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Paul Duxbury and Kevin Cook's Articles Display Category|Title|Newest|Oldest Bring to Life Those Dead Ends in your Genealogy Research If you are into genealogy, you will at some time or another hit a dead end. It is just a fact that dead ends are a part of this hobby, and they are frustrating. However, you will want to have strategies that will help you to get over, around, or through these dead end obstacles in your family searches Courting Information - How the Local Courthouse Can Be a Wealth of Information As a genealogist you have probably heard that a trip to any courthouse should be a last resort. This advice is passed along as a result of a bad experience or multiple bad experiences in visiting the courthouse. However, that is just not true; a trip to the local courthouse can result in a great deal of information that may be valuable to your genealogical searches. The idea is to know what you are getting into when starting your genealogy search and what you should do when you get to the courthouse. Create your Own Traditions with Family to Help Future Genealogists Have you ever wished you could ask your Great-Uncle George how soldiers felt about World War I or your Great-Aunt Georgina how she weathered the Great Depression? Or perhaps you rue the loss of your Grandmother Gretel's recipe for delicious German strudel? Family traditions and lore can be completely lost in a generation or two if families do not actively take steps to preserve their history Death and Taxes: Two Avenues to Travel on your Genealogical Quest Reconstructing the lives of your dead ancestors is a bit like piecing together a large and complicated puzzle. Luckily, little bits of information are available in many different places if you know where to look. As the old saying goes, two things in everyone's life are inevitable: death and taxes. By researching these two aspects of your ancestor's existence, you can find information and leads that you might not be able to find otherwise. Eight Important How-to Tips in Searching Census Records Census records may be the single most utilized search tool online for family tree research. From 1930 back to the founding of the country, the records of every census are available online. Eight Ways to Avoid Barking Up the Wrong Family Tree For anyone into genealogy there is nothing more frustrating than doing hours and sometimes day's worth of research only to find that you have been looking at bad information or even in the wrong family. It is a problem that plagues everyone who has ever dabbled in genealogy and one that you should try to avoid Fact or Fiction: How to Know When You Have a True Lead In your Family Research Deciding to create a family genealogy requires knowing where to search and how to find accurate information. One of the problems that will occur when recording family history is finding leads that do not hold true about your history Family Mementos Hold the Key to your Ancestral Search Family mementoes can be a useful tool in your ancestral search. You can use just about anything that has been passed down from an earlier generation. One of the most common things to use is a family bible. Many family bibles have family names, children's names, family churches and a host of other information Family Religion - Tracing Genealogy through Church Records Using church records to trace genealogical information is a great resource that is rapidly being discovered by those who are tracing their family tree information. Your church or the church that your family belonged to in the past may have extensive records Five Important Things You Can Learn from Researching Death Records Why should you research death records? Death records are an important source of information for any serious genealogy student. Commonly death records can be found in the county courthouse, or in newspaper archives of obituaries. They will include information on the deceased such as parents, siblings, children, spouse, when and where married, where the deceased was born, the occupation of the deceased, possible military service, and cause of death Four Important Pieces of Information Vital Statistics Can Provide Vital statistics can provide priceless information when doing genealogy research. The pieces of information they can provide that can prove essential are: Birth Marriage Death And birth of children Four Tips for Writing Genealogical Inquiries Before writing any genealogical inquiry that is going to be turned into any official place, such as the Census bureau or the Bureau of Indian Affairs, it is best to make sure you have all your chickens in a row so to speak. You need to make sure beyond a doubt that the information you give them is completely true to the best of your knowledge Getting Your Kids Involved in your Ancestral Detective Work Getting your kids involved in researching your ancestral history is a great way to bond with your kids as well as teach your kids about your family history. It also gives the parents time to spend quality time with their kids. It can be a fun and entertaining project. Give the Gift of Genealogy - Five Gifts that Reflect the Family Tree What to give the person who has everything….hmmmm, how about the gift of heritage? Researching your family tree has become very popular, raising interest in many people as to where their ancestors came from, how they got here, and what they were doing. With that in mind, here are a few gift ideas that will help a person along the way in reflecting a family tree Handed Down Family Names Can Provide a Genealogical Clue Two types of names are handed down from generation to generation: surnames and given names. Surnames have obvious genealogical links that can indicate country of origin, ethnicity, and even religion, and genealogists must be aware of the difficulties of surname research. Given names, however, can also provide clues to family history. Both types of names, therefore, should be studied in order for genealogists to understand better their ancestral origins. Historical Museums May Help in your Ancestral Research Genealogy is, essentially, a historical endeavour. Genealogists attempt to discover not only the history of a family but also the history of individuals living during a specific time period. The importance of understanding the social and cultural forces shaping your ancestors during a particular slice of history can not be overstated How Computer Software Can Streamline Your Genealogy Research Computer software can make your family tree research a breeze, relatively speaking - pun intended, of course. Using family tree software allows the creation of online data bases to sort records; the storage of digital photos with other documents, scanning of old records, easy sharing with other researchers, and a world of information at your fingertips through the Internet How Creating a Timeline for your Family's History Assists your Search Successfully filling in a family tree and uncovering the details of your family history can be an incredibly complex and overwhelming process. Charts and other organizational timelines, either on paper or in computer programs, can help you gather all of the genealogical material you have discovered in a comprehensive and presentable manner. How Family Heirlooms Provide Hints of Your Genealogy Genealogy research can be a huge undertaking. If you are new to the world of genealogy research, most experts recommend starting in the family home. Once there, you should start examining the pieces you find that have been handed down. How Networking with Other Amateur Genealogists Helps your Search Genealogy is fast becoming one of the best and most popular hobbies. As a result, there are thousands of people working on their own genealogies. Networking with other amateur genealogists helps your search in a number of different ways How the Social Security Death Index Can Help your Genealogical Search Anyone who is interested in researching their family tree knows how wonderful it would be to have vital information on their ancestors available to them at the stroke of a key. The Social Security Death Index, a huge database compiled by the United States Social Security Administration, is a gold mine to be plumbed for genealogists searching for recent ancestors, and it's only a computer disc or internet search away. How to Let Go of Those Dead End Leads in Genealogy Research When someone begins to make efforts in finding out their past with genealogy research, they may begin to run into dead end leads. This happens when you begin to find something on your family history, but it ends up going in circles or leading to the same information that you have already found. How to Locate Maiden Names for your Genealogy Search When working on your genealogy, sometimes the most difficult obstacle to overcome is that of finding the maiden names of female ancestors. However, by finding this information you can be lead to an entirely new branch of your family tree and a whole new set of information and history to explore How Your Local Library Can Provide Clues to Your Ancestry Joining the world of genealogy research can be quite exciting at times. At other times, though, it can be confusing and difficult. It can be hard to locate sources of information about your family; it can also be hard to figure out who is related to whom. Starting your genealogy research can be a difficult and daunting task. With so many resources at your fingertips, it can be difficult to decide where to start your research. One of the best places to begin your genealogy research, though, is your local library. Important Tips of Unearthing Vital Statistic Information on Ancestors When researching ancestors, then vital statistic information can be of vital importance. Digging up the dirt on your family is easier when you have some basic information. Start out with a note pad, making notes. First start with your parents, then your grandparents, great grandparents, and so on, working back as far as you can, listing their full names, their birthdates, and all other information you know about them. Interviewing Older Relatives about your Family History If you are interested in genealogy, you know that there is a plethora of resources out there for you to use in your search for knowledge about your family. You know that the internet has a number of sites and resources for you and you have probably gotten a lot of information from there. In addition, libraries, town halls, and even hospitals are great sources of information as well. Have you considered, though, that perhaps the best resource for genealogy may be easier than any of these? Kissing Cousins - Deciphering Family Relationships in your Ancestral Tree Joining the world of genealogy research can be quite exciting at times. At other times, though, it can be confusing and difficult. Not only can it be hard to locate sources of information about your family, it can also be hard to figure out who is related to whom Locating Family Members who Immigrated to America Centuries ago, the first of hundreds of thousands of immigrants arrived in America. Over the years, they have appeared at America's doorstep for a variety of reasons. In the early days of the sixteen hundreds, they came with a sense of exploration and a hope for a better life. That hope carries over into America's immigrants even today Logging the Family History - Why Documentation Is Important Once you've begun the process of researching your family history, you've probably also begun the long practice of writing your family story. The family story is a concise, logical document that can help others to view your research in a reader-friendly format. It can help them become truly interested in the research that you have done. One of the most important aspects of any family story, though, is the documentation of sources Love of History Can Fuel you Family Tree Investigation One of the questions that may arise when someone is considering making a genealogy or a family tree is the reasons behind investigating into their family history. By beginning to investigate your family tree, you will most often times find direct links to significant historical events or people that are in history. If you have a love for history, then creating a family tree will help with understanding different individual aspects of history that you may not have known before. Organizations and Unions - Searching for Family via Membership Researching the branches of your family tree can be a complex and time-consuming process. Sometimes you may feel like you have reached a dead end and not know where else you can look. That's when it's time to think like your ancestors and look for them in unexpected places. Perhaps they were a member of a church, a professional organization, or a civic organization Possible Family Skeletons Could Be Hanging in Your Family Tree When doing ancestral research, be prepared to find a few skeletons hanging around. Most of us are not blessed with a family tree that is squeaky clean. When doing family research, be prepared to uncover family secrets that you did not know existed. Here are a few examples of skeletons some researchers have found. Record of Death - How This Can Help in Filling the Blanks of your Family Tree The key to most genealogists' success is the location of marriage, birth, and death records. They are sources that are created on the local or town level, but can give you an abundance of information as well as confirmation. For the most part, you probably know that such records are found through the county. However, many death records and the like in New England are found through the town clerks. Recording Historical Information for Future Family Genealogists One of the most important parts of finding your family genealogy is making sure that it is recorded. This will help when future family members want to find specific information about their family. It will also help you to know exactly where you left off with recording your history, in case you have to set the research aside for a certain amount of time. By recording all of the historical information that you find, it will help to let others know about the facts that you found, instead of living off of the myths that have been passed down. Rooting for Military Records for your Family Tree One of the most difficult parts of genealogical research can be finding military records for family members within your circle. While hard to find, these records can prove invaluable to your search for more information about your family. They can help you track who a family member dealt with and where they might have been stationed. This can help you track your family members' travel across the country or even the world. Search Engine Savvy - Tips for your Genealogy Search You will find soon enough that search engines on the internet can be a powerful tool in your search for family history. Because most of them have such an enormous index of information, searches for surnames and family names can result in useful information. You see, search engines get their indexes from "spiders" that explore websites and index words that are in the pages. They are doing this constantly and thus will be able to help you find the information about your family you are looking for, hopefully. Separating Fact from Fiction in Historical Family Stories As you sit down to do a genealogy interview with your grandfather, he leans over and whispers to you, "You know, your great-great-grandmother was a Cherokee Indian Princess, don't you?" You will probably encounter this at some point in your family history research. Most people do. It can be extremely difficult to decipher fact from fiction as you are working through your research. While most of the stories you hear will have bits of truth embedded in them, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction. Several Ways to Search Ship Manifests for your Family's History Before the days of airplane travel, emigrants typically left their countries of origin on ships and braved long and difficult journeys across the ocean. Finding evidence of an ancestor's journey to a new world through passenger lists and ship manifests can be a thrilling experience for anyone who is interested in their family history. Shaking the Family Tree - Where to Start your Genealogy Search Genealogy, or researching the history of your family, can be a fun and valuable hobby. You will get the opportunity to learn where you come from, what your family history is all about, and if anyone in your family was involved in historical events. The hardest part of getting into genealogy for a lot of people is getting started. They just don't seem to have direction or an idea of how to get going with the search. The best way to get started is actually by getting four things set so that the process is easier. The Ancestral Detective - Basic How-To Tips to Researching the Family Tree Researching your family tree can be one of the most rewarding things you will ever do. It can help you to gain a sense of place. It can help give you a background that you can understand and identify with. It is, however, an arduous, and at times, overwhelming process that will take years. When you get ready to start your genealogy research, consider the following four areas: the family home, your own information about important family events, interviews with family members, and research that has already been completed by others. The Best Sources for Researching Ancestors who Fought in the Wars Did your ancestors ever serve in the war? If they did, you could be overlooking a valuable resource leading to vital statistics about them and their family members that exist as a result of their military service. By figuring out what conflicts, if any, that your ancestor served in, you can proceed in researching the variety of military records at your fingertips. The Magic of Internet Message Boards The increasing popularity of the internet has offered many new chances for people to exchange information from all over the world. Message boards are one way this information is exchanged in everything from sports to medicine. However, it can also be a way you can increase your genealogy research. They allow you to communicate freely with people from all over in a public forum so that you can have the maximum number of people possible looking at the information you are requesting. This is a great way for you to be able to make contact with others that are interested in genealogy like you. Tips on Effective Interviewing Techniques in your Genealogy Search One of the most difficult parts about genealogy research can be interviewing family members to get their oral histories of the family. Not only is it immensely difficult for you, it can also be very hard on your subjects as well. Instead of simply quitting the interview process, which is what most amateur genealogists do, simply try these tips to increase your interview effectiveness. Tips to Organizing your Information for your Family Tree There are 12 steps to keep you organized when making a family tree. Tracing your Genealogy for your Family's Health Perhaps you do genealogy as a hobby, or perhaps you are interested in doing it as a profession to get a better grasp on history. Have you ever considered doing it for the health of you and your family, though? Medical genealogy is getting more and more interest from researchers recently. The reason is that much of what determines your health is likely inherited from your ancestors Vital Statistics Can Be the Key to Finding Your Family Birth, marriage and death are possibly the three most important events in a person's life. These events are recorded in government vital statistics records, and these records are of great importance to a genealogy researcher. In fact, without these records, doing genealogical research would be next to impossible. What Property Records Can Tell You about Your Family's Past Property records can tell you a lot about your family's past. Real estate leaves a paper trail. Deeds, wills, deeds of trust, property transfer agreements, mortgages, homestead records, land grants, all can go a long ways towards helping you trace the path that your ancestors took to reach the area where you grew up. What's in a Name? Why Spelling is so important in your Ancestry Search What's in a name? The answer is, quite a bit actually. If you are beginning a search of your family tree it will help you tremendously to know the history of your family name, or for that matter of the names of other branches of the family. Many times names were changed when people immigrated to this country. Why Double or Triple Checking Facts is Important in Ancestral Investigations When researching your ancestors, it is crucial to your research that you find their correct vital statistics. You need to know their full name, birth date and location, marriage date and location, death date and location, and the full name of their parents. In order to insure that your vital statistics are correct, it is critically important for you to stay organized and check and re-check your facts based on a variety of sources.	learn more. Vote For Family History Articles at Top Article Directory List TopSiteList Vote For Family History Articles at Best Directory

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