Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about the influx of German immigrants in St. Louis, Missouri in the period prior to the Civil War, and how it influenced the outcome of the Camp Jackson Affair. Heidi Mathis returns for more discussion of St. Louis and German immigrants. Join us as we learn about the different beliefs of southerners and German immigrants in St. Louis in 1861. Links Mid-19th Century Germans in St. Louis and the Civil War by Heidi Mathis at Family Locket Euphrasia Pettus Letter and Photo at Missouri Historical Society Abolitionizing Missouri: German Immigrants and Racial...
Allison Kotter is sharing her experience with the Research Like a Pro with DNA online course. Here’s her first post! – Nicole After doing traditional genealogy work as a hobby for years, I began learning the Research Like a Pro process to elevate my work to the professional level. As I started listening to the podcast, I noticed that research with DNA was mentioned a lot! Like a lot of you, I found the whole idea of using DNA to do my genealogy work very overwhelming, because I had no idea how to even start with it. So, when I...
What is the best advice for those beginning to research their ancestor from German-speaking lands? Seek out their church records in America to discover their German hometown and parents. German research expert Roger Minert estimates that church records will be the best source of this information 65-76% of the time. Dr. Minert is the editor of a 35 volume (so far) series of books cataloging those German-Americans who have a their hometown listed in their church records.(1)Like researching any immigrant, we will start by making an exhaustive search of what we know here in America before we try to move back...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about German immigration to St. Louis, Missouri in the 1840s-1860s. We discuss the reasons for immigration and the cultural differences between Americans and newly arrived Germans. Heidi Mathis shares the historical context she learned when researching her ancestor, Burkhard Schlag, who arrived in St. Louis in 1854 from Hesse. Links Mid-19th Century Germans in St. Louis by Heidi Mathis at Family Locket Using German Newspapers When You don’t Know Much German Research Like a Pro eCourse Study Group – more information and email list Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist’s Guide by...
Clustering your DNA matches can help you make sense of that long list of unknown DNA matches. Although there are programs that now automate clustering, you might want to try it yourself. What are the advantages of creating genetic clusters manually? You might enjoy working with each match and discovering your shared ancestral lines. Each testing company website enables you to view people that share DNA with you and with your DNA match. Shared DNA match lists and in common with (ICW) lists can help you learn which side of the family your DNA Matches are related to you. A...
Are you one of the 44.2 million Americans with a German ancestor, but sense that researching them is more out of reach than others in your family tree? Researching our German can seem daunting because of the language hurdle, but also because the whole concept of “German” is complex. People from central Europe had particularly complicated histories compared to those with more fixed national identities such as the English. Perhaps living on an island has helped define and consolidate who is English, and made possible a more centralized government earlier on in history. Since the United States was primarily founded...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is an interview with co-founder of The Family History Guide, Bob Taylor. The FH Guide is a free website that aggregates learning resources for beginner and intermediate researchers to learn about genealogy research in step-by-step modules. Bob talks with us about the resources available at the FH Guide and walks us through the website. Links The Family History Guide: A Researcher’s Friend https://www.thefhguide.com/ Kids Corner at the FH Guide Countries page at the FH Guide Vault page at the FH Guide FamilySearch Research Wiki Research Like a Pro eCourse Study Group – more...
Courthouse in St. Joseph, Missouri [1] Can understanding the laws and court system of a locality really make a difference in our research? The answer is a resounding YES! As we move back in time, we come to rely more on the records created by the courts such as deeds, probate, guardianship, and more. Knowledge of these types of records helps us break down our brick wall research problems. Like every state, Missouri enacted laws and statutes that governed everything from divorce to name changes. Missouri also boasts a complicated court system because of the many jurisdictions that governed the...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about using 23andMe DNA matches with Ancestry’s tree-building capabilities to make connections and discoveries. 23andMe provides haplogroups and X-DNA matches for autosomal testing which can help in identifying whether a DNA match is on the maternal or the paternal line. Join us as we discuss Fran Shockley’s organizational method for adding 23andMe match info to Ancestry trees. Links Combining the DNA Power of 23andMe with the Tree Building Power of Ancestry by Fran Shockley, guest post at Family Locket Family Story Sleuth – Fran’s Facebook page RLP 139: Adding DNA Matches to...
Would you like a one-stop resource for learning to research in any location, complete with links to videos, how-to articles, and record collections? In this guest post, you’ll discover unique features of The Family History Guide that are sure to help with your family history pursuits. The mission statement says it all. Our mission is to greatly increase the number of people actively involved in family history worldwide, and to make everyone’s family history journey easier, more efficient, and more enjoyable. The website launched in 2015 and continues to grow with visitors to the website from over 150 countries. Enjoy...
