Have you heard about the latest Ethnicity Estimate tool called SideView™? AncestryDNA launched this new feature on 13 April 2022, and it has features that I think you will really like! SideView™ uses your DNA matches to help assign ethnicity estimates to two profiles representing your father and your mother. This is exciting news! This new feature, found in the “Ethnicity Estimates” section of AncestryDNA, shows you the ethnicities you inherited from each side of your family. The SideView report displays images representing the DNA from specific countries or regions that both of your parents inherited from many generations of...
Last week I wrote about the transfer of lands from the family of William Penn and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to original owners. These transfers resulted in what are known as “First Titles.” When one of these original owners sold their land to a buyer, the resulting document was a deed. Because our Pennsylvania German ancestors would have been involved in subsequent land transactions as they lived in and migrated through the state, it is essential to be able to discover the records created during this process. Genealogically Significant Information You Might Find in Deeds First, it is important to...
If you have an ancestor who came into what is now Texas in the 1700s or 1800s, understanding the history, jurisdictions, and records will be key to your research. This is the second of a three-part series where we’ll explore the Spanish, Mexican, Republic, and Statehood eras of Texas, specifically focusing on the land grants. In part one we looked at a historical overview of the settling of Texas and the Spanish land grants. In this article, we’ll look at the era of Mexican rule over Texas and the Mexican colonization policy through the empresario system. We’ll also look at...
Mark your calendar for 1 April 2022 – not because it is April Fool’s Day – but because the National Archives will release the 1950 U.S. Federal Census on that day. What will this census offer us as genealogists? How can we access the data? How should we prepare? Let’s consider each of these questions in turn. What Information will the 1950 U.S. Federal Census Hold? The United States Census Bureau has made the 1950 Census of Population and Housing – Population Form available for download in hi-resolution.1 The U.S. Constitution requires a census every ten years with the first...
Do you have an immigrant ancestor that you would like to trace to their hometown? Although this sounds difficult, and it can be, having a plan of attack makes all the difference. Good methodology and knowledge of useful resources can help you succeed in your goal of discovering your ancestry across the pond. In this guest post, Kimball G. Carter, CG® shares a resource he created to aid researchers in this very goal. Kimball is a Certified Genealogist® with expertise in Colonial Virginia, New York, Indiana, Missouri, Germany, and the British Isles. He also specializes in finding the origin of...
When you hear the words “Forensic Genealogy,” what is the first definition you think of? One of my first thoughts is “DNA and documentary research.” Using DNA to solve unknown parentage cases is one of my areas of focus as a genealogist, and it is a significant aspect of Forensic Genealogy. I recently had the great opportunity to take the virtual Beyond Fundamentals: Hands-on Forensic Genealogy course at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP). The pre-requisite for this course was Fundamentals of Forensic Genealogy, which I took in Pittsburgh in 2018. There was a fantastic team of instructors! Catherine...
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 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...
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...
