Author: Bob Taylor

Inside the Guide: Property, Land, and Probate Research

Where there’s a will, there’s a way … and that’s also true for probate records, deeds, and land records! Probate, land, and property records are an essential part of genealogy research, but sometimes they can be difficult to locate. These records are naturally linked to geography and history, so it’s important to understand the “where” and the “when” of these...

Overcoming Myths and Mistakes in Your Family History

Years ago, I was working on some of my New England genealogy with my cousin. One of the things I was proud to relate to others about my family history was that we were Mayflower descendants. And then the “unthinkable” happened: my cousin, who was a more experienced and careful researcher than I, sent me an email saying that we...

Inside the Guide: Asking the Right Research Questions

Family history research is a journey of discovery. In a way, it’s like being in your own classroom with a great teacher and a vast array of resources. Picture yourself there. Would you say to the professor, “OK, tell me all I need to know about geography (or history, or whatever)”? Or would you take the time to think about...

Before Google … City Directories

Remember the Yellow Pages—those hefty dictionaries of domiciles and dwellers, delivered to your front porch? With the rise of Google and other Internet sites, printed phone directories have become a memory for most of us, as it’s faster and easier to find addresses and phone numbers on your phone, tablet, or laptop. So let’s turn the clock back a bit....

Inside the Guide: Free Charts

Free is good, when it comes to charts that can help you display your family history research. The Family History Guide has no shortage of links to some great forms you can use. Let’s take a look at what’s available for free pedigrees, fan charts, and more. TreeSeek.com In Project 1 of The Family History Guide, Goal 12 has a...

Remembering Memories

Editor’s Note: Thanks to Peter Thorne, a missionary at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and long-time journalist, for sharing this article with us. Stories are a window into our lives. They are your personal soap opera. They tell us about the why of our lives, our feelings and emotions. Stories provide an opportunity to put some humanity...

What’s New in The Family History Guide – July 2018

On July 6, we presented a BYU Webinar: “What’s New in The Family History Guide – July 2018”. We present these “What’s New” webinars every three to four months, to keep everyone up-to-date with the latest developments in The Family History Guide. The webinar goes through a list of 20 additions and updates made to the website over the last...

Introducing the Show-Me Videos

We’ve been planning it for a while, and now we’re proud to announce the first in a series of new videos for The Family History Guide: the Show-Me videos. Their purpose is to give you a test drive of some of the cool features you’ll find on the website. About Before we introduce the first video, here are a few...

Late Bloomers

A while back, I delivered a keynote address on The Family History Guide at the Pikes Peak Family History Fair in Colorado. It was well-received, and there were numerous FamilySearch volunteers there to help everything run smoothly. Two experiences I had there are still fresh in my mind, having made a lasting impression on me – both having to do...

Link Sites and The Family History Guide

Almost every family history website, including The Family History Guide, has links to other helpful sites and resources. Based on the number of those links, you could categorize a “link” site as small, medium, large, or extra large. Although The Family History Guide is not primarily a link site, it would likely fall into the “medium” class, with a few...