surnames
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Anything or Place Named after an Ancestor?
Sep 1
As you work gathering names and information for your family tree, you can see given and surnames repeated over the generations. Children and grandchildren named for their ancestors. It has always been a common practice. However, an interesting twist is to see if any object, street, building, landmark or place was named for an ancestor. Once locate...
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Family Lineage Names
Aug 23
Most people enjoying doing their family history and genealogy to especially see how far back they can trace their ancestors. One aspect that helps in identifying ancestors are names – given and surnames. Many children are named for a relative so that name can be carried on for generations. The same is true of naming a child with a family surname...
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Finds on eBay
Feb 21
So true, all types of photos, booklets, journals, letters, receipts, etc can be found up for auction or 'buy now' on eBay (an online auction site). People from around the globe can place items they have owned or just acquired (such as yard sales, second-hand stores, thrift shops etc.). It is truly amazing what can be found. Of course, you have t...
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Unusual Given Names of Ancestors
Dec 13
In developing your family tree have you come across some given names (first or middle names) in which you wonder where did that name come from? Here are some thoughts on how over the years some given names have come about. First, many given names (especially middle names for females) for a baby are a family surname, so that name is carried on. So ...
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The Challenging Part of Genealogy
Sep 9
The reason that working on your family tree can take so long is that there are a few challenging segments. If you are just beginning, be aware of the more difficult aspects to doing a family tree and if you have been at the search for awhile, don't give up ... most of the time there can be success. A Person's Middle Name: Oh yes, that can be a cha...
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Newspaper Details
Jul 3
It was so common in medium size and especially small towns with a newspaper to print all types of details about businesses, events, churches, social items, recording of land deeds, and just ordinary citizens. Newspapers did not do just the wedding news and obituaries, but rather everyday life. An excellent source is to spend time and look for the ...
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The Most Common Surname in the United States
Apr 16
One of the clues genealogists use to track down information about relatives and ancestors is the person's surname. If your family has a unique surname, it won't be too difficult to find people who share it. However, if your family surname happens to be the most common one in the United States – you're going to end up with a lot of “false posi...
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Useful Ideas when Searching on Google
Jan 25
Google is a great search engine for finding just about anything, but not necessarily your family tree. However, here are a few ideas to improve your chances of finding more about a hometown, a business or an ancestor using Google. First, narrow the search. Place quote marks (") around the names or keywords you are searching. If it is a person's na...
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Baffling Ancestors – Some Hints
Jan 15
Everyone has more than one elusive ancestor in their direct lineage or extended family line. It can be quite baffling for a family researcher to find our details on that person. Here are a few hints and suggestions to help in the process. If you have found their death date and a possible location, search for a Will on file. Those legal documents ...
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Getting Names Correct
Nov 25
One of the most important aspects of your family tree is your ancestors' names (first, middle, surname and female maiden names). Everyone sees various name spellings and even totally different names for certain individuals while doing research. So what you need to do to help ensure you have names correct are the following ideas. Be as complete in ...