How to Identify Old Cars in Photographs
Follow these tips to identify old cars in photographs from your family albums. You can often identify the make and model of the automobile; decipher and date the license plates, and even discover additional documents relating to the earliest drivers on your family…
The Christmas List that Continues to Speak to My Heart
Some family Christmas traditions carry over easily from generation to generation, and some don’t. Here’s one tradition I tried passing on to my children, and how it has played out. It reminds me that traditions themselves can be unexpected–which ones…
Find Old Film Footage Online: YouTube and Google Video Search
Old film footage can make your family stories truly unforgettable–even for those relatives who seem to forget every fact you tell them about your genealogy! Follow these tips to find old film footage and video online. If a picture’s worth a thousand words…
Cemetery Research for Genealogy: 4 Steps for Finding Your Ancestors’ Graves
Cemetery research is a crucial family history skill. Tombstones are monuments to our ancestors lives and may have key genealogical clues engraved in the stone. Follow these four steps to finding your ancestors’ burial places and the records that complement them….
Common Surnames: How Unique is Yours?
Common surnames can make genealogy research more challenging. But learning more about your last name (including how common it is) can also enrich your family history. Check out 4 free online tools for learning more about your family’s surnames. Then share what…
Getting Help with a Genealogy Brick Wall
Sooner or later, we all hit genealogy brick walls: a point in our family history research where we can’t seem to make any further progress. When I hit a brick wall with great-grandpa Gus in Eastern Europe, I turned to Legacy Tree Genealogists. Here’s what…
New Collection for Tracing Immigrants From the British Isles
Exciting news this week is the brand new British and Irish Roots Collection from Findmypast. This collection has 98 million records and is free to search for a limited time. Also new are electoral rolls for Australia and vital records for the United States. …
Ellis Island Passenger Arrival Records: Relatives Now Searchable at MyHeritage
Millions of Ellis Island passenger arrival records include the names of the arrivals’ relatives, but those names haven’t been searchable in online indexes–until now. MyHeritage has added over 26.6 million relatives’ names to its passenger list…
Why You Should Have a Free FamilySearch Account–And Use It!
A free FamilySearch account gives you access to more historical records and customized site features than you’ll see if you don’t log in at this free genealogy website. Here’s why you should get a free FamilySearch account and log in EVERY time you visit the…
Photo + Story Competition: RootsTech 2018 Contest
A new Photo + Story competition will be part of RootsTech 2018! If you can take a story-filled picture and caption it meaningfully, you should enter. Check out these tips for creating winning family history photo and story combinations. Winners will receive prizes…
Big Updates at Ancestry for Canadian and German Vital Records
Big records updates at the Genealogy Giant website Ancestry.com! Brand new collections of birth, marriage, death, and census records for Canada were added this week, along with a Remembrance Book for the 100th anniversary of the Halifax explosion. Additionally, new…
Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 212
The Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode #212 with Lisa Louise Cooke In this episode, Lisa Louise Cooke speaks with Contributing Editor Sunny Morton about turning our fleeting scraps of recollections into meaningful memories.Also: Genealogist Margaret Linford tells us how…
Official Military Personnel Files for US Military Ancestors in WWI, WWII and Beyond
Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs) are 20th and 21st U.S. military records for conflicts such as WWI, WWII, and beyond. OMPFs are packed with great genealogy clues, but millions were destroyed by a 1973 fire. Here’s how to find what records still remain, and…
Genealogy Book Club Gems: Add These to Your Must-Read List
These three must-read titles from our Genealogy Book Club would be great stocking stuffers for yourself or someone you love. See my newest book recommendations for family history lovers by best-selling authors Christina Baker Kline (Orphan Train) and A.J. Jacobs (The…
Why You Should Have a Free FamilySearch Account–And Use It!
A free FamilySearch account gives you access to more historical records and customized site features than you’ll see if you don’t log in at this free genealogy website. Here’s why you should get a free FamilySearch account and log in EVERY time you…
New Genealogy Records for Canada and the United States
New and updated records for Canada and the United States are hot off the press this week. Mortality schedules, cemetery records, Roman Catholic records, and passenger lists are listed for Canadian genealogy research. For the United States, check out Ohio newspapers,…
AncestryDNA Opt-Out Options for DNA Matches: What This Means for You
A new AncestryDNA opt-out option allows DNA test takers to not participate in DNA match lists: they do not receive matches or show up in others’ match lists. Your DNA Guide Diahan Southard weighs on in the implications for genealogy researchers who may worry…
Cyber Monday Genealogy BIG DEALS! 50% OFF
Genealogy Gems Premium eLearning Membership is an investment in learning and sharing your family history is an investment in a lasting legacy for the ones you love most. Give the gift of membership here. Genealogy Gems Premium Membership is the ultimate one-size-fits…