Ancestral Findings

When you sit down to write about an ancestor, you may have plenty of records in front of you, but still feel unsure how to turn them into something people will want to read. Census records, deeds, wil...

29 Touko 24min

The National Archives can be one of the best places to turn to when you are trying to take family history research beyond names, dates, and family stories. It holds federal records, which can place an...

28 Touko 25min

This time of year always stirs up reflection, and not just because summer is starting to peek around the corner. Memorial Day is here—a day that means different things to different people. For some, i...

24 Touko 9min

Tracing an immigrant ancestor requires more than simply finding a ship manifest or a naturalization certificate.  People crossing borders often changed or anglicized their names, traveled with relativ...

21 Touko 10min

At some point in every family history, progress slows down. You follow the records, build timelines, confirm relationships, and then you reach a place where nothing new appears. The trail fades. The r...

19 Touko 8min

As your family history begins to take shape, there comes a point where you need more than timelines and patterns. Census records help you follow families across time, but they do not always prove rela...

14 Touko 8min

By the time you reach this stage in your research, your family tree should have a solid structure. You have used census records to follow families across time. You have used vital records to confirm k...

13 Touko 8min

Every family history begins close to home. Before you search old courthouse books, census pages, ship lists, military files, or newspaper archives, you begin with the people you already know. You begi...

7 Touko 18min