Mar 9
One area for sure you could have a problem with when doing your family tree is conflicting dates, names, hometowns, events or occupations. First look at all the sources for that one specific conflict - say an ancestor's birth date. You must have where each listing for a date came from. Was one from the family Bible, one from the county vital recor...
Mar 1
Never miss an opportunity to interview or sit down and talk to a relative, even if they are about your same age, there just might be family information, names and even a few stories or two you have never heard about. Don't start with "Tell me everything you know on the family." That is too broad and won't start you on the right foot with this re...
Feb 23
It is great to have a variety of local hometown newspapers scanned and online at your fingertips. This is the case for the 'Historical Newspapers Online' done by Penn State. All the states are listed with the available newspapers, their locations, the years covered and any additional information. They have combined the national Chronicles Newspa...
Feb 17
Sometimes placing a little humor about a preoccupation a person has, makes it easier for others to understand that obsession. So the following are just a few lighthearted sayings and observations about all of us who love working on our family tree. A genealogist’s filing system usually incorporates the floor. Genealogists don’t get Alzhei...
Feb 11
Newspapers are really the life blood of a community, town or city -- covering about events, places and people in that town. This is why finding newspapers from a certain area where our ancestors lived and then seeing if there was ever an article about that person or a family member can provide such additional information for you research. If you...
Jan 31
Part of learning about your ancestors, their lives and their journeys is learning about the history and places they experienced. To know you relative better, you do have to know about the times they lived, what happened that may have directly affect them and what was the hometown like for them to live in. Now online is a web site title 'History...
Jan 9
One of the time frames difficult to research ones ancestors is the late 18th century (1750 to 1799). Records were not always kept and events marked down. Using the FamilySearch online database, it can be one of the best resources for that time period. By using their 'Records' and narrowing the search to the United States from 1750 to 1799 there...
Jan 5
The history and people of Rock Island County go back to 1831. The name came from an island in the Mississippi River. The early settlers to this area approved formation of a county government and held their first county election on July 5, 1833. But who were those early settlers, who were the movers and shakers in that frontier region? It just mig...
Dec 26
The U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC) makes historical materials available for use to support the U.S. Army, educate an international audience, and honor Soldiers (men and women)- past and present. They have several categories which are covered from military history to a fine archive made in digital format and assess-able onlin...
Dec 6
With the use of the Internet along with the interest in genealogy and many records made digital, the use of online databases is necessary. At FamilyTree.com in the 'Reviews' section is a run down of 14 of great databases to select from, some with a fee and others free. All are general and can be of help with most any researcher. To add to that ...