, and other databases, as well as tips for searching for ancestors who have common names.
2020-04-16 Marriage Records:
Marriage records provide essential details and connections between two families. You can find links to articles and videos about marriage records and marriage indexes in many of the country, state, and county pages of The Family History Guide. They are included in the Goals for Vital Records, Civil Registration, or Church. Examples include Choice A and Choice B of Goal B4 for the United States, and Choice C in Goal 2 for England.
2020-04-15 Colorizing Photos:
In Project 2: Memories, Goal 5, there are resources for enhancing your digital photos in Choice C. One especially interesting item is colorizing your black-and-white photos with a new MyHeritage tool. You can colorize a limited number of them for free, and then a MyHeritage subscription is required. You can read more about the process in this blog post.
2020-04-14 Family Locket Site:
The Family Locket site is a great resource for a variety of family history topics. It's run by a mother-daughter team of expert genealogists, and it features a wide variety of how-to articles as well as fun activities for kids and resources for Latter-day Saints. The Family History Guide now has links to a number of its articles, such as Source Citations: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
2020-04-13 Overview Video:
For those who are new to The Family History Guide, a good way to see what it's about is by watching the Overview video. It's two minutes long and covers basic navigation and features of the website, which makes it great for sharing with others as well. You can find a link to it in the middle of the Home page, and it's the first video on our YouTube Channel.
2020-04-12 U.S. Homestead Records:
The Homestead Acts began in 1862. 10% of U.S. land was given away under the Homestead Acts; homestead lands were located in 30 states; 40% of homesteaders who "proved up" their claims earned a deed from the federal government; the Homestead Act was in effect for 123 years; the average homestead claim involved about 160 acres; and about 4 million claims were made under the Homestead Act. For more information on finding and using Homestead records, see Choice A in Goal F1 of the United States page.
2020-04-11 FAQs:
Who sponsors The Family History Guide, and how is it funded? Is there an app for The Family History Guide? The answers to those and other questions can be found on the FAQs page, in the Intro menu.
2020-04-10 Hispanic Research:
In the Countries menu, there is a link for Ethnic, which includes resources for Hispanic research throughout Latin America and Spain. Other places to check out in The Family History Guide include the Countries page, where you can select an individual country to research, and the Catholic pages, where you can learn about using resources and records from the Catholic Church.
2020-04-09 Clickable Maps:
The FamilySearch Wiki has a series of clickable maps for countries. You can hover over areas in a map to see counties or state names, and you can click one to bring up the associated research page. For example, here is a link to the Ireland clickable map.
2020-04-08 Contradictions in Research:
Contradictory evidence and discrepancies are normal in genealogical research. A novice researcher tends to ignore discrepancies. Experienced researchers tend to embrace them. The best researchers always openly acknowledge, analyze, and attempt to explain discrepancies. Knowing and admitting the weaknesses of a case leads to better analysis and conclusions. For more about dealing with contradicting evidence in research, see Project 4: Discover, Goal 7, Choice C.
2020-04-07 Family History Quizzes:
A fun way to see how much you've learned in The Family History Guide is with the interactive quizzes. You can find them in the Trainers menu, and they cover skills in the four Learning Paths: FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, and Findmypast. Types of questions include true/false, multiple choice, sequence, matching, etc.
2020-04-06 Geography, Culture, and History:
Many of the Country pages in The Family History Guide now have Goals for the geography, culture, and history of the particular country. These Goals are typically the last ones in each of the header areas, and they provide useful context for doing research in various locations. For example, here is a link to the Geography, Culture, and History Goal on the France page.
2020-04-05 Gazetteers:
A gazetteer is a geographical dictionary or index. It typically contains useful information about locations, churches and synagogues, civil registration offices, schools, and more. Online gazetteers such as Kartenmeister (Prussia, Poland, Germany) enable you to search by keyword. You can find links to gazetteers in most Country pages, in the Maps and Gazetteers Goals.
2020-04-04 Immigrants and SSNs:
In the United States, Social Security numbers are typically thought of as a proof of U.S. citizenship. However from 1935 to 1972, Social Security numbers were available to all workers, regardless of citizenship. You can learn more about the connection between citizenship and Social Security Numbers in this article by Legacy Tree Genealogists, in Goal D1, Choice A of the United States page.
2020-04-03 Direct-Line Research:
It is quite common to see a family tree where generation upon generation has only one member of the family identified. It is virtually impossible to keep that kind of pedigree accurate. Without the confirmation of the names of other family members, keeping this same-name situation correct presents almost insurmountable problems. You should search for everyone in every family. In cases where the wife is unidentified there are huge resources for finding the wife's name.
2020-04-02 Vault Links:
In the Vault section, you can find links to extra articles and videos that aren't included in the main part of The Family History Guide. At the top of the Vault page are links that take you to the various topics in the Vault, each with a number. You can also click the Close button to see only the topics, and the Open button to see the links again.
2020-04-01 Preserving Documents:
Let's say you have just found, or have been given, some old family documents that you want to safeguard. What are the best ways to do that? You'll find some great tips and resources for document preservation in FamilySearch Project 2 Goal 1, Choices C and D. The tips help you deal with photos, documents, letters, books, and newspaper clippings.
2020-03-31 MyHeritage PedigreeMap:
The PedigreeMap in MyHeritage is a powerful tool that enables you to visualize important events and locations in your ancestors' lives on a world map. You can zoom in to see additional details, edit events, etc. In MyHeritage, the PedigreeMap feature is in the Family tree menu (click More), and it's discussed in The Family History Guide in MyHeritage Project 2, Goal 6.
2020-03-30 Goldie May:
Goldie May is a free Chrome extension that acts as an intelligent research assistant, guiding you through the research process. It links to The Family History Guide for a number of resources, and The Family History Guide links to it in the FamilySearch menu, just under "Knowledgebase." For more information on installing and using this tool, see the Goldie May page.
2020-03-29 Memories with Audio:
You can add audio to photos or documents that are in FamilySearch Memories, using the FamilySearch Memories app. This adds a personal touch to the items, and others who view the photos or documents can listen to your comments about them. For step-by-step instructions on adding audio using the app, see the Memories App (bottom of the FamilySearch menu), Goal 4, Choice C.
2020-03-28 Activities for Children:
There is a fun place in The Family History Guide especially for children: the Kids Corner. It has over 60 engaging activities, with categories such as My Family Tree, Group Fun and Games, My Memories, and Family History Stories. The content on the pages is written at a language level that's comfortable for kids, and there are instructions for parents and other adults to help them get the best results in the activities.
2020-03-27 Archives and Libraries:
In all U.S. state pages and in most of the Country pages there is a Goal for using archived and libraries. (It's usually Goal 2 on the page but may vary with countries.) These Goals offer great resources for using online archives, as well as tips for visiting archives and libraries in person. Here's an example for Massachusetts Archives and Libraries, Goal 2 and another for Finland Archives and Libraries, Goal 2.
2020-03-26 Computer Basics:
In the Intro menu you'll find an entry for Computer Basics. It has a wide range of tutorials, with everything from getting acquainted with PCs and Macs, to learning social media and Google apps. The Computer Basics section is a great resource to help you brush up on your computer skills or to coach others on their skills.
2020-03-25 Court Records:
Case files generally contain the most helpful family information. A case file consists of a packet or bundle of all the loose documents relating to the case, such as the copies of evidence, testimony, bonds, depositions, correspondence, and petitions. To find a case file, obtain a case file number from the docket, the minutes, or an index. For more information on court records for research, see the United States page, Goal F3, or corresponding Goals in other Country pages.
2020-03-24 Catholic and Protestant Records:
The Faiths menu in The Family History Guide has entries for Catholic and Protestant research. The first Goal for each is more general, describing strategies and general resources, while the second Goal for each page focuses on country-specific pages with record resources.
2020-03-23 Word Lists for Languages:
As you do research in various countries, it's helpful to know the common genealogy words and terms used in the language of a country. The Family History Guide provides links to helpful word lists, such as those from FamilySearch, Ancestry, and Thoughtco. These word lists can often be found in the first research Goal for the country page, usually Choice B. For example, German word lists are available in Goal 1 of the Germany page, Choice B.
2020-03-22 Digital Backups:
A basic backup plan for your digital family history files is the "3-2-1 Approach." It works like this: for your files, you create 3 copies, on two different kinds of media, with one copy stored offsite (such as in a cloud service). For more ideas on backups and preserving photos and documents, see Project 2: Memories, Goal 1, Choices C and D.
2020-03-21 Research Dates:
If the date of the birth of a child seems to indicate that the mother was too young or old to have children, it is not a good idea to immediately remove the child from the family, because the date of birth or age of the mother might be wrong. (Source: On the Inexactness of Dates in Genealogy) For more information on using dates in genealogy research, see The Family History Guide Knowledgebase.
2020-03-20 State Census Records:
Individual U.S. states have conducted their own census surveys for many decades, sometimes between the years of the regular U.S. Federal Census schedule. In The Family History Guide, each of the U.S. state pages has Goal 3: Vital and Census Records, Choice E, where you can find valuable information about using census records for the selected state. For example, here is the one from the California state page—Choice E.
2020-03-19 Facebook for The Family History Guide:
We have two locations on Facebook where you can connect with us: our Main Page and our Trainers and Consultants Group. The Main page provides regular updates on what's new in The Family History Guide, and the Trainers and Consultants page, which requires approval to join, provides tips and a discussion forum for anyone involved with family history training.
2020-03-18 Adoption Research:
Family history research can be especially challenging for those who are adopted. Fortunately, The Family History Guide has some great resources to help. You can find them in the United States page, Goal B3, and in each of the DNA Projects, such as FamilySearch Project 8, Goal 7.
2020-03-17 DNA Test Results:
You can learn a lot about DNA test results from Ancestry and MyHeritage in The Family History Guide. If you have not yet taken a DNA test, these Projects can help you compare the available features of DNA tests on these three sites.
2020-03-16 Training:
Creating material for family history classes just got a lot easier, with the new Sample Outlines page in The Family History Guide. So far there are customizable outlines for the FamilySearch Family Tree Projects and a U.S. Research Project, with about 50 more outlines to come. You can adapt these outlines for your classes and teach right from The Family History Guide website, instead of having to build your own slide decks and maintain them.
2020-03-15 Collaboration:
One way you can increase collaboration in your family history work is to assign "microtasks" to a group of helpers. There is a video on this topic in FamilySearch Project 6: Goal 3, Choice B, Step 6. You can find lots of other family history collaboration tips in Choices A through E on that page.
2020-03-14 Ethnic Research:
The Family History Guide has some great resources to help you with ethnic research. At the bottom of the Countries menu, click "Ethnic" to see links to the following research pages: African American, Asian, Basque, Hispanic, Jewish, and Native American. Each page has Goals and Choices, with links to articles and videos to study.
2020-03-13 Activities for Research:
Who says family history research can't be fun? In the Activities pages of The Family History Guide, there are "Activities for Research" sections available for families, individuals, and youth. These sections have some great ideas that connect you with research activities, in small and meaningful ways.
2020-03-12 Birth Records:
Here are seven reasons why you may not be able to find a birth record: 1) the birth took place in an unexpected location; 2) the jurisdictional boundaries of the birth place may have changed; 3) no record of the birth was ever made (a calculated birth date is all that is available); 4) the record of the birth has an incomplete or incorrect index; 5) you may be searching for the wrong family; 6) the child could have been adopted, or was a foundling or illegitimate; 7) the person may have changed names later in life and never disclosed the birth name For more information on finding and using birth records, see United States, Goal B2.
2020-03-11 Social Media and Family History:
You can get tips for using social media platforms in your family history in the Technology Projects. For example, Project 7: Technology, Goal 3 has Choices for using Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram to help you do and share family history with social media.
2020-03-10 U.S. Regional Research:
In addition to the U.S. state pages, The Family History Guide covers each major region of the United States for research: Midwest, Northeast (New England and Mid-Atlantic), Southern (Mid-South and Gulf Coast), and Western (West Coast/Pacific and Mountain West). There are links to helpful articles and videos in each section to help you with your research.
2020-03-09 Newspaper Research:
When looking for ancestor events in newspapers, it's a good idea to extend the search to several weeks after the date of the event. Papers often took that much time in the production process, and sometimes articles were reprinted in other papers outside where the event occurred. For more tips on using newspapers in your research, see the United States page, Goal F4.
2020-03-08 The Family History Guide Blog:
Each Monday morning we publish three free articles on The Family History Guide blog. These cover topics such as research tips, what's new in the website, activities, events, and more, with over 400 articles published to date. To subscribe, click the Subscribe link on the right side of the blog page.
2020-03-07 Where Am I From?:
In FamilySearch, check out the "Where Am I From?" page. It has tabs for Generations, My Family Lines, My Heritage, and Timelines, where you can learn about your ancestry with interactive maps and pages. To learn more, see Goal 10 in Project 4: Discover.
2020-03-06 County Archives:
For an inside look at using county archives for research, see the United States page, Goal F5, Choice D. You'll find tips on handling and exploring all sorts of documents and heirlooms in county storage, including books, photos, manuscripts and scraps, which may provide great genealogical clues. The tips are courtesy of a blog site run by the "Archive Lady," a county archivist in Tennessee.
2020-03-05 MyHeritage Fan Chart:
MyHeritage provides a color-coded fan chart view for ancestors. It can reach up to 10 generations at a time, and it has a handy pull-out window that displays information for any ancestor that is selected. For more details on using the MyHeritage Fan Chart feature, go to MyHeritage Project 2, Goal 1: Navigate Your Tree, Choice E.
2020-03-04 U.S. County Research:
In each U.S. state page, just above the Tracker link, there is a link to Counties (such as "CA Counties" for California). The link goes to the bottom of the page, where you'll see research links for each county in the state. These links are for FamilySearch, Ancestry, Linkpendium, GenealogyInc, and USGenWeb.
2020-03-03 Training:
The 100 Questions You Might Be Asked ... and Answers from The Family History Guide document can be very helpful as you assist others in learning to do family history. For each commonly asked question there is a link in the document to the place in The Family History Guide that answers the question. It's in Word format, so you can customize it with questions of your own.
2020-03-02 Info Buttons for Videos:
Some of the video links in Choices have Info buttons below them. When you hover over the button, you'll see a brief list of links, based on timings, that go to topics inside the video. This enables you to jump directly to a topic of interest in the video without having to scroll through the video to find it. A good place to find Info buttons is in the United States country page.
2020-03-01 Info Buttons for Articles:
Some of the article links in Choices have Info buttons below them. When you hover over the button, you'll see a brief list of links that go to topics inside the article. This enables you to jump directly to a topic of interest in the article without having to scroll to find it. A good place to find Info buttons is in the United States country page.
2020-02-29 Passenger Lists:
Some of the earliest immigration records are the lists of passengers on boats coming to America. The key is to connect the names on the passenger lists and other associated documents with the immigrant once that person has arrived in America. Sometimes, it is possible to find the passenger list from the name of the ship using arrival and departure records. For more information on passenger lists, see Goal D2 in the United States country page.
2020-02-28 Country Page Overviews:
The Explorations Series is a collection of over 40 short videos that highlight the features of many of the Country pages in The Family History Guide. You can find them on our YouTube Channel, in the Explorations playlist.
2020-02-27 Family History Trips:
If you are planning on taking a family history trip, you'll want to check out some great tips for trip planning, on-site research, and putting your results to good use. To get started, go to the Family History Trip Goal for Project 4 in FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, or Findmypast; it's the last Goal in the Project.
2020-02-26 Translated Videos:
In addition to using Google Translate to view The Family History Guide content in many languages, you can access translated videos on family history, quickly and easily. These are in Spanish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Norwegian, Swedish, Chinese, and Korean. You'll find them on the Translated Videos page, in the Misc. menu.
2020-02-25 Article and Video Link Labels:
At the beginning of many of the link titles in The Family History Guide is a two- or three-letter acronym. This designates the name of the target or owning website for the link. For example, "AR" stands for Archives.com, "GE" stands for "Genealogy Explained," etc. You can see a full list of these acronyms in the Legend section of the Vault, near the top of the page.
2020-02-24 Searching with Google:
You can use Google to search for ancestor records around the world, online books, and a lot more. For tips on Google searches, including parameters and guidelines, see Project 4: Discover, Goal 6 (Develop Search Skills), Choice C.
2020-02-23 Training & Mentoring:
If you train or mentor others in family history, it can be overwhelming to think that you should know all the answers to other people's questions. But your role is not to be the "library" ... it's to be the librarian. The Family History Guide, like a library, is an ideal resource for finding answers. You can use the menus, Topics page, and Search feature to help others find what they need, as you learn together.
2020-02-22 Country Collections:
For some countries, genealogy information and records are somewhat limited. If a country does not have enough information for several Goals, it is given a single page (Goal) in a country collection. These collections include the Caribbean, Central America, Eastern Europe, Pacific Islands, and South America. These collections are available in the All Countries page.
2020-02-21 Online Tracker:
The Online Tracker helps you keep track of your learning progress in The Family History Guide. You can create a free account for it here. For help with using its features, see the Online Tracker Help pages.
2020-02-19 Timelines:
Building a timeline of historical events for an ancestor can help you put that person's life in perspective, providing clues for the research you do. It can also help you distinguish between two people with the same or similar names. For tips on working with timelines, see the United States page, Goal 2, Choice E.
2020-02-18 Partner Apps:
When you access The Family History Guide on your phone, don't forget about Projects for the Partner Apps. You'll see them at the bottom of the FamilySearch, Ancestry, and MyHeritage menus, and they have Goals, Choices and steps to help you learn the phone apps for those Partners.
2020-02-18 For Beginners:
If you or someone you know is just getting started with family history, an ideal place to look for help is the For Beginners page (also found in the Intro menu). It has helpful links for computer basics, terms to know, and The Family History Guide and its Partners, and then points you to the Get Started page.
2020-02-17 City Directories, Part 2:
In each U.S. state page in The Family History Guide there is a section about how to use city directories for that state. You can find it in Goal 2: Archive and Libraries, Choice B. See this example for Michigan (Choice B).
2020-02-16 City Directories, Part 1:
City directories can be a good source of research information. They often list family members of your ancestors, streets and maps, local churches, cemeteries, and more. To learn more about using city directories, see Goal A2 in the United States page.
2020-02-15 Basic Research:
Spend time processing and evaluating the information you gather. Don't assume the "same name is the same person," and be careful about near-matches that are not verified. For additional tips on basic research, see the Knowledgebase.
2020-02-14 Marriage Records:
A good place to learn about marriage records for research is in the United States page, Goal B4. You'll find information on records, customs, indexes, and alternatives, as well as QUIKLinks for doing record searches.
2020-02-13 Country Pages:
The United Kingdom page has no Goals or Choices. Instead, it is a collection of QUIKLinks to record collections that apply to the entire United Kingdom, as opposed to only England, Scotland or Wales.
2020-02-12 Newspapers:
Newspapers can be a great source of information for your research. See Goal F4 in the United States page to learn more. In particular, check out the Chronicling America site (Choice B), with over 9 million entries online, in newspapers from 1690 to the present.
2020-02-11 "Show Me" Videos:
If you are looking for step-by-step visual instructions for using FamilySearch, check out the Show Me video series. You can find links in the header areas of the FamilySearch Projects in The Family History Guide, and they are available on our YouTube Channel. There are also a few Ancestry Show Me videos, with more to come.
2020-02-10 Descendancy Research:
Descendancy research goes forward in time from an ancestor, instead of backwards. To begin, select an ancestor who was born about 1750 to 1800, as there will likely be more records and more descendants available. For more info on descendancy research, see Project 3: Descendancy.
2020-02-09 Display Pages:
Looking for a good way to briefly introduce The Family History Guide to others? Explore the Display Pages in the Intro > Media section. You can print them as posters, show them as slides, or collect them in a book for handy viewing person-to-person. They cover many topics of the website, and you can customize your own set of Display Pages.
2020-02-08 Interviews, Part 2:
Once you are ready to do an interview, you can use your phone or other device to capture video and audio. The FamilySearch Memories App is especially good for this, with an easy recording process built-in, as well as interview question prompts on the side panel.
2020-02-07 Interviews, Part 1:
A great way to discover family history gems is through interviewing others, particularly seniors. You can find a wealth of tips and sample questions for interviewing in Project 2: Memories, Goal 3 (Interview Relatives). There are also ideas on capturing stories and making your guest feel comfortable in the interview process.
2020-02-06 SSDI:
From the Research Knowledgebase: The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) is a list of deceased individuals whose deaths were reported to the Social Security Administration. It has been kept since 1962. It is an online, searchable database. The SSDI typically has the following information on the individuals: Name, social security number, state where issued, birth date, death date, last residence, and lump sum payment. (Source: FS—Wiki: Social Security Death Index (SSDI))
2020-02-05 Phones and Tablets:
Did you know there is no app for The Family History Guide? That's because the website detects the type of device you are using and automatically changes the sceen layout to fit. On a phone or tablet, you can use the three-line ("hamburger") menu in the upper right to display the navigation menu on the left.
2020-02-04 Research Help:
Need help with research in a particular country, state, province, or English county? Check out the Get Help Goals that are typically the last in each research project. They have links to Facebook groups, forums, genealogy societies and more, to help you collaborate and get your research questions answered. For example, here's the link for Germany.
2020-02-03 Navigation:
The Home page now has a new look and simplified design. One of the main features is at the bottom of the page, describing how the Mission Statement is divided into "Easier," "More Efficient," and "More Enjoyable." Links are provided there for each category so you can learn more about them and explore them in The Family History Guide.
2020-02-02 Learning:
The Family History Guide has a powerful yet flexible Learning System built into it. It consists of Projects, Goals, Choices, and Steps, with links to resources. Find out more about how you can use it, with details on our new page: The Learning System .
2020-02-01 Scheduling:
You can do meaningful family history activities in small pieces— anywhere from 10 minutes to two hours at a time can be fine. See Fitting Family History into Your Life for examples. It's on the 15 Minutes a Day page, along with other great resources.
2020-01-30 Records:
How do you know which types of records to work on first in your research, and which are not as essential? The Record Finder can be a valuable tool: it lists record types by categories and suggests when it's best to use each type. The Record Finder is included in most country pages; you can see the United States example (Record Selection Table) here, in Choice B.
2020-01-29 Training:
A helpful resource for showing The Family History Guide to others is 30 Things to See in The Family History Guide, a downloadable PDF file. It starts with basic navigation and covers essential points in understanding the website and how to use it. You can find it in the Media page, under Flyers.
2020-01-28 Research:
The Genealogical Proof Standard shows the requirements for credible genealogy work: 1) A reasonably exhaustive research has been conducted; 2) Each statement of fact has a complete and accurate source citation; 3) The evidence is reliable and has been skillfully correlated and interpreted; 4) Any contradictory evidence has been resolved; and 5) The conclusion has been soundly reasoned and coherently written. For more info, see Genealogical Proof Standard.
2020-01-27 Partners:
The main partner sites for The Family History Guide are FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, and Findmypast. The top menu has Projects that help you learn each of these sites, step by step. For an overview of these sites, see The Family History Guide Partners page.
2020-01-26 U.S. Census:
You can download free worksheets for each U.S. Census decade (1940 through 1790) as well as get helpful tips on how to plan your research using census records. In the United States country page, see the Census by Decades section for more information.
2020-01-25 Navigation:
If you would like to see all the primary menus of The Family History Guide open at the same time, there's an easy way to do that. In the Intro menu, click Site Map. Click a link to go to any topic, including countries, states, sections in the Vault, and more.
2020-01-24 Norway Research:
Going back in time, a large percentage of the population in Norway lived on farms. Farm books were recorded that describe the characteristics of the farms and list the inhabitants, making them a valuable genealogy resource. To learn more about farm books, open Norway in the Countries page and go to Goal 6: Farm Books.
2020-01-23 Activities:
One of the fun and engaging activities linked in The Family History Guide is the Wheel of Family Fortune, from the BYU Family History Technology Lab. Play it like the TV show, but solve the puzzles for ancestors in your part of the Family Tree.
2020-01-22 Family History Centers:
Need help with your family history? You can get it for free at a local family history center, as well as access to full versions of Ancestry, MyHeritage, Findmypast, Newspapers.com, and much more. Find a family history center location near you on this interactive map.
2020-01-21 Activities Index:
Looking for a fun family history activity you can enjoy with family or friends? Find one that's just right for your needs in the Activities Index, a handy list of categories and links. Activities that require little or no preparation are marked with an asterisk.
2020-01-20 Google Apps:
The Computer Basics section (Intro menu) is not just for learning how to use Windows or the Mac OS. You can also find some great tutorials there for Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Sheets, and Google Slides. Get started here.
2020-01-19 U.S. County Research:
Over time, there have been many changes to county boundaries in U.S. states, which can make research even more challenging. To see interactive maps of where boundaries were for any given decade, you can use the Newberry site or the RandyMajors site. See United States, Goal A2 for more details on using maps in research.
2020-01-18 U.S. Census:
In the United States Census, entire families are listed going back to 1850. From 1840 to 1790, you see names only for heads of households, with tally marks for others in the home. For more info on the types of info you can see in each census decade, see the United States country page, Goal C1, Choice A.
2020-01-17 Features:
If you're new to The Family History Guide (or even if you've been on the site a few times), you'll find a handy review of the important features of the website on the Features page. It's available in the Intro menu, under "Features Help."
2020-01-16 Photos:
What research clues can you find in your old family photographs? How do you date a photo, when the back of it is blank? For the answers to these questions and more, see Project 4: Discover, Goal 7, Choice F. You'll learn about photo captions, finding historical clues, where to find additional photos, and more.
2020-01-15 Resources:
The "15 Minutes a Day" link in the Intro menu has some great ideas for staying engaged with the joy of family history on a regular basis. In the "Fitting Family History into Your Life" section on the page, click the link in step 1. You'll find a handy schedule to help you fit family history activities into your life, arranged by amounts of time.
2020-01-14 Memories:
Have a few minutes? Why not download and use the FamilySearch Memories App on your phone to record and share some family photos or documents? Check out the Memories App in The Family History Guide and this FamilySearch page to get started.
2020-01-13 Tracker/Stars:
When you are logged in to the Online Tracker, you can click a star that precedes a link to an article, video, or activity in The Family History Guide. That helps you see at a glance which items you have read, seen, or done. For more information on Resource Stars, see this blog post.
2020-01-12 DNA:
A DNA test can help you prove or disprove relationships to others, expand your family tree when other research methods are not successful, find "cousin matches" for others who share your DNA segments, and see estimates for your ethnicity. To learn more, see FamilySearch Project 8.
2020-01-11 Technology:
If a website is in a language you're not familiar with, you can use Google Translate to read it. Install and use the Chrome extension for Google Translate, and then use "Translate This Page" or select the text on the page to be translated. To return to the primary language, click the X (upper right).
2020-01-10 Records:
From Amy Johnson Crow: "Don't be too discouraged working with skimpy records. The keys are to learn all you can about them so that you understand what is there, then take the next step to see how that record fits in with other records, and evaluate what you found. Even when that first record doesn't spell it out, it can lead us to the answers if we follow its lead." See the full article here, and learn more about record types here.
2020-01-09 England Research:
Church records are the main source for English genealogy prior to 1837, when civil registration began. They are also a useful source after 1837, in conjunction with civil registration. Although a nationwide order was given in 1538 that each parish keep a register of baptisms, marriages, and burials, many parishes did not start to keep registers until later. For more information, see Goal 6 in the England country page.
2020-01-08 Get Started:
Need a good quick reference guide for genealogy terms? There are several to choose from on the Family History Basics page, in the Terms to Know section.
2020-01-07 Memories:
From FamilySearch: "Be sure to ask your parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, other relatives and friends of the family for help in finding [documents] ... They just might have the very letter, document, book, or story for which you are searching." For more information, see FamilySearch Project 2: Goal 2.
2020-01-06 Family Tree:
When working with ancestor data, use the CARD approach: C—Correct and complete vital information; A—Analyze family relationships; R—Review Sources; D—Duplicates should be solved. For details, see the Goals in Project 1: Family Tree.
2020-01-05 Ancestry:
With Ancestry's MyTreeTags feature, you can attach labels to ancestor profiles. These labels help you do custom searches for ancestors in your tree. For details, see Ancestry Project 2, Goal 1, Choice F.
2020-01-04 Indexing:
If you are having trouble reading the handwriting in an indexing batch, you can split the screen and look for extra examples of how the recorder used letters and characters. For more indexing tips, see FamilySearch Project 5, Goal 4, Choices A and B.
2020-01-03 Research:
The key to using surnames as a finding aid is to match surnames to locations. You can take that process even further and find your ancestors by looking at the frequency of names in a specific geographic area, regardless of the overall frequency of the name. Surname patterns and concentrations of people with the same or very similar surnames in a particular geographic area can be helpful tools in some areas of genealogical inquiry. Learn more here, in Choice E.
2020-01-02 Features:
You can learn about the key features of The Family History Guide quickly and easily in the Features Help page. Find it in the Intro menu, or here.
2020-01-01 Activities:
The Street View Stories page, on the MakeFamilyHistory.org site, helps you capture memories about a meaningful place in your life or family history. See Family Activities, F1-03.