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...

The Family History Guide Online Tracker

Note: This article was published previously on the Genealogy’s Star blog site.   The Family History Guide website is a free, educational, structured training and reference website. No matter what level of genealogical research you have obtained during your lifetime from beginner to expert, The Family History Guide website can help you increase your knowledge and skills. I have been working...

Finding the Female Ancestors in Your Line

As we pause and give thanks to mothers everywhere on this Mothers’ Day, we should note the special place that they have in our family histories and pedigrees. As genealogists, sometimes we get distracted by looking only for male ancestral lines, to see how far back we can extend a link. There is much more to family history than that,...

Writing Family Histories: Unanticipated Blessings

Note: This article was published previously by Dave Castleton, Director of the Granite Family History Center, on the Granite Family History Center blog site and is used with the author’s permission. A number of years ago I felt prompted to write a history about my father. He died quite young and most of my children and all of my grandchildren...

The FamilySearch Wiki and The Family History Guide

As you might expect, we are sometimes asked what the difference is between the FamilySearch Wiki and The Family History Guide. You may have wondered that as well, so this article will point out some similarities and differences between the two that may be helpful. Similarities: Both help with family history research. As a side note, the full name of...

Update: Family Locket Podcast Now Available

Last Monday (April 25), Diana Elder and Nicole Dyer of the Family Locket website interviewed me on their regular podcast series. You can find the link to the podcast here: https://familylocket.com/rlp-147-the-family-history-guide-with-bob-taylor/ Here are some of the questions that were discussed in the interview: How did The Family History Guide come to be? What audiences does the website serve? How does...

What’s New in The Family History Guide – 5/3/2021

Here is a summary list of updates made to The Family History Guide website, as of May 1, 2021: 4-27-2021 – In MyHeritage Project 3: Photos and Docs, added a new Choice H for Goal 5, to describe the Deep Nostalgia photo animation feature. 4-26-2021 – In the England pages, added links to research guides from the National Archives in Britain....

What Is Genealogical Research?

Note: This article was published previously on the Genealogy’s Star blog site. A quote attributed to Confucius says: “To know what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge.” A common genealogical saying similarly states that you should always begin your research by proceeding from what you know to what you do not know. I find...

Podcast: Family Locket and The Family History Guide

On Tuesday, April 27 at 10 a.m. Mountain Time, Bob Taylor of The Family History Guide Association will be the featured guest on the regular podcast series from Family Locket. The podcast episode will cover topics such as how The Family History Guide got started, what interesting features it has, and how people can use it to accelerate their family...

Brick Walls and Puzzles

Recently in The Family History Guide’s Facebook Group for Trainers, Consultants, and Leaders, I published a brief post about breaking through brick walls in research. One of the members of the Group, Dan McFadden, had an interesting reply to the post. With Dan’s permission, I am sharing his reply below, and then I will add a few additional thoughts that...