Jun 15
As you gather information on where and how your ancestors lived, a most important element often overlooked is the 'weather'. Yes, the climate and weather conditions your ancestors experienced can make a big difference in how they lived. The NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration just might have some answers on their site. Place i...
Jun 15
There are specific genes that increase the risk that a person will develop breast cancer. Those genes tend to “run in families” and can be passed down from one generation to the next. There are now two new direct-to-consumer DNA tests that can be used to detect if a person has one of the genes that comes with a higher risk of developing breas...
Jun 13
Sometimes as a family history researcher we forget to check some things for clues that are right there all along. Your parents or grandparents, aunts-uncles may have kept old letters, postcards, birthday cards, wedding announcements / invitations or graduation cards for years. Go through scrapbooks, receipts for merchandise, or ledgers - anything w...
Jun 11
A free to use database on deaths that occurred in North Carolina between 1906 and 1930 is available online through American Ancestors. This being online allows you to view the scanned death certificate. On it would be date of death, person's full name, where they died, of what causes, their age and birth date along with other relative's names, s...
Jun 11
In general, when a certain disease or condition “runs in the family”, there is a genetic link that explains why. Knowing what genes raise the risk of developing certain diseases enables people who have those genes (or gene mutations) to seek a treatment plan. A study looks at things quite differently. The “toxins” that affected your grea...
Jun 10
23andMe is a company that has the ability to gather a large amount of genetic data. There have been several times when 23andMe used that information to help people who have a specific genetically heritable disease, or a disease that does not yet have a cure. As such, 23andMe has launched a Lupus Research Community. In order to do this, 23andMe...
Jun 9
The railway system across the United States has been important for transportation of freight and people since the early 1800s. The trains did not run by themselves but always needed railroaders to maintain and run them. Many people over the decades had as their occupation something having to do with the railroads. Using the online site, Railroad...
Jun 9
A new drug that is designed to help people who have a specific type of cystic fibrosis has won approval from a federal advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration. Cystic fibrosis is a inherited disease that has to do with mutations in a gene. Vertex is the name of a company that created a drug that is called Orkambi. It is the seco...
Jun 8
Do you have a favorite genealogy website that you frequently visit? Would you like to find more genealogy websites to check out? There is simple way to discover some that are brand new to you. All you have to do is make use of The Top 100 Genealogy Sites Mega-Search. ManyRoads is a genealogy website that represents its contributors' best attempt...
Jun 7
If you have ancestors from Tennessee and especially if they were in the state during the American Civil War, you are in luck. The online site 'Tennessee4Me' has a great deal of information and some photos related to those during the 1860s in Tennessee. There is a search box in the upper right corner that can help you get started with a town's na...
Jun 5
The Library and Archives of Canada have updated and placed additional scanned military registration forms for the soldiers who served during World War I (1914-1918) to their database. If you had searched before, try again. Many of the forms completed were Volunteers for the Canadian Expeditionary Force and questioned at the place of enlistment t...
Jun 4
Genealogy, combined with family history, can tell an amazing story about your ancestors. Having copies of their vital records is one thing, but photos and journals help bring out someone's personality. Another way to get more of a view into an ancestor's life is to learn about where they lived. The David Rumsey Map Collection could enhance your res...
Jun 3
The United States Listing of free or fee based available online newspapers are listed by states. Select one of the states your ancestors may have lived in at any time frame and see what is available. You will see cities and / or county names, so know both. The dates of newspaper coverage for that location is to the right. Keep in mind many counti...
Jun 3
One portion of your genealogy research involves photos. What that research looks like depends on your situation. Maybe you are sorting through a big box of old family photos and struggling to identify who is in them. Or, perhaps you lost your camera and are hoping there is some way to retrieve the family vacation photos that are on it. Fortunat...
Jun 2
By now, you have probably heard about the Global Family Reunion. It is the one put together by author A.J. Jacobs and it will take place in June of 2015. Genealogist Megan Smolenyak has questioned whether this huge event could, potentially, be harmful to the future of genealogy. She brings up some interesting points for genealogists to consider....