CNN Article on ‘Finding Your Roots’

You see genealogy coming up everywhere these days in the national media and in popular culture. It was particularly good to see this recent story from CNN about researching family history. This helpful article, written by Sarah Engler of RealSimple.com, includes family research guidance and tips from Corey Oiesen, communications officer of the Association... (Read More)

Top Genealogy Websites, Pt. 6: Search Cemeteries Online

A few weeks ago I wrote about online cemetery records (See: Top Genealogy Websites, Pt. 3: Burial & Cemetery Records). In that article I wrote about the U.S. Veterans Administration’s Nationwide Gravesite Locator, Find-A-Grave, and BillionGraves. Now I want to show how you can help your family history research by using information from these... (Read More)

How to Spot and Avoid 9 Common Genealogy Mistakes & Errors

Introduction: Mary Harrell-Sesniak is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background. In this guest blog post, Mary discusses 9 common mistakes made when doing family history research, and suggests ways to avoid them. Family history researchers are often frustrated by the mistakes of others—particularly when there is an obvious error in... (Read More)

Top Genealogy Websites, Pt. 3: Burial & Cemetery Records

Continuing our series on the top genealogy websites that will save you time and get you 24/7 access to the data you need and will rely on in your family history research, our next category is the best websites for cemetery and burial records: National Gravesite Locator, Find-A-Grave, and BillionGraves. This important website, created... (Read More)

Top Genealogy Websites, Pt. 1: Google

I have been working on my family history for 50 years now. So much has changed—family researchers today have a much different task then we had decades ago. Looking at the online genealogy tools available today, I would like to focus on the top 13 websites that will save you time and money so... (Read More)

Where to Put That Old Family Journal Online?

Do you have an old family journal or diary from your ancestor? What are you doing with it? Curt Balmer transcribed his great-grandfather’s journal. The old journal is a record of John Balmer (1819-1898) and Margaret Ann (Carey) Balmer (1831-1890). The Balmers were born in Ireland and moved to Ontario, Canada. John’s journal recorded... (Read More)