English Parish Records: Finding English Ancestors Before 1837
English Parish records are a rich genealogical resource. England's earliest useful census is from 1841, and civil records only go back to 1837. Let us help you trace your English family history before that time. English parish records might hold the key, and we've got...
Sanborn Maps and Other U.S. Resources: New Genealogy Records Online
Thousands of Sanborn Fire Insurance maps and a national Civil War burial database are among new genealogy records online. Also: newspapers in Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania; vital records for Idaho, Utah, and Washington; Catholic parish records...
Atlas of Historical County Boundaries has been Updated
The Newberry Library's online Atlas of Historical County Boundaries is finally fully updated and interactive! Read the good news here--and my preference for using the powerful geographic data that drives the Atlas. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries at The...
Reviving a Memorial Day Tradition: Paper Flowers
Have you ever brought back a favorite family tradition from your childhood? I did that with a favorite Memorial Day tradition--revived with a little help from YouTube. Deep in the hollows of Virginia lived ‘Big Grandma’ with her nine children. She was a mountain...
3 Top Uses for the New MyHeritage Collection Catalog
The new MyHeritage Collection Catalog is making the site even easier to use. Read our 3 favorite uses for the new MyHeritage Collection Catalog, and a description of how MyHeritage counts its records. The new MyHeritage Collection Catalog has just been released, and...
Discover Your Scandinavian Ancestors in New and Updated Genealogy Records Online
Look for your Scandinavian ancestors in new and updated online Swedish marriage records, as well as population registers and vital records indexes for the Netherlands. Also: English parish registers, an Israeli collection for the Six Day War, and several U.S....
How to Write Family History More Powerfully: Tips from a Master Storyteller
Wish you could write family history like a master storyteller? Take a page from best-selling novelist Fannie Flagg's fiction-writing. These three steps will help you bring your ancestors' stories to life, so that their stories become as compelling to your relatives as...
Genealogy Mystery Series to Die For: Genealogy Gems Book Club
May is Mystery Month, so the Genealogy Gems Book Club is spotlighting a favorite genealogical mystery series writer: Nathan Dylan Goodwin. In his latest, forensic researcher Morton Farrier finally confronts his own past. We first met British novelist Nathan Dylan...
How to Upload Your E-books to Your Own Google Play Books Library
These days we are all collecting more ebooks than ever before. We also have more devices than we've ever had before. Here's a solution that gives you access to your ebooks from one convenient location no matter which device you are using. The Advantage of...
Find Australian Ancestors and More: New and Updated Genealogy Records Online
These new and updated genealogical records span three continents and date to the Middle Ages: Australia colonial portraits, New South Wales and Queensland; millions of new U.S. marriage records, a WWI online exhibit, Liverpool church records, a Romanian digital...
Adoption Research Success: “I Continued His Quest to Find His Birth Mother:”
Searching for birth parents? This adoption research success story involved several proven techniques: mapping DNA matches, research legwork--and years of patient determination. Adoption Research Inspiration This inspiring letter about adoption research came to me from...
Ohio Genealogy Research and the Virtual Courthouse
I have thoroughly enjoyed having Amie Tennant as a blogger for the past year. In her final blog post for Genealogy Gems she takes us on a tour of her home state's digital records. Then she will be turning all of her attentions to her own genealogical certification....
Episode 203
The Genealogy Gems Podcast with Lisa Louise Cooke Episode #203 This episode features a special interview with renowned Canadian expert Dave Obee. He shares his favorite tips on researching the Canadian census?his insights are fascinating whether you have Canadian...
Why Your Genetic Family Tree Is Not the Same as Your Family Tree
Your genetic family tree is not the same as your genealogical pedigree--and not just because of non-paternity events and adoption. Here's how. Your genealogical pedigree, if you are diligent or lucky (or both!) can contain hundreds, even thousands of names and can go...
Beginning British Genealogy: What You Must Know to Start
With about 1/3 of Americans claiming British ancestry, chances are that at some point you will need to extend your research across the Atlantic Ocean. Genealogical research in the British Isles has some important differences when compared to the United States. Guest...
New England Vital Records and More: New Genealogy Records Online
Millions of New England vital records are among newly-published genealogy records online. So are English parish records, Irish Easter Rising records, Italian civil registrations, South African church records, and records for Georgia WWI soldiers and Louisiana women....
Voice-O-Graph Brings this Listener’s Grandfather’s Voice Back from the Past
Can you imagine the excitement of stumbling into family history memorabilia that included a voice from long ago on a Voice-O-Graph record? Sometimes the challenge is not finding a family history treasure, but instead it is "unlocking" its precious contents. Here's one...
SSDI Search – How to Find Hard to Find Ancestors
Social Security Death Index (SSDI) search is not necessarily as straight forward as you might think. We're going to explore what SSDI records are, their range of availability, and how they compare across the Genealogy Giants records websites. If you've been dabbling...