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...
Have you wondered how you can use mitochondrial DNA in your family history research? In my last post, “Mitochondrial DNA – a Blast From the Past,” I wrote about mitochondrial DNA inheritance. This post will build on that foundation and explain how you can use mtDNA haplogroup information to discern between two possible women ancestors. You’ll remember that both men and women inherit Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from their matrilineal ancestors. In other words, mtDNA passes from your mother’s, mother’s, mother’s, etc., line down to you. mtDNA is genealogically significant because of its unique inheritance pattern, and it is most effective...
In Part 1 of this series, we learned how two volunteers are making a difference for anyone researching their African American ancestors in Liberty County, Georgia. Together they have documented almost 30,000 names of enslaved people using all available records. By transcribing the Southern Claims Commission Case (SCC) files, additional connections are coming to light. In part 2 of this series, Stacy Cole shares her methodology for researching the SCC records and provides examples for us to learn from. – Diana Stacy’s story After the recent “Research Like A Pro” podcast episode (#124) on the Southern Claims Commission, I contacted...
Have you wondered how you could make a difference in the genealogy world? Your research may be fairly straightforward or have many challenges. For those researching African American ancestors, the brick wall appears relatively soon – generally prior to 1870. Dealing with the lack of surnames in the antebellum era, forced separation of families, and record loss requires a focused approach and pouring through many record collections. Fortunately, more useful records are becoming available and efforts by volunteers to index these records can make all the difference. In this guest blog post, we learn how two researchers, Stacy Cole and...
Have you thought about the steps to take to work through a DNA research project? Have you ever been stuck or lost during a project and wondered what you should do next? What do you do? I’ve thought about it a lot, and it motivated me to create DNA Process Trees that have a stepwise model/instructions/flowchart of the main steps to take when working through a DNA research objective. The steps help me maximize the research time I have available. Use coupon code DNAProcess25 to get 25% off the charts until 10/3/20 I have also added some logistical steps...
As you follow the research like a pro process and perform locality research, you may wish to purchase books and guides that help you with a particular region. Many guides exist, and today I’m spotlighting on from Genealogical Publishing Company. They sent me a copy of their updated Virginia Genealogy Research laminated guide by Carol McGinnis. This four-page research aid contains basic facts about Virginia, its history, settlement, and record sources. Records highlighted include vital, church, cemetery, land, probate, military, census and tax. Each section includes tips for locating the records. There is even a section about supplementary sources, including...
The Periodical Source Index (PERSI) is a subject index to family and local history literature published in periodicals. Originally created in 1986 by the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library (ACPL) in Fort Wayne, Indiana, it is the second largest family history library in the United States, in print and fiche formats. PERSI now includes more than 11,000 genealogical, historical, and patriotic periodicals, including magazines, newsletters, journals created by societies from around the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and Ireland. The articles are indexed by place, subject, surname, ethnicity, and methodology. FindMyPast partnered with ACPL in 2013...
Do you have ancestors who immigrated to the United States since 1790? Have you discovered their village, town, or even country of origin? Family stories or census records might give clues, but often give conflicting information. Is there another record type that could give additional hints to your ancestors homeland? Naturalization records might provide important details but what are these records and how do you find them? This three-part series will address those questions and give you a foundation in this sometimes confusing record set. Why Use Naturalization Records Many record collections are now easily searched online and because we...
Have you tried searching the Periodical Source Index (PERSI) for a surname but come away empty? Me too. I searched with “Dyer” in the who field and “North Carolina” in the where field. My search returned 0 results! I was disappointed. I felt like it was probably incorrect. There just had to be some articles in PERSI about Dyers in North Carolina. PERSI includes over two million entries for articles from thousands of genealogical and historical periodicals. Dyer is a fairly common name, and many Dyers lived in North Carolina. Why wasn’t my search getting any results? I wondered if...
When is the last time you discovered an important new genealogy record because of the FamilySearch indexing effort? Did you know that when you attach a record hint generated by the system you may also have the option to send a thank you to the indexer? Lest we ever forget that our ability to research quickly and effectively is due to the efforts of many who volunteer their time, during this season of Thanksgiving we can take a moment and give thanks. Recently in reviewing the FamilySearch details for my third great grandfather, Hickman Monroe Shults, I saw a new...
