Blog Content
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Start of 2020 Federal Census
Feb 3
Every ten years, since 1790, the US Federal government has done a census to learn the population of states and territories. For the newest census – 2020 – it has begun near the iced-over Bering Sea, with workers for the U.S. Census Bureau gathering in a remote fishing village along the southwestern rim of Alaska. The 2020 census officiall...
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Someone Else Wrote the Obituary
Feb 1
You might believe that everything that appears in an obituary is 100% accurate. Just because it was printed in a newspaper does not mean it was true. Even our venerated ancestors were not above embellishing the facts to make a family lineage sound more illustrious, and sometimes they simply did not have the information necessary to build a de...
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Number of Ancestors over the Generations
Jan 31
You may or may not have started to figure how many ancestors you have as you go back one-two-three generations. The number of ancestors is simple to calculate as it is a mathematical progression: start with every person (generation 1) has two parents, (generation 2) four grandparents, (generation 3) eight great-grandparents, (generation 4) si...
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Interesting Changes were in the 1950 US Census
Jan 29
There are some interesting changes that came during the 1950 US Census, not previously done. You will have access to the results to the 1950 census records which will be released in April 2022. The 1950 census was done April 1, 1950 and included the continental United States, the territories of Alaska and Hawaii, American Samoa, the Cana...
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Free Databases to Use on Ancestry.com
Jan 27
Ancestry.com has a wonderful and varied collection of databases to assist in your family history research. Many are available through their subscription plan. However, there are many great databases you can use that are FREE, any time. Go to the site and scroll down and in alphabetical order is the listing of those free databases from Ancestr...
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23andMe Presents Research Highlights from 2019
Jan 23
23andMe presented their research highlights from 2019. The highlights include ongoing collaborations, research, some of their published work, and other initiatives. In 2019, 23andMe scientists have published more than 20 papers. Those papers covered a wide range of topics, including genetics of certain rare genetic conditions, of same-sex s...
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Did You Check if there is a Passport?
Jan 21
Often overlooked is seeing if an ancestor had a passport and a passport application. What a wealth of information. Not every passport had the same information, even those issued in the United States. It varied over the years. In the USA early passport applications are held at the U.S. National Archives. National Archives and Records ...
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FamilySearch Posted a 2019 Year in Review
Jan 21
FamilySearch posted a 2019 Year in Review that highlights their achievements, discoveries, growth, and more. Here is a look at some of those accomplishments. In 2019, FamilySearch added 123.6 million indexed records and over 850 million new images of historical records. In addition to searchable records and images, FamilySearch provided upd...
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Do a Short Life Story
Jan 19
As you have gathered the names, dates, locations of your ancestors you may have also come across some interesting tales about where they lived, their occupations, organizations they belonged to, etc. Take the time to focus on one or two such ancestors you have found more about beyond B-M-D. Check newspapers from the hometown they lived in...
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A Few Hints for Using a Search Engine
Jan 18
Remember the saying; “type your own given and surname and see what comes up on Google search engine”. That would be true of any search engine: Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, Ask!, Dogpile, Creative Commons and others. The following are a few hints when using any search engine for your ancestors or family hometowns. Many times a search ...
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Tipton County Historical Society to Publish Genealogy Book
Jan 16
Tipton County Historical Society will publish the most comprehensive genealogical record ever compiled in the county's history as part of a project launched three years ago during the state's bicentennial. The book will include 500 family trees from local residents and historical documents from county pioneers. The Tipton county Historical ...
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Ellis Island’s 128th Anniversary was New Year’s Day 2020
Jan 14
The 128th Anniversary of Ellis Island was on January 1, 2020. It is possible that some of your relatives and ancestors arrived at Ellis Island in the past. In 1890, the States turned over control of immigration to the Federal Government. The U.S. Congress appropriated $75,000 to build the first Federal immigration station on Ellis Island....
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Postcards
Jan 13
We all have a collections of postcards saved by our ancestors. It might only be one special one or hundreds of cards. So what is a postcard? Postcards are used to write to a friend or family member from a vacation. Postcards can be a means to simply say "Hi." People often send postcards local postcards as greeting cards. They are a simple ...
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Genealogical Societies – Preserving Your Family Tree
Jan 12
You have worked for some time to gather and document your ancestors in the family tree. You might have stories about individuals, added to the family history. This is quite a collection and needs to be preserved for future generations. Of course, you have many copies made and send to relatives for them to keep. That should be digital a...
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Pentagon Warns Military Not to Use Consumer DNA Test Kits
Jan 9
The Pentagon is warning military service members against using popular consumer DNA test kits, ABC News reported. A copy of the memo was posted on Scribd. The memo from the office of the Secretary of Defense stated (in part): “It has come to the attention of the DoD that some direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing companies are encourag...
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The study of birth, marriage and death records to discover family relatives. more »
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