Category Archives: GenBlog

I have some good news for you! Genealogy Problem-Solving Academy is open for enrollment! The Academy is a 6-week coaching-led experience that walks you through a proven framework to get you from stuck to unstuck on even your toughest research problem. As you go through the framework, you’ll put what you learn into practice immediately so you can make progress on your OWN research. You’ll be part of a small group of students where you’ll get personal attention from me so you can feel confident that you’re headed in the […]

I have a weekly calendar entry that reminds me to check out the new records that have been added to the major genealogy websites. When I find something of interest, I investigate it further and if it’s worthwhile I add it to my locality guide(s). I do this even when I don’t have a subscription to a website. Why? Because I may find that there are enough relevant collections on a website that are worth the cost of a subscription for a little while. Or, I might be able to […]

The Connecticut Society of Genealogists is now accepting entries for both the Essay Contest and Literary Awards. Submission deadline for both is July 15, 2021. Winners for both will be notified by September 1, 2021.  Details for each are below.

Did you know that you can create quick genealogy charts in Microsoft Word (or PowerPoint) using the Smart Art feature? I picked up this little tip from Paul Woodbury during a SLIG practicum a few years ago. You can use this to create family tree charts, but they’re also handy for charting DNA matches. In this video demo, I’ll show you how to use the Smart Art feature to create a chart, in particular, one for DNA matches.

Title: Family Tree Factbook: Key Genealogy Tips and Stats for the Busy Researcher Author: Diane Haddad Format: Paperback Published: 2018 My Rating: The following review first appeared in the Federation of Genealogical Societies FORUM magazine (Spring 2020); reprinted with permission. This post contains affiliate links. The Family Tree Factbook is intended to be a quick reference guide for US-based genealogy research. There are plenty of facts and tips throughout the book that researchers will find useful. The opening chapter “Research Basics” includes a glossary of terms, a list of acronyms, and […]

March is Women’s History Month! This year, I plan to celebrate by learning more about my female ancestors and what life was like for them. There are a lot of fabulous free resources available online and I can’t wait to dig in. In case you want to join me, here are a few general resources you can use to learn more about your female ancestors. Discovering American Women’s History Online – There are more than 700 digital collections covering all sorts of women’s history topics. Includes everything from oral histories […]

Title: The Family Tree Historical Atlas of Germany Author: James M. Beidler Format: Paperback Published: 2019 My Rating: The following review first appeared in the Federation of Genealogical Societies FORUM magazine (Winter 2019); reprinted with permission. This post contains affiliate links. The history of Germany is a complicated subject. But there are pieces of Germany’s history that are important to family history researchers. The Family Tree Historical Atlas of Germany tells the story of Germany’s evolution through maps, from ancient times to the present, and is a useful resource for genealogists. […]

I remember years ago, several GeneaBloggers posted about the things on their genealogy bucket list. Over the years, I’ve knocked several off my own list that I’ve kept in my head. I thought it was time to get them out of my head and onto paper, so to speak. So here it goes…