Figuring out which church a family attended can be a challenge, especially when there are no city directories to consult or county histories fall short on detailing churches. So where can you turn?

The Works Project Administration's Historical Records Survey located and cataloged church records. The resulting inventories, many of which were published in the 1930s and 1940s, can help you figure...

Let's face it. We were all beginners at some point, and that most likely means we overlooked important bits of information in the sources we consulted back then. Maybe we didn't know any better when consulting a new-to-us source. Perhaps the information didn't seem relevant at the time. Or we simply grabbed the pieces of information we were after and neglected everything else the record could...

I'm so excited to share some news with you! Over the last few months, I've been busy working behind the scenes to turn Genealogy Problem-Solving Academy into a self-study course!

I will be unveiling the self-study version on August 31, 2021, but only to those who are on the wait list.

Anyone who is on the wait list by 7:00 a.m. CDT on August 31 will receive an exclusive, introductory offer to...

FAN Club is a phrase coined by Elizabeth Shown Mills. FAN represents family/friends, associates, and neighbors—the people that were part of your ancestor’s social network. By including these people in your research, you may uncover clues that can help answer questions of identity, relationship, origin, and more.

Solomon Norton is most likely my sixth great-grandfather, but I've had...

You’ve spent countless hours filling in the details of your ancestors, but have you taken the time to record your own biographical details? I actually did this several years ago as a departure from research (sometimes you just need a break!!). I spent some time entering a variety of my life events into my genealogy database. It was a good exercise for me, because as I get older, certain...

Your favorite genealogy or genealogy-related website may have some secrets…

Wait, what secrets?

Each website has its own search algorithms, so the way you search on one site, may not be effective on another. Case in point: For many websites, a question mark represents one character (e.g., Sm?th), but at WorldCat, it’s the ampersand represents one character (e.g., Sm#th).

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When it comes to genealogy, finding records can be a challenge. Well my friend, if you’re in this boat, this is for you!

The biggest question we try to answer is: Does a record exist for the time and place of interest, and where on earth is it?

So, how can you go about finding records, both those you’re familiar with and those you’re not?

The FamilySearch Wiki is a great online...

Academic libraries are probably one of the most overlooked repositories when it comes to genealogy research. But the universities and colleges in the states in which your ancestors lived should definitely be on your list of places to look. These libraries usually contain special collections or archives related to the history of the state or region, as well as the areas surrounding the campus....

As genealogists, we typically use core records when we start exploring a person or a family. These core records include censuses, vital records, probate records and wills, gravestones, and land records. But these are just the tip of the iceberg. There are three records types I want to call attention to. These are what I consider next-level sources.

1. Cemetery Records

I know, I just said...

Wanna know my secret for researching in other countries?

It's all about studying the location!

This of course applies to ANY location, not just other countries.

But how do you go about studying a location? Well, there are plenty of resources out there that can help with that! These three resources are my go-tos when I need to get started with researching in a new-to-me country (or a new...