Blog
Genealogical Education
One of our assignments in the Professional Genealogy (ProGen) Study Group was to devise an educational plan. It may be daunting to figure out how to know what you don’t know. You can focus on a specific individual, a geographical area or topics you want to use in your research, and fill in the gaps of your knowledge in those areas. Examples: how to map property in land records or mapping tools. Picking a topic like DNA would be too large, so identify a facet of that field you want to learn. Examples would be what test(s) are available...
read more“DNA Detectives”
“DNA Detectives” is a New Zealand genealogy program that presents the DNA stories of two celebrities per episode. Two seasons of the program were created, in 2015 and 2017. Host Richard O’Brien introduces each celebrity, asks about the anticipated DNA results, then briefs the celebrity on the DNA testing results. Finally, he hands the celebrity a device to stay in communication with him. The mysterious device is a smart phone. The celebrities are given cryptic and entertaining clues as they are sent on missions around...
read moreBook Review: “Guns and Gods in My Genes”
Disclaimer: I have always considered Canada to be our neighbor to the north. It is more than the fact that we share the longest undefended border in the world. It could be all the years I played ice hockey, or all the Canadians I met both on the ice and professionally. Maybe it was what the U.S. did for Canada in the world wars, even serving in their military. Maybe it was the favor Canada did for the U.S. when the Iranian Revolution began. More than these reasons, of all the people I have met from around the world, Canadians and...
read moreBook Review: “The Sleuth Book for Genealogists”
For those who have been genealogists for many years, the name of Emily Anne Croom is recognizable. With books like “Unpuzzling Your Past” and “The Genealogist’s Companion & Sourcebook,” she has written several genealogical library fundamentals. Although first published in 2000, this latest publishing of “The Sleuth Book for Genealogists” is as valuable to genealogists as it was when it was first published. The difference between the two versions is that the 2008 version is printed on...
read moreSpeaking at RootsTech Connect 2021!
This year RootsTech is all virtual and free to register! Have you registered? I hope you will have a chance to check out my lecture: “Write Their Story: From Timeline to Young Readers’ Book” (Lecture Session 471160). For RootsTech Connect 2021, each lecture session will be 20 minutes long. My lecture will be split across two 20-minute sessions. I hope you will join me! Session ID: 471160Session Title: Write Their Story: From Timeline to Young Readers’ BookSession Type: Lecture Session When...
read moreTravel to Where Your Ancestors Worshipped (Virtually)
The pandemic has affected every part of our lives, including how people are able to attend religious services. Many people are attending virtual religious services on the web. That means that many places of worship are uploading videos of religious services to the web. This may be a way that you can attend a religious service where your ancestors worshipped! The services might be hosted on a variety of websites for video services. They might be found on YouTube, Vimeo, or Facebook. Use Google, or your other favorite search engine,...
read moreFinding WWI U.S. Army Rosters
Another great resource for researching soldiers in WWI that has come online are the Muster Rolls and Rosters at FamilySearch. Using these records, you can trace your a service member throughout his service in the U.S. Army in WWI. These records are not indexed, so using them will take a little work. These are digital images of the filmstrips that you would be using at the National Archives and Records Administration in St. Louis, Missouri. You will need a free account at FamilySearch to access these records, but if you are not...
read moreDid My Ancestor Serve in WWI?
Updated 15 October 2023 In the past, I answered that question by recommending searching for information at home, searching through the U.S. Army Transport Records that documented a veteran’s trip overseas, consulting state service abstracts or contacting the National Personnel Records Center. Now, one of the most helpful sets of records to answer that question has come online. It is the U.S. Veterans Administration Master Index from NARA’s Records of the Veterans Administration [VA] (Record Group 15). So, gather up...
read moreThe U.S. Military Records That Never Burned
No, NOT all the WWI and WWII military records for your ancestor were burned! We often hear the misinformation and read many posts on Facebook claiming that all the military records burned. This post will help shed light on just a few of the records about your ancestor’s service that are still available. We have already blogged about the Official Military Personnel Files OMPFs beginning here, and hope you had a chance to read about them. From that post you will have learned that Navy and Marine Corps personnel files from WWI and...
read moreGenealogy and the 2020 U.S. Census
You have probably received, or are about to receive, your invitation to complete the 2020 U.S. Census online. One thing I always recommend at census time is saving a paper (and electronic!) copy of the census after you fill it out. Since the censuses are closed for 72 years, how great would be researchers to have copies of our censuses for those years? I’ve seen a lot of comments about how disappointing it is that you cannot print out all the responses when you are done completing the online forms. With that in mind, here...
read more
