Mar 9
Many people have ties to England, part of the United Kingdom, especially since America was a British colony before 1776. Yet, many will have ancestors who came to America all during the 1800s and into the 1900s. There may well be family branches still living in England, that would be fun to locate. A good starting point in research relating to dat...
Feb 13
FamilySearch.org has massive files done by volunteers to index censuses, draft cards, death certificates, and other similar records that were made on pre-printed forms because the information contained in them is consistent and standardized. Those are the easy records to make available for your researching of an ancestor. What can be difficult are...
Feb 1
As you just start or continue on your family history research you want to be aware of any possible mistakes or slip-ups in your search. The following are a few thoughts on what to avoid doing. Number one is never accept 100% someone elses family research. They may have everything sourced but you need to recheck every aspect your with what you do k...
Jan 29
The majority of vital records you need are stored with the individual states. So an ancestor could have been born in Virginia, married in New York, divorced in Vermont and died in Georgia. So each of those states needs to be contacted to get copies of the vitals records for birth-marriage, divorce and death. You need a good source to find the info...
Oct 21
Genealogical terms can be a bit confusing as well as key words found in vital records. So to help out, here are a few with their meanings. Bann - used on marriage forms in the 18th and early 19th century referring to the intent or promise to marry. Many times a future groom or his family had to put up some money or property to prove he was serious...
Aug 31
The Genealogical Society for Bucks County (BCGS) in Pennsylvania has gathered a massive collection of various records (births, baptisms, marriages, deaths, obituaries and cemetery burials) and created a searchable database. This county is in the southeast corner of Pennsylvania, close to Philadelphia, so it does have a long history, created by Will...
May 7
We all look for that small edge that just might open a door or two into our family's past. When there are databases free and open to everyone that is even better. One to check out is Linkpendium. It is not a database by itself but rather links to other databases. It is divided up locations (U. S. states and territories) as well as locations in the...
Apr 19
Starting your family history research can seem like a monumental task. You may have even attempted it a few years ago and then let it slide. Well, start fresh and know you can find out things about your relatives you never dreamed of. You do have to have patience. Begin by gathering what you had collected earlier. If you hadn't started, see if a...
Mar 31
When doing your family history research you look for primary vital records. Those are the birth certificates, marriage licenses, divorce papers and death certificates official filled out at the time of each event by a government agency. These are also known as primary sources, the best for getting accurate information of names, places and dates. K...
Mar 25
FamilySearch.org has indexed an additional 3.7 million Cook County, Illinois death records. These records date from 1878 to 1939 and 1955 to 1994 (although the records are missing for the city of Chicago death records for the years 1910 to 1915). This collection can be searched by first name, last name, gender and race. Access is free. Mos...