In addition to having their own site and some sister sites, Ancestry.com has their hands in some additional worthy projects. These are available for free to everyone, and they need your help indexing information to make their resources be searchable.
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With Veterans Day this week, many of us are focusing on remembering those who have served in the military. Both of my grandfathers were in the Army during World War II, and I have other ancestors who fought in the Civil War, the War of 1812, and the Revolutionary War. But for people who don’t know how to navigate the system, it can be hard to find information to add to one’s family history about ancestors’ time in the military.
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Newspapers and census records are full of valuable information and story hints for those researching their family’s roots.
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Take some classes at Ancestry Academy to get started with your family history research, or to uncover new resources for your already-extensive records.
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For long time readers of the blog, you may remember my series from four years ago entitled “Genealogy for Geeks,” in which I went through much of Ancestry.com’s functionality, along with other genealogy websites and services. This post begins a new series, reviewing Ancestry again, along with some new sites that are connected to Ancestry, the now-released 1940 census, and more. But I’ll begin with an introduction to genealogy and family history itself.
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Over the last few years, I have had the opportunity to test many personal scanners. Besides using a scanner to reduce the paper clutter in my house and office, it’s also useful for converting print photos to digital files. I’ve managed to scan just about every photo I have, little by little… a couple dozen here, a couple dozen there. The fact is that I just don’t have any more photos to scan in, and this problem had me scratching my head as I opened the new Doxie Flip scanner and wondered just how I could best put it to the test.
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Jenny receives her AncestryDNA results, some of which are very surprising.
Continue ReadingPart two in a continuing series about Ancestry.com, this time about the famed filles du roi in Quebec.
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Part one in the adventures of a geek genealogy. Difficulty: dead ends, mysteries, and unusual origins.
Continue ReadingGenealogy DNA tests help you discover your ethnicity and build your family tree.
Continue ReadingThe second annual RootsTech Developers Challenge will award $5,000 to the developer who creates the best ancestry research application using available APIs. The deadline to apply is December 17, 2011 January 1, 2012, so hurry! Once you apply, your entry must be submitted on or before January 15, 2012. The winning entry will be announced […]
Continue ReadingThis month’s Genealogy for Geeks post is a bit different. I wanted to bring to your attention a contest to develop new and innovative services for the growing genealogy research field. The second annual RootsTech Developers Challenge will award $5,000 …
Continue ReadingFor those who like to dig deeply into researching their family history, being away from their information can be frustrating. Like those of us who like to look up facts on the internet to prove a point to a friend, …
Continue ReadingAnyone with an interest in where they came from can do research into their family history and background. But without a lot of experience, those new to genealogy might not be sure what materials exist, or how or where to …
Continue ReadingAnyone with an interest in where they came from can do research into their family history and background. But without a lot of experience, those new to genealogy might not be sure what materials exist, or how or where to …
Continue ReadingHow do you find the final resting places of your dearly (or not so dearly) departed ancestors? If your family hasn’t kept accurate records, or your family has moved around the country quite a lot, this may not be a …
Continue ReadingOne of the themes on our extremely long summer road trip is war in the United States, and, specifically, information about my Civil War ancestor, Jeremiah Mosher Sample, who was mortally wounded at Gettysburg. We tried to visit his grave …
Continue ReadingGenealogy isn’t all about names and dates. There is a real personal side to it, if you look past official records and read published histories that include information about your ancestors and the lives they led. I recently found a …
Continue ReadingPossibly one of the most basic, simplest, and best places to start your family research are the Census records. Tracing back as far as you can, ten years at a time, will tell you much. You can read between the …
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According to the United States of Shame chart, I live in the nerdiest state. I can relate to the first part of Wikipedia’s definition of nerd. “Nerd is a term that refers to a person who avidly pursues intellectual activities, technical or scientific endeavors, esoteric knowledge, or other obscure interests, rather than engaging in more social or conventional activities.” I […]
Continue ReadingSome might argue that all genealogy is for geeks. It’s designed for us. Where else do you get to dive into the facts and daily lives of thousands of ancestors? Follow one branch, and that leads to another, and another, …
Continue ReadingStarting this Friday, February 4th, is the second season of NBC’s wonderful show, Who Do You Think You Are?, put together by Executive Producer Lisa Kudrow. It’s a genealogy show, with each episode tracing a branch of one famous person’s family tree. As a very amateurish genealogist myself, I loved watching the first season, seeing […]
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