Based on many requests, we’ve added this class to our schedule for September-October: AncestryDNA–5 weeks Activities/Content: Understanding what can and cannot be learned from the AncestryDNA test Strategies for “figuring out” people who do not return communication Probability of relationship based on shared DNA and relationship scenarios not presented Downloading AncestryDNA matches into an Excel […]

It can be difficult to decide how to refer to an ancestor. Yet thinking about it can be an excellent genealogical exercise. Documents should always be transcribed as they are written-whether the spelling is “correct,” slightly off, or an egregious error. The researcher should always explain in their analysis of a document why they the right person […]

Some of are fortunate enough that a significant amount of their genealogy can be traced relatively easily without researching all the individuals with whom their ancestors were associated. Some people do leave behind enough detailed records that accurately uncovering their parents, spouse(s), children, and vital events is not overly difficult. Personally it was easy for […]

You’ve found a recently published book that contains a lovely five page write up on your family. Here’s some ways to responsibly use it: Make a copy for yourself for your own personal use. This does not mean posting images of these pages to your Ancestry.com tree (public or private), your blog, website, or Facebook page. Make certain those personal pages […]

The entry for Habbe Rolfs Habben in the funeral register of the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Hancock County, Illinois’ Harmony Township indicated that he was born on 26 August 1861 in Wiesens, Ostfriesland, Germany and died on 17 March 1880 at 1 in the afternoon of “lung fever.” The eighteen year old was buried on […]

When sending emails and making posts, think about the subject line or title that you use. I just realized that “Money to Lend,” was not the best title to use. It also does not make the best subject line and probably will get caught in spam filters, trash folders, etc. Just something to think about. […]

Some of the things we “wish we were taught in history class,” we may have actually been “taught” or exposed to and have simply forgotten. If you don’t “use it, you lose it.” Many times these facts are readily available in a vetted reference book or other reliable source. It does not mean that we […]

When Harm Habben was buried “Near Quincy road in Harmony Township,” the “people” were the undertaker. It wasn’t the “People’s Funeral Home.” Likely the neighbors helped the family with preparation of the body and the funeral. The death certificate makes it sound like Habben was buried along a road somewhere. The burial was actually in […]

My colleague at work Jake R mentioned what he called the “Social Media model” of citation. He also admitted that the analogy may be weak and there may be some truth to that. Like any analogy, it’s intent is not to represent the reality precisely and entirely accurately. Analogies are meant to provide a broad […]

When I began my genealogical research in the early 1980s, the number of indexes to records was far fewer than it is today. The increase in indexes is generally helpful to the researcher and there is no doubt that the increase in indexes has made the location of items significantly easier.  This is not a […]