Summer is coming to a close. Among the vacations, picnics, and other fun did you get a chance to do any family history? You may have done more than you thought. Did you reunite with extended family at a reunion? Maybe visit some ancestor graves or historic sites? How about attend a family history or genealogy conference? If you’re ready to get back on track with your research, then I have just the thing for you – and it’s free! The famed Family History Library will be holding two week-long events: the United States Research Seminar 2016, August 22nd to...
After an exciting and exhausting week at Brigham Young University’s Conference on Family History & Genealogy, it’s time to digest all of the information swimming around in my head. Nicole and I attended the conference as official bloggers and met people from all over the country who share our passion for finding their family. Four days, three keynote addresses and nineteen classes later, what did I learn? Keep reading and I’ll fill you in! Vendors Nicole at the Kindex booth BYU Family History Library wheel Nicole and baby at the Genealogy Gems booth with Lisa Louise Cooke A conference would not...
Are you sure you’ve found all of the clues in the census records for your family? After you look at the names, ages, and birthplaces, do you pay attention to the rest of the questions and answers? Census records are one of the most valuable tools for a researcher, not only for the information reported, but for the clues to other records. I recently revisited the 1910 census looking for clues on my great, great grandfather, Robert Cisney Royston. He died in 1915, so this was the last census of his life. Records for him are scarce. Aside from census...
Are you curious about the process to become an Accredited Genealogist (AG)? Maybe you’d like to get started but aren’t sure what to do next. Follow my journey and see if Accreditation is for you! In the six months since I set a goal to become an AG, I’ve been working consistently towards that goal. I shared my experience from the Level I Study Group several weeks ago. Level 1 focused on the application for Accreditation and the Four-generation research project. I learned so much from that initial study group, that I happily continued on to the Level 2 &...
Have you ever found a marriage listing of an ancestor in an online index or in a book of marriage abstracts and been so excited you didn’t question it? Just added the information to your database, researched the couple and their children and went merrily on your way? I did this a few years ago, but unfortunately I connected the wrong marriage record to my ancestor. Essentially I married her to the wrong man. How did I completely miss the boat? It all has to do with original versus derivative sources. An original source is just what it says, original:...
Have you ever spent an hour at the doctor’s office waiting for your turn, wishing you had something more interesting to do than scanning Facebook? Try the FamilySearch Tree Mobile App! I just discovered the “Descendants with Tasks” feature and it’s pretty smooth. You can go to an ancestor, view their profile, and click the menu button to see the “Descendants With Tasks” option. There you’ll see a list of all that ancestor’s descendants who have “tasks” – either record hints to attach (blue icons) or temple work to reserve (green temple icons). When you click on the blue record hint icon,...
Do you research in the same state over and over? Do you ever find great information on the web that you’d like to save but don’t know what to do with it? Do you have stacks of papers you’ve printed out for future reference, but you can’t find them now? If you answered yes to any of those questions, maybe it’s time you created your own research guide. A research guide is a collection of information that you can draw on as you research. It can include maps, history, and geography of your locality. It might be a list of...
Feeling a little bogged down with your genealogy research? Need a fun project for the summer that just might have the added bonus of helping break down a brick wall? Try creating a timeline for your family. I had finished writing the report for my first generation of my accreditation project, but I lacked any mention of church records. Those are important for researching in the south, but my family moved around so much in Indian Territory/Oklahoma, that I didn’t know where to start. To find church records, I needed to know my family’s religion and an idea of locations where...
Have you considered becoming an Accredited Genealogist (AG)? Ever wondered about the process or what you can do to start preparing? In January 2016 I wrote about setting a goal to become an AG and it’s time for an update on my progress. Accreditation is through The International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen). Their website details information about the accreditation process. Here are some highlights: -Credentials are awarded on a regional basis which allows the applicant to demonstrate their depth of knowledge of the key records, history, geography, and language of the region of interest in measurable ways. -Each applicant is required to...
I’m excited to announce that Nicole and I have been invited as official bloggers to Brigham Young University’s Conference on Family History & Genealogy held July 26th -29th. Whether you’re looking for a way to boost your family history knowledge, get inspired to tackle your next project, or just need to kick start your efforts, you’ll find what you need at this conference. Held on the beautiful BYU campus in Provo, Utah, this conference combines fabulous classes with access to the BYU Family History Library. Plan to come a day early or stay a day extra to take advantage of...
