Use Social History in Genealogy Research – Telling Your Ancestors’ Stories
Social history in genealogy research tells the stories of our ordinary ancestors’ lives. [I like to think my ordinary ancestors were extraordinary in their own right.] Social history tells the stories of how our ancestors lived, worked and played. Understanding how our ancestors lived on a day to day basis, we can begin to understand how they made their life decisions. Choices such as: What occupation they chose When and if they moved to a new location Where they moved to Who they married Understanding the influences on our ancestors’ lives leads to more clues in our genealogy research. Often times we overlook the clues social history offers us as…
Your Guide To Cemetery Research – Are You Missing Important Genealogical Clues?
As a genealogy researcher, I spend a lot of time in cemeteries. I expect you do, too. Now it’s confession time….. Early in my genealogy research days, I would aimlessly wander about a cemetery looking for my ancestor. Once I found the gravestone, I took a photograph of the front and then I left. Doing cemetery research this way, I missed so much important genealogical information! [Maybe the title of this post should be “Don’t Research Like I Did!”] Fast forward to present day, and I come away from cemetery research with a lot of information on my ancestors. I created this guide to cemetery research to show you how…
Find Alternatives To Vital Records When Birth Records (& Others) Cannot Be Found
Vital records are well, ….vital to genealogy research. Finding a formal birth record such as a birth certificate is one of the first things a genealogy research searches for. Marriage and death records are next in line. What happens when your research pre – dates the use of vital records? What alternatives to vital records should a genealogy researcher search to find the birth, marriage and death information on an ancestor? 8 Alternatives to Vital Records Vital records are relatively modern records when searching for your ancestors. Your research does not have to go far back in time to pre-date the use of these formal records, but you DO have…
Use ArchiveGrid To Find Old Documents & Family Records
ArchiveGrid is a power online finding aid genealogy researchers do not want to overlook! (And it’s FREE!) As an online finding aid, ArchiveGrid accesses over 1000 institutions and 5+million of archival records including personal papers, family records, old documents and original manuscripts. They have listings for across the US and internationally as well. Now, imagine your ancestors hiding away in a small repository’s records you never even knew existed. I, for one, do not want to miss out on finding important genealogical clues lcoated in areas I never thought to look. I know you do not either. How To Use ArchiveGrid For Genealogy Research Once you learn the steps to…
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5 Things You CAN Do If You Cannot Find Your Ancestors In Census Records
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