-
Readers’ Questions – Answering YOUR Burning Genealogy Questions
Have genealogy questions? Answering YOUR genealogy research questions about finding vital records, name changes and starting overseas genealogy research. I receive a lot of reader questions in my email. You guys ask some of the best questions! I read every email and answer as many as I possibly can. Often readers have the same or similar questions, so I thought it would be best to answer some of your questions here in a post. I have tried to pick questions that are representative of common questions and/or frustrations. Question #1 – My great grandmother had two sons born out of wedlock and have her last name. Can’t seem to get…
-
How To Start Researching Your Irish Immigrant Ancestor
This post contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here. Do you have Irish ancestors? Do you have a GG grandmother Bridget (or Joanna or ….. ) who came to America from Ireland? Wondering who she was? Completely unsure how to proceed in your Irish ancestor research? It’s okay, I promise! The Most Common Mistake Genealogy Researchers Make Many readers’ emails center around researching an immigrant Irish ancestor. Researching their family line has revealed an Irish ancestor. Time to start searching the Irish records to find where they lived in Ireland and when they came to America. Wait, not so fast! Often the information you need to determine what…
-
How To Use PERSI To Improve Your Genealogy Research
I am always excited to receive questions about learning more our ancestors beyond just the facts. Initially, genealogists look for the birth, marriage and death dates of ancestors. That’s a good thing. But, somewhere along the way, our research gets stuck. No more tradtional records can be found and brick walls spring up. We need to know more about our ancestors and the lives of those around them to get our research moving again. We need to use other sources beyond traditional genealogy records. We need to know things like: Were they prominent in the community? Were they upstanding citizens? Were they criminals? Did they own a plantation or…
-
Successful Research With A Genealogical Records Timeline
This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy here. I love a good timeline! I doubt that is a surprise to long time readers. 🙂 Timelines are such powerful genealogy research tools. Seeing your ancestor’s life events on a timeline – in any form you choose – shows you what you already know. Gaps in your research are revealed. Placing your ancestor alongside local and national events reveals motives for behavior. Let’s look at timelines in a different way….. Have you considered creating a timeline for genealogical records themselves? While at the recent NGS Family History conference, I attended a lecture by Jen Baldwin (Hi, Jen!) of FindMyPast…