Category: Research

As Genealogists, What Should We Do about Place Names?

Note: This article was published previously on the Genealogy’s Star blog site.   For some time now, FamilySearch.org has been encouraging users to “standardize” place names. This effort has been moderately successful and is continuing to evolve. The suggested standard place names rely on a large database of worldwide names. More recently, FamilySearch has been adding a time-frame to the suggested standard...

What is in a name? Taking Your Genealogical Research to a Higher Level

Note: This article appeared previously in the Genealogy’s Star blog site.     My Great-great-grandfather’s name was David Thomas b. 1820, d. 1888. He was born in Wales. Sometime, probably after he died, he “acquired” a middle name and became “David Nathan Thomas.” Here is a photo of his grave marker with his name as “David N. Thomas.” However, every...

New QRB Videos: Maps and Surnames

We have recently posted three new Quick Research Basics videos on our YouTube Channel. These are by Miles Meyer, Education Director for The Family History Guide Association. They have subtitle captions in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino, and they cover the following topics:   Using Historical Maps—Learn how historical maps can help you locate your...