Ancestors

Have you tried out the Experimental Full-Text Search on Family Search? In this post, find out what you might be able to discover about your ancestors from using this free tool.

If you have spent some time analyzing your DNA match list, you might wonder if it is possible to have no DNA matches from an ancestor who you know is in your family tree. In this post, learn whether this is possible and how it could happen.

Anyone who spends much time researching their family tree will eventually stumble upon family names that cause them to pause and wonder. Here, learn how and why our ancestors sometimes have names that seem strange to us. In this post, I'll tell you some examples of some "crazy" names in my own family tree, and …

Are you interested in putting your knowledge of your family history to use to connect with your ancestors' culture? In this post, find several ways to expand your connection with the cultures your ancestors called their own. If you have read other articles on my website, then you know that most of the information on …

Do you ever wonder how far back the furthest family tree goes? In this post, learn the furthest verified case that anyone has been able to trace their ancestry.

Have you ever wondered who owns your family story, and which boundaries, if any, should limit your family tree research? In this post, find a discussion about who has the right to tangible and intangible aspects of a family's history. Most people who have dabbled in genealogy know that not everyone in their family loves …

Do you wonder if it is possible to research your German ancestors without actually having to go to Germany? In this post, we'll discuss how to research your German ancestors from the comfort of home. Of course, I would love to take a trip to Germany to see where my ancestors lived and maybe do …

Have you ever wondered why your ancestors came to America? This article provides the main reasons that our ancestors decided to leave home and build a new life in the United States.

Are you interested in finding an obituary for someone? In this post, you will find out how to search for obituaries by name completely for free.

Have you been thinking about what types of artifacts your family might have? In this post, learn what a family artifact is, and what your family might have that counts as an artifact.

Have you ever wanted to see a map of where all of the people in your Ancestry tree? In this post, learn how you can see where important events in your ancestors' lives occurred on an interactive map.

Do you want to learn more about your Irish ancestors? In this post, find out how to find which of your ancestors were Irish, how to learn about their lives in Ireland - and more. Since the year 1800, about ten million people have left the island of Ireland, including both the country of Ireland …

Do you have a pile of old photographs of people that you can't identify? In this post, learn how you can figure out who these people are so you can preserve their image for future generations.

What do you do when you find conflicting evidence in your genealogy research? In this post, find examples and solutions for how to proceed when the facts don't seem to match up with each other. Conflicting evidence examples The two most common situations when we see conflicting evidence in genealogy are when we see evidence …

If you need to find an obituary for a specific person, there is a good chance that you can find it online. In this post, learn how to find someone's obituary.

Are you curious about Find a Grave? Here, you will learn what it is, where the information comes from, and how to use it for your family tree research.

Do you want to know if your ancestors were royalty? Believe it or not, you can find out for yourself, and in this post, I will tell you how.

Do you want to learn how last names got their start? In this post, you will learn the many different ways people got surnames and when the trend began.

Have you recently discovered that you might be a descendant of Charlemagne? Is there a way to find out for sure? Find out in this post!

Do you want to know why cause of death is important in genealogy? Here, learn all of the reasons why figuring out the cause of death is worthwhile.

Wondering when and how we will get access to the 1950's US Federal Census? Here, find out when and how the public will be able to view this census data.

Want to know how to find out if you have famous ancestors? In this post, you'll find tips and tricks for learning about the famous ancestors in your tree.

Want to know what to do with old letters that belonged to your ancestors? Preserving these artifacts is important, and you'll learn how in this article.

What is the Iberian Peninsula DNA ethnicity? If you got this region in your DNA, you will want to read this post to find how you got this DNA - and more!

Want to know how much DNA you would share with your ancestors? Here learn how much DNA you likely inherited from the past generations of your ancestors.

Did your immigrant ancestors change their names when they came to America? Here, learn the who, why, and how of name changes during immigration to the USA.

Most people have eight great-grandparents. Here, learn the definition of great-grandparents, as well as how many generations back they are, and much more.

Are you interested in learning how to trace Eastern European Jewish genealogy? In this post, I'll give you some advice about how to get started, and more!

Documenting your family's culture and history is important. In this post, learn 10 cultural heritage questions that you should be asking your relatives.

Your ancestor had parents - there is no doubt about that, but how do you figure out who they were? Here, learn tips on how to find your ancestor's parents.

Do you feel like your ancestor must have just appeared out of nowhere? Here, learn some of the most effective strategies for breaking down "brick walls"

Wondering if there are groups of family historians all researching the same thing? Learn what the Gedmatch Ancestor Projects are and how they can help.

You've likely seen several documents with the same name as that of your ancestor. In this post, learn how to know which record belongs to your ancestor.

Ever wondered how to do a cultural heritage interview? Want to know cultural heritage interview questions that you could ask your relatives who immigrated?

What better what to feel a connection with your ancestors than through a beautiful homage to their culture in the form of food?  Plus, it's a great way to help family members, especially kids, become interested in their family tree and their heritage. If we are being honest, family tree research can be dry and …

There is so much written out there about how many times family stories aren't true.  Especially with the advent of DNA testing, it's easier than ever to prove or disprove long-held family beliefs.  I had an interesting experience recently, however, that I would like to share.  There is value to talking with older relatives and …

Do you want an easy way to find out if you look like your ancestors? Let Family Search's new tool do the work for you. In this post, I'll teach you how it works. I have spent way too much time lately uploading my family photographs to Family Search's new "Compare a Face" tool to …

Are you wondering how many ancestors you have?  In this post, I'll teach you how to figure out how many ancestors you have - with a slight catch. 

Do you have Swedish ancestry?  If you do, you might be interested in learning more about your Swedish immigrant ancestors, why they came to America, how to research your Swedish ancestry, and whether or not a DNA test can help you.  If this sounds like you, this post will help you. Why did Swedish immigrants …

Do you want to know how to learn about your German immigrant ancestors? In this post, you will learn about German immigration to America, how to find your German ancestor's immigration records, and more! Are you one of the more than 44 million Americans with German ancestry?  The number of German-Americans living in the United …

Do you want to learn more about your Dutch ancestors? In this post, I'll show you how to trace your dutch ancestors with DNA and genealogy.

What are the most important things you can learn about your ancestor? How can this information help you build your family tree? In this post, I'll share with you the top five things that I recommend learning about each of your ancestors. When I first began working on my family tree, I found myself obsessed …