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,...

Stepping into the Shoes of Our Ancestors

As a professional costumer, I enjoy studying fashion trends and creating clothing that represents historical time periods and various cultures. I am continually fascinated by the transformation that takes place when a person dons the costume for a character he or she is portraying in a theatrical or film production, or even a family history home video or skit. Dressing...

Inside the Guide: Interviewing Relatives

As part of a recent research project, I was asked to conduct an interview with my oldest living relative. Being the shy and quiet person that I am, I felt a little uncomfortable with this task because I didn’t really want to interrogate my grandma. However, once I was with her and asking her questions, I recognized the long-term value...

More to Like in The Family History Guide

In the past two weeks, The Family History Guide has been growing fast. We’ve added links to over 200 great family history articles and videos, both in the main pages of the website and in the Vault. Topics include immigration, military records, social media tools, research techniques, stories and interviewing, and many more. And the growth spurt will continue in...

Introducing the Regional Trainers Program

It’s hard to believe that the launch of The Family History Guide website was less than three years ago. We’ve come a long ways in that time, but there is still much to do. You are likely familiar with our mission statement: ” … to greatly increase the number of people actively involved in family history worldwide, and to make everyone’s...

The Faiths Menu in The Family History Guide

We are proud to announce the arrival of new web pages for several faiths and their associated family history resources. On May 30, we created a “Faiths” menu in the place of the “LDS” menu that was previously there. The new drop-down menu looks like the example shown at the right: The “LDS” option is pretty much the same as before:...

Why Visiting Grandparents Matters More than We Might Think

So many people have wonderful memories of visiting grandparents over the years ( I sure do), but how many of us knew at the time there were so many resultant benefits from those visits–things that make a difference in varied and numerous aspects of the lives of both the visitors and the visited? Recording stories and memories during our visits...

Introducing the New Instructor Guides

In a previous post, Update to The Family History Guide Training Pages, we mentioned that Instructor Guides are available for trainers. This article explains their purpose, what’s in them, and where you can find them on the website. Why Instructor Guides? The main purpose of the Instructor Guides is to help you prepare to teach a class from The Family History Guide...

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...

New Video – Overview of Family History Activities in The Family History Guide

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but a video is worth a million! Check out this new video that gives an overview of some of the activities for families, individuals, youth, and children found in The Family History Guide. The activities tab is located on the menu of our home page. Reap the benefits of planning and participating...