May 13, 2026

By the time you reach this stage in your research, your family tree should have a solid structure. You have used census records to follow families across time. You have used vital records to confirm key relationships. Names, dates, and places are starting to come together in a clear way.

Now the work shifts.

Basic...

May 7, 2026

Every family history begins close to home. Before you search old courthouse books, census pages, ship lists, military files, or newspaper archives, you begin with the people you already know. You begin with your own name, your parents, your grandparents, and the stories that have been carried through your family.

That...

May 4, 2026

Have you ever wondered where your inner strength developed? Have you wondered about the people who may have passed you your intelligence, your fighting skills, and your survival instinct? Do you feel a dark power lurking over you and suspect that you can choke someone from across the room with two fingers? Do you feel...

May 1, 2026

If you had to choose one record set to build a family history, the United States census would be it. No other source tracks families so consistently over time. Taken every ten years, the census creates a timeline that allows you to follow individuals, households, and entire communities across generations.

For many...

Apr 25, 2026

DNA testing has changed family history in a way few people could have imagined even twenty years ago. It used to be that most people built a family tree with census records, obituaries, marriage licenses, cemetery stones, and whatever stories had been passed down at reunions or holiday dinners. That kind of research...