Tag Archive
The Real Lessons of Genealogy
When I was in the third grade, I rode my bike to school, and all the way there my mind roamed the universe—castles and knights, cowboys, sports, outer space and comic book characters–but not one thought was given to school. I wasn’t interested in school. It was only an irritant and a constant interruption of [...]
Misleading Genealogy Advice for Beginners
Confusion. Busywork. Chasing your tail. Scattering your focus. Too many choices. Frustration. Loss of patience. These are things that continually plague new family tree researchers, and it’s not altogether their fault. The blame lies with the do-it-yourself instructions being handed out (or sold) by pseudo-experts, and sometimes by real experts. It’s not so much that [...]
Lazy Genealogists: How to Make Your Ancestors Come to You
If a genealogist from the past were to dog our steps these days, he would pound his fists while imagining how much more research he could have accomplished if he’d had access to a computer, and he could have done that research without having to travel. Travel? How about without leaving home? Or without even [...]
Genealogy: Dead or Alive?
Isn’t the pursuit of the ghosts of the past a study in death itself? There is a certain musty smell to old papers and books, which reminds us that the person who wrote them is no longer alive. Ancestral birth certificates, and marriage records, and death certificates of a person are documents of a life [...]
What the Heck is an Ahnentafel?
The first time I came across the word, “ahnentafel,” I thought: “Man! I just wanted to find my ancestors, not learn some esoteric numbering system.” I tried to just ignore it, but it kept coming up. I kept reading that an ahnentafel is a concise way of expressing the information in a simple pedigree genealogy [...]
Six Ways to Substantiate Your Ancestor’s Death
Death is another milestone on their way. With laughter on their lips and with winds blowing round them Stephen Spender (1909-1995) Once you start to track an ancestor or an ancestress, you need information about the significant events in his or her life. This means the date and place he or she was born, married, [...]
Photos of Your Kin: Tips For Labeling Them
Ever come across an old family photo that is clear as a bell, but you have no idea who the person in the picture is? Or worse, you look at the back of the picture and see it labeled, “grandfather.” No name, nothing about whose grandfather, not even a date, just the indication that he [...]
Don’t Get Tricked When Trying to Find Your Ancestors in the Census.
As far as genealogists are concerned, it was a great idea. In 1790, the federal government started counting and listing the populace of this country. Not only did they do it in 1790, but every ten years since. That first census was streamlined—just the names and information about the heads of households was included. Then, [...]
Why Your Kids Hate Genealogy
Just ask them. They’ll tell you it’s boring. As soon as you drag out the old photos of their ancestors, you’ll see them cringe. First of all, these people aren’t smiling. They look miserable. No wonder, just look at their uncomfortable clothes. You can’t see their necks because they have their shirts and dresses buttoned [...]
Genealogy for Tightwads – 7 Ways to Keep It Cheap
Basically, there are three distinct kinds of tightwad. First is the person who is cheap because he or she chooses to be—even enjoys it. That may bring up visions of a miser, sitting alone in front of a candle counting his money. In fact, some tightwads are so attached to their money that they struggle [...]
-
-
-
-
-
-
Link to Us
Link to Us
Just copy the code below the button
and add it to your site
<a href="http://freegenealogyguide.com">
<img style="border: 0px solid ; width:
240px; height: 48px;"
alt="Link to Free Genealogy Guide"
src="http://www.freegenealogyguide.com/
FGGLinkBut.jpg"></a>-
-
