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Category: U.S. Research

July 28, 2018

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...

Country Research/U.S. Research
July 28, 2018

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...

Country Research/U.S. Research
July 23, 2018

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....

Records/U.S. Research
July 14, 2018

Inside the Guide: Using Newspapers for Family History Research

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! If you looked through old newspapers, you would find startling headlines, amusing anecdotes, and a glimpse of everyday life for the people who lived in the particular place and time period. Old newspapers are not just full of stories about abstract people and events; they are also a valuable genealogical tool that you can use...

Country Research/Memories/Records/U.S. Research
July 1, 2018

Inside the Guide: Merging Duplicates on FamilySearch

Merging duplicates on FamilySearch is an important process that should be done very carefully and thoroughly. Before merging, you take two separate entries and analyze them to see whether they represent the same person. If you merge two entries together who were not the same person, that can be fixed; however it can also create discrepancies in your FamilySearch Family...

Country Research/FamilySearch/U.S. Research
July 1, 2018

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...

Country Research/Navigation/U.S. Research
June 25, 2018

Inside the Guide: Research Logs

Research logs are very important tools for successful family history research. However, they are certainly not every family historian’s favorite thing. I know that when I’m in the zone of doing family history and finding all sorts of interesting things, it can sometimes be a hassle to take a step back and enter my searches and findings into a research...

Country Research/FamilySearch/Records/U.S. Research
June 17, 2018

Inside the Guide: Census Charts

Charts are tools that can be useful for a variety of different purposes, particularly in genealogical research. One situation where charts can help in your research is with a census survey. When conducting a census survey, it can be tricky to remember all the details about the individual you found from each census record, such as how old they were,...

Records/U.S. Research
May 27, 2018

Inside the Guide: Pre-1850 Census Research Tips

Census records can provide an abundance of information about your ancestors. Some of this information could include where they lived, who lived with them, how old they were, where they were born, etc. The United States federal census records began in 1790, but the 1790-1840 censuses listed only the head of household, not every individual in the household. The other...

U.S. Research
May 19, 2018

Inside the Guide: Creating Ancestor Timelines

During my experiences of learning about historical events in grade school, I can recall a common tool that the majority of my history teachers used to help us, as students understand a particular historical concept better. The commonly used tool was a timeline. A timeline was helpful for us as students because it provided us with a visual of the...

U.S. Research
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