Two types of names are handed down from generation to generation: surnames and given names. Surnames have obvious genealogical links that can indicate country of origin, ethnicity, and even religion, and genealogists must be aware of the difficulties of surname research. Given names, however, can also provide clues to family history. Both types of names, [...]

What to give the person who has everything….hmmmm, how about the gift of heritage?  Researching your family tree has become very popular, raising interest in many people as to where their ancestors came from, how they got here, and what they were doing.  With that in mind, here are a few gift ideas that will [...]

As you sit down to do a genealogy interview with your grandfather, he leans over and whispers to you, “You know, your great-great-grandmother was a Cherokee Indian Princess, don’t you?” You will probably encounter this at some point in your family history research. Most people do. It can be extremely difficult to decipher fact from [...]

Getting your kids involved in researching your ancestral history is a great way to bond with your kids as well as teach your kids about your family history.  It also gives the parents time to spend quality time with their kids.  It can be a fun and entertaining project.
Start by writing down your own name, [...]

Scan and Enlarge Hard to Read Documents
Before writing any genealogical inquiry that is going to be turned into any official place, such as the Census bureau or the Bureau of Indian Affairs, it is best to make sure you have all your chickens in a row so to speak.  You need to make sure beyond [...]

You will find soon enough that search engines on the internet can be a powerful tool in your search for family history. Because most of them have such an enormous index of information, searches for surnames and family names can result in useful information. You see, search engines get their indexes from “spiders” that explore [...]

Vital statistics can provide priceless information when doing genealogy research.  The pieces of information they can provide that can prove essential are:
Birth
Marriage
Death
And birth of children
Here’s how to use these pieces of information effectively.  In researching an ancestor that you know lived in a particular state, checking his birth record will give a complete name and [...]

Why should you research death records?  Death records are an important source of information for any serious genealogy student.  Commonly death records can be found in the county courthouse, or in newspaper archives of obituaries.  They will include information on the deceased such as parents, siblings, children, spouse, when and where married, where the deceased [...]

One of the most difficult parts of genealogical research can be finding military records for family members within your circle. While hard to find, these records can prove invaluable to your search for more information about your family. They can help you track who a family member dealt with and where they might have been [...]

Using church records to trace genealogical information is a great resource that is rapidly being discovered by those who are tracing their family tree information.  Your church or the church that your family belonged to in the past may have extensive records.  Many do.
The most well known church records for genealogy research are those of [...]