Are You My Cousin?

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  • Home
  • Start Here
    • About
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure
  • The “Everything” Page
  • Blog Index
    • Genealogy Research
    • Genealogy Resources
    • Organize Your Genealogy
    • Photographs
  • Work With Me
    • Speaking Events
      • Book Lisa to Speak at Your Genealogy Event!
    • Find Lisa Featured On…
    • Advertise/Sponsor
    • Testimonials
  • Shop

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  • Are you missing out on important genealogical clues? Use this guide to cemetery research the next time you visit the family cemetery.
    Genealogy Research,  How To Trace Your Family Tree

    Your Guide To Cemetery Research – Are You Missing Important Genealogical Clues?

    / 8 Comments

    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…

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    Not all records needed to find your ancestors are found online. Use these tips to research offline genealogy without leaving your home. #genealogy #ancestors

    Research Offline Genealogy Records – Even If You Cannot Travel!

    November 14, 2016
    Tracking down our female ancestors requires thinking "outside the box".  Always focusing on her may not yield the desired results.  By taking our focus off of our female ancestor, we can be sure of exhausting all possibilities of finding her in the records.

    Tracing Female Ancestors Through A Child’s Records

    March 6, 2018
    Help for finding your ancestors in the absence of the 1890 census.

    The 1890 Census – Researching AROUND the “Genealogy Black Hole” – Part 2

    December 19, 2016
  • How To Trace Your Family Tree

    Find Alternatives To Vital Records When Birth Records (& Others) Cannot Be Found

    / 8 Comments

    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…

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    How To Preserve Your Family’s Oral History & Why You Should! (+A Review)

    July 18, 2017
    Boost your genealogy and family history research by seeking out distant and collateral cousins to share and compare your research with. #genealogy #ancestry #areyoumycousin #familyhistory

    31 Days of “Out of the Box” Genealogy Tips – That 3rd Cousin

    July 28, 2018

    Use ArchiveGrid To Find Old Documents & Family Records

    August 19, 2019
  • Finding an ancestor's death date is usually high on a genealogy researcher's wish list. Here are 7 places to start your search.
    Genealogy Research,  How To Trace Your Family Tree

    7 Places To Start Finding An Ancestor’s Death Date

    / 6 Comments

    Finding an ancestor’s death date is usually high on a genealogy researcher’s wish list.  Often that death date can be difficult to track down – especially as we go further back in history. Why do genealogy researchers have trouble finding an ancestor’s death date? Well, several reasons….. Researchers may be searching for a death record that does not exist. Formal death certificates are fairly “modern” records, so searching for a death certificate for an ancestor who died in 1860 is a wasted search. Researchers may not understand the county/state boundaries or geographical region where an ancestor lived. If an ancestor lived close to a state or county dividing line, he/she…

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    African American women from early 1900's

    How To Start Researching Your African American Female Ancestors

    November 23, 2020
    Having trouble finding your ancestors in 1890? Explore state census records in the absence of the 1890 census. #genealogy #familyhistory #ancestors

    How To Research Around the 1890 Census Record Loss – Part 2: State Census Records

    September 19, 2018
    Are you missing vital clues to your ancestors? Learn how to all the genealogical clues in your ancestor's death certificate .

    Don’t Miss Out On Important Genealogy Clues on Your Ancestor’s Death Certificate

    March 5, 2015
  • Find your ancestors in estate records! Learn how to find vital clues and analyze an ancestor's estate records to move your genealogy research forward.
    How To Trace Your Family Tree

    How To Research Your Ancestor’s Estate Record

    / No Comments

    Researching your ancestor’s estate record can provide a gold mine of information and give your genealogy research a boost! A common source of genealogical information, I daresay estate and probate records are among some of the first records a researcher seeks out. Why? Well, you certainly find information on the deceased, but more often I am after information about any other family members and/or members of the community that are mentioned.  Multiple generations, neigbors and those associated with the family  can also be found among the pages of an estate record. And… If your ancestors were contentious and tended to sue each other over an estate, even better. Well, maybe…

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    FlickR is another great tool to add to your genealogy toolbox! Explore items form state archives, libraries and university collections. #ancestor #genealogy#areyoumycouin #flickr

    31 Days of “Out of the Box” Genealogy Tips – FlickR

    July 24, 2018
    Facebook Groups can be a valuable tool in your genealogy toolbox. Find and join a Facebook group and network genealogy style. #genealogy #genealogytips #areyoumycousin #ancestors #familyhistory

    31 Days of “Out of the Box” Genealogy Tips – Facebook Groups

    July 9, 2018
    Many readers' emails center around researching the genealogy of 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!

    How To Start Researching Your Irish Immigrant Ancestor

    June 19, 2017
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Lisa Lisson - Genealogist

Welcome! I’m Lisa. I believe researching your genealogy does not have to be overwhelming. All you need is a solid plan, a genealogy toolbox and the knowledge to use those tools. Read more….

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