databases

  • Native Americans

    Dec 26

    The Native American Indians can be a difficult research for family lineage.  Today, numerous people claim to be ‘part-Indian’; however there were many years when it was not acceptable to say you had any Native Indian blood relations. People hid the fact they may have had a full-blood grandmother who was Cherokee or any other Indian tribe. Name...

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  • Your Ancestor — The Inventor

    Dec 22

    A great expanded updated search engine site done by Google is titled ‘Google Patents’ and it allows you to research for any and all patents submitted by any person in the United States from the 1790s to the present time.  This is far more complete than earlier databases for patent searches. Its sources are the official United States Patent and...

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  • Zero in on an Ancestor

    Dec 20

    OK, you have worked on your family tree and have the pedigree chart in good shape with numerous names, dates and locations. The next step is to zero in on just one ancestor.  That person could be a grandmother, a great uncle, your father or a great-great-great grandmother; any one relative who intrigues you the most can be selected. Start by ke...

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  • Finished Researching Your Family?

    Dec 10

    You have spent months or maybe even years researching and gathering anything and everything you can on your family ancestors.  Most of the photos you have gathered are labeled; the documents are sorted and placed in organized files for easy reference. You have managed to keep an accurate and up-to-date pedigree chart with names and information on ...

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  • VMI – Databases With Possible Ancestors

    Dec 6

    The most fascinating aspect of looking for information on your ancestors is that you never know where the next great resource will come from.  One very nice online site; VMI - Virginia Military Institute, has a great archive about the VMI alumni.  It is very possible you may have never considered the possibility that an ancestor attended the Virg...

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  • Italian Club Offers Assistance

    Dec 4

    It is essential to learn your family ethnic background when doing your family tree.  There are numerous organizations and clubs who solely focus and assist individuals of a particulate ethnic group. One of the major organizations in the United States is ‘POINT’ which stands for ‘Pursuing Our Italian Names Together.’  Their goal is to help...

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  • Understanding the Julian to Gregorian Calendar

    Nov 30

    Numerous times you will see where an ancestor’s birth, marriage or death date are written May 11, 1712/1713 and you are not sure which year the event actually occurred.  This is due to a change in the type of calendars used and when they were adopted. First, an explanation of each calendar. The Julian calendar was created by Julius Caesar bac...

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  • Seasonal Gifts for the Family History Researcher – Including You

    Nov 28

    Time for Christmas or Hanukkah shopping is with us and trying to come up with the perfect gift can be difficult.  If you have a friend or relative who does the family research there are many cool selections to aid any researcher - novice or advanced.  This includes you, if you do the research - here are some ideas to add to your ‘want list.’ ...

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  • ‘Characters in a Drama’

    Nov 12

    In a recent article and book written by Mark Whitaker, CNN’s managing editor, he covers about his own search for his family’s history.  He compared his family members, like all other individuals from anyone’s family, as  ‘characters in a drama.’  Learning there is truly a distinctive element in every family story; Mark stated that all ...

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  • Documents on Military Veterans

    Nov 10

    With the National Veterans Day celebrations annually on November 11th, it is time to may sure that you have identified any military veterans on your family tree.  First, become knowledgeable of when the United States was engaged in any war. There is a good timeline and explanation of military operations online with wikipedia.  This includes the y...

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