Cemetery records have been compiled in some organized manner for nearly 200 years and are a wealth of informative clues about our ancestors' lives. Going to the cemetery is my chosen way to research them, since you'll almost certainly find surprises

1 Search for the person’s name. If possible, narrow your search to the time period and place the person died or to a specific paper. Keep in mind, though, that several papers—even those published elsewhere—may have carried the story. 2 Try spelling v

NOT ALL GENEALOGY SOURCES ARE CREATED EQUAL. When assessing a source’s accuracy, you need to weigh a variety of factors, including: when the record was created in relation to the event it documented, who was the source of a record’s information (and

Every family has one: the custodian for all the “stuff” that gets handed down from generation to generation. Because of my day job, I’m quickly becoming that person in my family—but not the only one! I’m fortunate to have a maternal uncle and a pater

Family archives can arrive without warning. One day you’re creating a research plan, perusing online databases, analyzing information, and recording results and conclusions. Then suddenly, you’re the keeper of the family “stuff.” A relative passes aw

1 From All Digitized Titles, you can filter the site’s collection by state, ethnicity or language. It’s a rough sort at best. But you can quickly see how many issues have been digitized and for what time period. Note: Chronicling America might not ha

These machines lead the pack in the race to digitize your precious family photos and documents. The prices listed here are the suggested retail values from manufacturers; you may find reduced prices through other sellers. Canon CanoScan LiDe 400, $89

Family memorabilia and the trappings of past lifetimes live on in attics, basements, closets and storerooms. They exist in limbo: no longer wanted or used by the family, but unable to be thrown away. But that detritus may contain many genealogical ri

Subscription website MyHeritage now has a fifth tier: Omni ($399/year) . This “all-in-one” option, first announced at RootsTech 2024, includes: MyHeritage’s 20.6 billion digitized records, premium treebuilding and photo-ed

Some highlights from the major genealogy websites: Wills and deeds, 1700s–2017: FamilySearch quietly added collections of these valuable (but often-overlooked) records for most US states. Articles of enslavement: In honor of Juneteenth, Ancestry.com

THE BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION OF GENEALOGISTS (BCG), which awards credentials to qualifying researchers, published official guidance on how artificial intelligence can be used in applications. Per a blog post

You never carry information on Sweden. Why? Katherine C. via email Editors: We’ll concede that it’s been a while (December 2016) since we’ve run a article specifically about Swedish genealogy. We try to stagger our coverage of individual countries, a

Since becoming interested in genealogy as a high schooler in California, Reem Awad-Rashmawi assumed she would not be able to trace her paternal family tree. Her mother’s ancestors, who were from Western Europe, could be traced back before the Revolut

Research Tips Use other sources to verify the information you find in obituaries, as they can be prone to error. Name of deceased at death Names may be misspelled, particularly if newspaper staff (not a relative) wrote the obituary. Maiden name of de

Do you have family photo albums and boxes of slides and negatives? What about old letters and family Bibles? Maybe you have home movies, too, but no projector to view them. Converting these items to digital allows you to edit and improve images, then

Run an obituary search using “5 Tips to Find Obits Online.” Did you find your ancestor? Do you know the date and place of death? Look for an index book or online index of obituaries and death notices for the rough time and place your ancestor lived.

1 Preserve the paper. School notepads and folders were made to be inexpensive and short-lived. Unfortunately, high-pulp newsprint paper degrades quickly due to its high-acid content. And elementary school paper—where first attempts at handwriting wer

Genealogists usually start by looking for a death record, then moving back in time. In practice, however, deathrecord research can be challenging. Former Family Tree Magazine Publisher Allison Dolan shares these nine records to look for—beyond the ty

Private Facebook groups give you dedicated spaces to share news, celebrate milestones, post photos, plan reunions and more. To create a group, log in and go to your feed. Choose Groups > Create new group and follow the prompts, the

In each issue, Your Turn offers a form that’ll help you preserve your family’s unique stories and organize your research. Tear out and use the form or make a photocopy.■

Three popular family tree-building software programs released new versions this year: • RootsMagic 10 : Bruce Buzbee’s wellrespected software ($29.95) adds DNA match-management and tools for tracking family health history. A free

Q What do I do when a DNA match doesn’t have a family tree linked to their results? A If you’ve spent any amount of time in your DNAmatch lists, you know that this is common. In fact, 23andMe and LivingDNA don’t

Editor Andrew Koch Art Director Julie Barnett Digital Editors Katrina Farmer, Melina Papadopoulos eLearning Producer Amanda Epperson Contributing Editors Lisa A. Alzo, Rick Crume, David A. Fryxell, Nancy Hendrickson, Sunny Jane Morton, Maureen A. Tay

It all started in September 2001. Just a few days after the September 11th attacks, Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah introduced a resolution proclaiming October to be Family History Month. At such a dark time in the nation’s history, the U.S. Senate pause

Have a photo mystery you’d like Maureen to investigate? Email FamilyTree@Yankeepub. about it (including links to online trees), and Photo Detective in the subject line, and your question may be selected for a future issue. Maureen A. Taylor is the au

Source: “Mrs. Mayo Dies Very Suddenly,” The Times Dispatch (Richmond, Va.), 24 March 1909, p. 4, col. 3, image 4, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Library of Congress (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85038615/1909-03-24/ed-

FOR A SMALL STATE, DELAWARE has played an outsized role in US history. As one of the original Thirteen Colonies, it had three signers of the Declaration of Independence. Delaware was the first to ratify the U.S. Constitution, becoming The First State

Each state-by-state guide includes: • How-to tutorials for finding records Notes on how and when key documents were kept in the state, including vital records, state censuses and land records • Historical summaries and timelines Narrative history wit

German church books are typically the most-informative resource for genealogists looking to find their ancestors in the homeland. But civil records (officially Standesamtregister, or Standesamt records after the office that created them) are increasi

1800 Obituaries as poems are en vogue. They tend to focus on the deceased’s character and virtuosity. 1860s Newspapers regularly report on deeds of hometown heroes on Civil War battlefields. 1880s “Death journalism,” or writing in detail about the de