Are You My Cousin?

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  • Home
  • Start Here
    • About
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure
  • Blog Index
    • RootsTech 2019 – 27 February 2019 Through 2 March 2019
    • Genealogy Research
    • Genealogy Resources
    • Organize Your Genealogy
    • Photographs
  • Work With Me
    • Genealogy Consultations & Research
    • Let’s Discuss Your Genealogy Research Project!
    • Speaking Events
      • Speaking Topics
    • Advertise/Sponsor
    • Testimonials
  • Shop
  • Genealogy Bargains

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  • If your ancestor appears on the non-population schedules, you have a unique opportunity to learn more about them as individuals and their role in their community. In addition, the information you learn from a non-population schedule can point you to new clues and record sources not previously searched.
    Genealogy Research,  How To,  Uncategorized

    Is Your Ancestor In The Often Overlooked Non-Population Schedules of 1850-1880?

    / 3 Comments

    This post contain affiliate links.  Read my full disclosure policy here. Let’s jump outside of the genealogy box again and explore non-population schedules. You know the ones?  Those census schedukes taken beside the “regular census” in 1850-1880 collecting a variety of additional information. In the 1880 census, my GGG grandmother Panthea Overby Elliott is listed as “insane”. The Elliott family includes her husband Elias Elliott, 7 children, and a housekeeper. The youngest child was just 1 year old. Panthea…..insane?! Hmm….. could I learn more about her and what this “insane” designation meant for her? Yes. Yes, I can! For this part of my research, I needed to explore the Non-Population…

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    Did your ancestor have a delayed birth certificate? That's a good thing! Find out the "extra" genealogy clues that are not found in traditional birth or vital records. #genealogy #ancestors #areyoumycousin

    Delayed Birth Certificates – A Genealogist’s Treasure Chest!

    July 23, 2014
    Research genealogy in 15 minutes bursts with these 15 quick genealogy tasks!

    15 MORE Quick Genealogy Tasks To Do In 15 Minutes

    October 15, 2018
    Genealogy research in a burned county is difficult, but not impossible. Tips to find your ancestors when many records have been lost.

    7 Tips For Successful Genealogy Research In A Burned County

    November 28, 2016
  • Genealogy Tutorial: Learn how to find your ancestor by performing a no surname search.
    Genealogy Research,  How To

    Tutorial: How to Research Your Ancestor With a No-Surname Search

    / 6 Comments

    This post contain affiliate links.  Read my full disclosure policy here. Jesse Haley of Halifax County, VA seemed to disappear from the records for a while in the mid-1800’s. Hmm….did he leave the area? Or was he just hidden in the records? Haley seems like a straight forward name to research with it most common misspelling being “Hailey”. Still, I struggled to find Jesse in the records. Has this happened to you? You might be not be finding your ancestor in search results for a variety of reasons. Why You Might Be Missing Your Ancestors in  Your Searches A surname may be “misspelled”. The surname was fluid. Take my Howard…

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    You May Also Like

    WorldCat is a valuable genealogy research tool for every genealogist! Find family histories, local histories and more to progress your research. #genealogy #areyoumycousin #ancestors #worldcat

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

    July 22, 2018
    The 1910 census provides the genealogy researcher with unique information about your ancestors. Are you recognizing all of the clues to be found?

    What Is The 1910 Census Telling You About Your Ancestor?

    May 9, 2017
    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
  • Tutorial and tips: Use Ancestry.com's Card Catalog to find available genealogy record collections in the search for your ancestors.
    How To

    Tutorial: Using Ancestry.com’s Card Catalog

    / 9 Comments

    How often do you use  Ancestry.com’s card catalog feature? Often times we are very good at researching the genealogy collections and databases we know. We are comfortable in those records.  We have learned their idiosyncrasies. Right? But, our research becomes stalled. We’ve exhausted our tried and true records. In the back of our minds, we are wondering……. Am I missing other helpful genealogy records? You (I!) might be. How do we find what other records might exist? For you Ancestry.com users, the card catalog comes to the rescue! It’s an amazing genealogy tool  for your toolbox. How To Use Ancestry.com’s Card Catalog! When you search the card catalog, remember you are…

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    You May Also Like

    Finding an ancestor's death date is usually high on a genealogy researcher's wish list. Here are 7 places to start your search.

    7 Places To Start Finding An Ancestor’s Death Date

    December 11, 2017
    Explore mortality schedules for clues to your ancestor's death date, birth date and other information! Don't miss this "out of the box" genealogy resource!

    31 Days of “Out of the Box” Genealogy Tips – Mortality Schedules

    July 17, 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
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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What Others Are Saying

Wonderful Detailed Reports

“After both my parents died, I thought my links to my family history were lost forever. I turned to a genealogy website to try to track down information about my heritage, and found evidence that I qualified to be a Daughter of the American Revolution. Knowing that the official paperwork would require documentation of my ancestors, I turned to Lisa Lisson (no relation) for assistance. She helped track down the links between my Patriot ancestor and me, and helped me to submit my documents to become a Daughter of the American Revolution. Lisa also sent me wonderful detail-filled reports on different members of my family. I have built quite a collection of reprints of family history books based on the sources she found. Lisa’s reports and my book collection will be a resource for my young nephews when they get older and begin asking about where they came from. I can share stories of Puritans and farmers and witchcraft and Irish butchers and Indian raids and pioneers!” 

Kathleen L.

2016-09-05T15:10:44-04:00

Kathleen L.

“After both my parents died, I thought my links to my family history were lost forever. I turned to a genealogy website to try to track down information about my heritage, and found evidence that I qualified to be a Daughter of the American Revolution. Knowing that the official paperwork would require documentation of my ancestors, I turned to Lisa Lisson (no relation) for assistance. She helped track down the links between my Patriot ancestor and me, and helped me to submit my documents to become a Daughter of the American Revolution. Lisa also sent me wonderful detail-filled reports on different members of my family. I have built quite a collection of reprints of family history books based on the sources she found. Lisa’s reports and my book collection will be a resource for my young nephews when they get older and begin asking about where they came from. I can share stories of Puritans and farmers and witchcraft and Irish butchers and Indian raids and pioneers!” 
https://lisalisson.com/testimonials/wonderful-detailed-reports/

A Partner In Research

I have been a family history researcher for over 30 years ever since my father left me his notes on his family.   Since then I have worked with a number of other researchers who have helped me find good sources as I am a stickler for documentary proof of facts.
I consider myself very fortunate to have come in contact with Lisa Lisson.  She is diligent and clever about finding those small bits of data that connect people in obscure past records.  Beyond that, Lisa is a joy to work with, adaptable, insightful and flexible.  She takes a suggestion and works it into a plan of action adapted to my schedule and budget.  Above all she is honest about what is possible and prudent in terms of cost and results.   I have come to consider her a partner in my work.

Jim S.

2016-09-05T15:17:32-04:00

Jim S.

I have been a family history researcher for over 30 years ever since my father left me his notes on his family.   Since then I have worked with a number of other researchers who have helped me find good sources as I am a stickler for documentary proof of facts. I consider myself very fortunate to have come in contact with Lisa Lisson.  She is diligent and clever about finding those small bits of data that connect people in obscure past records.  Beyond that, Lisa is a joy to work with, adaptable, insightful and flexible.  She takes a suggestion and works it into a plan of action adapted to my schedule and budget.  Above all she is honest about what is possible and prudent in terms of cost and results.   I have come to consider her a partner in my work.
https://lisalisson.com/testimonials/a-partner-in-research/

Thank You!

Thank you for the great ideas and the incentive to get what photos we have identified. I know I have photos from that my grandmother saved that are not marked in any way and no one seems to know who they are. She didn’t share them during her lifetime, but they were found after she passed away.

Michelle T.

2016-09-05T15:25:58-04:00

Michelle T.

Thank you for the great ideas and the incentive to get what photos we have identified. I know I have photos from that my grandmother saved that are not marked in any way and no one seems to know who they are. She didn’t share them during her lifetime, but they were found after she passed away.
https://lisalisson.com/testimonials/thank-you/

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5 Things You CAN Do If You Cannot Find Your Ancestors In Census Records
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Before You Go.....
Don't forget to subscribe to weekly genealogy emails & get the FREE genealogy resource "5 Things You CAN Do If You Cannot Find Your Ancestors In Census Records".
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