So you shelled out $60 – $200 dollars on a genealogical DNA test. You’ve looked at your DNA ethnicity pie chart. It gave you something interesting to bring up at the dinner table. But now what? The number of things you can do with your DNA to help solve mysteries on your family tree areContinue reading “5 Ways to Get the Most for your Money out of Genealogy DNA Testing”
Category Archives: Tips
Using Reddit in Your Genealogy Research: Getting Help Online
Reddit has become a powerful place on the web for genealogists, though it remains unknown to many. If you are looking for help with your genealogy research, a brief translation of a record, or identification of someone in a photograph, Reddit may be the place to go for answers. Reddit is organized into “subreddits,” or pagesContinue reading “Using Reddit in Your Genealogy Research: Getting Help Online”
German Immigration: Charles Kolb of Württemberg
Featured image: Portrait of Charles Gottlieb Kolb, who immigrated to America in 1854. My wife is a direct descendant of Charles Gottlieb Kolb. Charles immigrated from Germany to the United States in 1854 and settled in Ida County, Iowa. This man has many descendants in Iowa. Two certified Century Farms are still owned by hisContinue reading “German Immigration: Charles Kolb of Württemberg”
Non-Traditional Family Trees: Adoption in FamilySearch
This tutorial is about adoption. In this case, adoption refers to when a child is raised by someone other than their parents, whether or not their last name was changed or any official adoption process was carried out in the court system. (In many cases, especially going back to the 19th century and before, officialContinue reading “Non-Traditional Family Trees: Adoption in FamilySearch”
British Newspaper Research: A Family Scandal
Findmypast continues to scan, transcribe, and upload to its searchable databases the newspaper collection of the British Library, an incredible project. Already, this database is invaluable to those researching ancestors who lived on the island of Great Britain during the 18th and 19th centuries. My own ancestor, William Clark, immigrated from England as recently as 1873.Continue reading “British Newspaper Research: A Family Scandal”
August 2018 DNA Sales
The following DNA-testing companies are currently offering sales on genealogical autosomal DNA tests this August: Ancestry: $59 until Aug 20 ($40 off) MyHeritage: $69 ($10 off) FamilyTreeDNA: $59 until Aug 31 ($20 off) Take advantage of these sales if you have a genealogical puzzle that DNA may be able to solve.
Non-traditional Family Trees: Homosexual Relationships
Non-traditional family trees are increasingly common. No matter how unusual or un-traditional, genealogists should record all family events and relationships accurately. In this series, you will learn how to record these complex family situations clearly in your family tree. In this post, you will learn about recording homosexual relationships. Regardless of whether you believe thatContinue reading “Non-traditional Family Trees: Homosexual Relationships”
Mental Illness Genealogy: Steadman Gray
Awareness of mental illness has increased dramatically over the years, but how did our ancestors deal with it? This post outlines the kinds of records available for researching mental illness in your family history through telling the mental illness genealogy story of my ancestor, Steadman Gray. Steadman was committed on the testimony of his wifeContinue reading “Mental Illness Genealogy: Steadman Gray”
Free Revolutionary War Records on Fold3, July 1-15!
Fold3 is offering free access to its American Revolutionary War collection from July 1-15. Take advantage of this offer to access millions of pension files, military service records and war rolls that can help you verify the details of your ancestor’s service.
Non-Traditional Family Trees: Step Families on Ancestry
Non-traditional family trees are not uncommon. Although many of us wish for a traditional family, divorce, death, out-of-wedlock births and other circumstances happen to many families. No matter how you feel about what happened or how you feel about the people involved in these events, they belong in your family tree. Your step family genealogyContinue reading “Non-Traditional Family Trees: Step Families on Ancestry”