Ancestral Findings

Do you have a Jewish surname in your family tree? If so, you will want to know its origin and meaning. Knowing this allows you to know the story of this branch of your family tree. Join me next time on the Ancestral Findings Podcast and I'll talk about what you need to know about your ancestral Jewish surnames. Show Notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/do-you-have-a-jewish-surname-in-your-family-t...

While there were plenty of very young and very old people to be soldiers during the Civil War, only one has the distinction of being the oldest verified mustered soldier. He was eighty years old when he enlisted. Join me today on the Ancestral Findings Podcast and I'll talk more about his amazing story. Show Notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/curtis-king-unsung-heroes-of-the-civil-war/ Listen vi...

Have you ever used muster rolls in your genealogical research? If you are like most people, you have at least one ancestor who served in the military or war. If they served prior to WWI, muster rolls can be an excellent source of genealogical information. Join me today on the Ancestral Findings Podcast and we'll see what you will find in them. Show Notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/how-to-use-m...

He was a renowned Civil War cavalry commander with the Union Army. He fought in numerous battles, and proved himself time and again to be an expert horseman. While he led no decisive victories, his service was distinguished, if often overlooked one. Join me today on the Ancestral Findings Podcast and I'll talk more about his story. Show Notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/david-mcmurtrie-gregg-th...

German surnames have histories going back to the Middle Ages, and each one tells a story about the original medieval person who bore it. Knowing the history of these names can tell you things about your ancient ancestors the written records cannot. Join me today on the Ancestral Findings Podcast and I'll talk about what you need to know about your German surname and what it can tell you about your...

He was the youngest soldier to serve in the Union during the Civil War, becoming a drummer boy at only ten years old. He was also the youngest noncommissioned officer in US military history. He made a lifelong career out of the Army. Join me today on the Ancestral Findings Podcast to learn more about this remarkable young boy. Show Notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/john-clem-the-unsung-heroes-o...

Do you have an Italian surname in your family tree? Then, you'll want to join me today on the Ancestral Findings Podcast to learn more about the history and meaning of Italian surnames. This information will help your family history research be more meaningful, vibrant, and interesting to you and your descendants. Show Notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/italian-surnames-their-history-and-meaning...

There have been nearly three and a half thousand military service members in the United States who have been awarded the prestigious Medal of Honor. Of these, only eighty-eight of them have been African Americans. Civil War hero William Harvey Carney was one of them... Show Notes and Photos: https://ancestralfindings.com/william-harvey-carney-the-unsung-heroes-of-the-civil-war/ Listen via: https:/...

If you have Spanish ancestry, you will almost certainly come across one or more Spanish surnames during the course of your genealogy research. These surnames are very common in Europe, North America, Central America, and South America, and have a varied and storied history behind them. Knowing how they were formed, and their meanings, can give you clues to your Spanish ancestry that may help you f...

She is best known today as the founder and first president of the American Red Cross. However, she was also a genuine Civil War heroine. Her accomplishments and heroism in the Civil War are often forgotten amid her Red Cross tale. Join me today on the Ancestral Findings Podcast to learn more about this Civil War hero... Show Notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/the-unsung-heroes-of-the-civil-war-c...

If you have French ancestry, you are in good company. Hundreds of millions of people around the world can claim descent from this ancient nation. Like most countries in Europe, the French people did not start using surnames until the Middle Ages. Before that, the villages were small, and most everyone in one knew everyone else. There was not much mobility, either. People tended to live in the same...

If you have Irish heritage, there is probably at least one Irish surname in your family. As Irish families can be challenging to trace, Join me today on the Ancestral Findings Podcast where we'll about Irish surnames and their origins and meanings. This will help you learn the beginnings of your Irish family tree branch. Show Notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/do-you-have-irish-genealogy-use-thi...

The Freedmen's Bureau records are an invaluable resource for the descendants of formerly enslaved people in the United States. They provide information that isn't found anywhere else and can bring people long lost to history back into the light. Join me today on the Ancestral Findings Podcast as we talk about where to find them and how to use them. Show Notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/using-f...

Do you have an ancestor with an incredibly common surname or a surname that is a place, verb, or noun? These people can be tricky to identify in old records. Join me today on the Ancestral Findings Podcast and I'll give you some tips for searching for them, and finding them, in old newspaper records. All you need are some fancy search tricks to reveal your ancestors... Show Notes: https://ancestra...

I recently had the opportunity to visit the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati — a fascinating experience, let me tell you. I spent a good amount of time taking photographs and I'd like to share with you everything that I learned. First, however, because these signs are so interesting, and because there is a lot of history behind them, I'd like to share that history with you. Perhaps this will hel...

Are you familiar with wikis? Have you ever used one for your genealogy research? If not, you should. They are excellent genealogical research tools.  Join me today on the Ancestral Findings Podcast as we look at what a wiki is, why you should be using them, and how they can benefit you as a genealogist. Show Notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/what-is-a-genealogy-wiki/ Listen via: https://ancestr...

Everyone loves a merry-go-round. They are fun for all ages, charming, enchanting, and wonderful reminders of our childhoods. At the same time, we can enjoy watching our children and grandchildren having fun on them. They are also one of the few carnival rides that we can enjoy riding with them. Merry-go-rounds are true family fun rides, suitable for and beloved by all ages. It makes sense, then, w...

The 1790 through 1840 census records only list the name of the head of the household, but that doesn't mean you can't glean more information from them than this. They also include lists of how many people are living in the household, and most of them categorize these people into gender and age groups within those genders. Really early ones may even include listings of who is free and who is the sl...

One of the wonderful things about genealogy is discovering your ancestral homelands. Remember, unless one is Native American, one's ancestors always came from another country before coming to North America, and it was in the recent past (usually the past three to four centuries, which is relatively recent, genealogically speaking). Learning where our ancestors originated opens up so many intriguin...

Census takers didn't always spell names correctly. If it was an unusual name or a foreign one spoken by foreign people, the census taker may have spelled the name phonetically, or misheard it and spelled it completely differently from anything it was supposed to be. You may think your ancestor is not in the census, but this is because you haven't checked using all the search methods that can lead...

If you thought the infamous  Salem witch trials  of 1692 were the only incident of witch hysteria in colonial America, that is understandable. This incident is widely known and talked about, probably because of the sheer volume of numbers of people who were convicted and accused. There were twenty victims who were unjustly executed, while hundreds more for miles around and from far outside of Sale...

People have been keeping track of their genealogies since time immemorial. Before writing, we would pass down our family histories and lineages through oral tradition. Later, those who could keep this information in family Bibles, Torahs, and other religious texts. Finally, we started writing it down in the form of family trees. Family trees have been the most popular and widely used form of genea...

In the old days of genealogy, you would have to go to a genealogy library, look up a name in a printed index, and then get a roll of microfilm corresponding to that name, and scroll through to find your person (or just browse a whole neighborhood, if no name was in the index). You can still search this way. However, there are many places online with digitized images of the census, many of which ha...

Have you ever considered taking a vacation to the homeland of your ancestors? If so, you are far from alone. Genealogy tourism is more popular than ever. With more people getting involved in genealogy, the number of people who want to see for themselves the places where their ancestors lived, walked, worked, and loved is at an all-time high. And, there are genealogy tourism companies that are jump...

The easy availability of home DNA testing has become extremely popular in both genealogical circles and in everyday people who do not do genealogy. The idea of being able to know about our ancestors, where we came from, and even ourselves (via health and other personal information DNA provides) is tantalizing. Since these DNA test kits are so affordable for most, it is hard to resist their appeal....