If you are adding idenfitication information to a digital image of an old photograph, indicate also how you came to obtain that identification. Was it written on the reverse? Did you recognize the handwriting? Did a relative tell you who was on the photograph? Did someone you interacted with online tell you? Did you find another image of the photograph online that was identified (be sure to cite that)? Do you have other photos with the person and based on those images, you identified who was in the photograph? Did you make the identification due to your own personal knowledge? Identification is great, but a name without any idea how the identification was made can be problematic. Download our Charts Webinar or our Full-Text Searching at FamilySearch Webinar.
Genealogists with ancestors who immigrated from certain parts of Europe are used to dealing with boundaries that were somewhat fluid. It is important to remember that changing boundaries after your ancestor left a region can result in varying places of births given in later records. The place of birth for my ancestor Anke Hinrichs Fecht was either Hanover, Prussia, or Germany-depending upon when she was asked. She was not the only person whose “country” of origin changed during her lifetime. Even an ancestor who indicated in 1860 that they were born in Virginia might have actually been born in what is now West Virginia. Download our Charts Webinar or our Full-Text Searching at FamilySearch Webinar.
I realize county boundary changes can create genealogical research challenges, but there are times when it seems like some individuals think those changes are the solution to every research problem. It’s not. Just because an approach works sometimes or because you heard a professional use it a few times does not mean that the approach works all the time. An individual was having difficulty locating the birth certificate of their ancestor in a rural Illinois county in 1902. The first two responses to their question were: “did the county boundary change?” It is important to be aware of county boundary changes. There is no doubt about that, but context matters. By 1902 in most US states east of the Mississippi River (and quite a few others to be […]
From a while back, but I’m still not using that date. An online tree indicates that an aunt of mine was married in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, in 1869. The only source that tree has for this date are two other online trees. There is no additional information to indicate how the information was obtained–no minister or justice of the peace name, no church, address, etc. A search of extant Hamilton County marriage records did not locate the marriage. The only way I know that my aunt married is because her husband’s name is listed when she inherits from her brother’s estate a few years later. That estate record is my evidence for the marriage and I’m using the date they are mentioned in the court record as […]
If your relative’s “place of birth” is incorrect in a document, consider if anyone in the record creation process (either your relative or the clerk) confused: It’s possible that your relative giving the information confused some of these pieces of information. It is possible the clerk got confused with the information your relative provided. Always transcribe a document exactly as written, but if things don’t make sense or are inconsistent, consider that inadvertent confusion could have taken place. And…that information that’s wrong, could be a clue as the incorrect location could have significance in your ancestor’s life, even if it is “wrong” for the question it answered. Download our Charts Webinar or our Full-Text Searching at FamilySearch Webinar.
Really getting into these things takes some time, but here are some general things to remember when you are “stuck:”
We’ve set dates for my May 2026 trip to the Midwest Genealogy Center in Independence, Missouri. Details on our announcement page.
This site on the University of Missouri Library website has a significant collection of links for price and wages information in the United States from 1780 to the present. Join our methodology class!
If you find a relative in a court record, do you know how to search for transcripts of testimony, petitions of plaintiff, responses of defendant, and other original court documents? Entries in journals and ledgers may only be part of the record and are a great place to start, but there may be more. The difficulty is that in some cases these records were never kept in the first place or they are no longer extant. But it is worth your while to find out. The local courthouse that houses the court record you’ve found is the first place to look. Local historical/genealogical societies may be able to give some guidance in addition to locals familiar with the records. Older records may have been transferred to the appropriate […]
Any research trip is more successful if planned in advance. Check out our 2026 trips’ page for details. Dates have been set for the Salt Lake City trip, but a few details need to be worked out. Save the dates—or register.
One of our goals here is to get you to think about what and how you research and analyze material. It’s ok if people use the online trees. It’s ok if they don’t. It’s ok if people use FindaGrave. It’s ok if they don’t. It’s ok if you use full-text search at FamilySearch. It’s ok if you don’t. If you’re going to use any of those things, then it’s imperative that you know HOW to use them, HOW they work, and what the limitations of those things are. Stating limitations and pitfalls is not bad–it makes you more effective users of those sources which should be the goal for people who use those sources. Join our methodology class!
There is much more to FamilySearch than the online tree. There are images of thousands of original records from across the world. The indexes to the these records are of varying quality, but it’s worth remembering that one can use FamilySearch without ever looking at any of the collaborative tree. One can use the finding aids and indexes to find some things, but sometimes the original indexes created by the original holder of the record will locate things other indexes to do not. And the original records can be manually browsed for searching if that should be desired, although sometimes (depending up the quantity of documents in a record set) that may not be practical. My Perplexity AI and Full-Text Searching Webinars.
I had great fun putting the final touches on the new Perplexity AI webinar yesterday. The best way, in my opinion, to use AI is to treat it as a research intern or assistant that needs direction. It’s a tool like anything else and not necessarily appropriate for every task…but it does have some uses. But it’s not going to solve all your genealogy problems nor is it going to do your research for you. Nothing will do that and don’t let anyone tell you they have the “trick” that always works. There’s no such thing. Details of our new Perplexity presentation are here.
Before querying that database, before hitting “search” on that website, and before typing names into a search box, there are things you need to know about what you are searching. What exactly are you searching when querying this database? Is it just a database of main names in a set of records? Is it an index to every name? Is it a complete transcription? Will you be able to see actual images of the record as well as a database or index entry? Is the data complete–or are parts missing? How do searches actually work–do you know whether you can use wildcards, Boolean operators, and the like? Knowing the answers to these questions will allow you to more effectively search.
If you have the one of the few paper copies of a family item–funeral folders, mass cards, wedding announcements, photographs, etc., have you digitized it? That way the paper copy you have is not the only copy of it in existence. Be certain to share the copies with others who are interested in the family. Copies can be more easily shared than originals. Always consider using a camera instead of a scanner on fragile items. Check out Genealogy Tip of the Day book version for other tips and questions you should ask yourself about your research.
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