Ancestral Findings

If your family has lived in North America for more than a few generations, chances are that part of your story began in England. For centuries, English men and women boarded ships that sailed toward an uncertain horizon, leaving behind familiar fields and cathedrals for a world they knew only through rumor and prayer. To trace English ancestry is to follow the roots of early America itself. The la...

November is the perfect month to dig deeper into your family's past and turn history into something you can see, taste, and share. As the days grow shorter and the holidays draw near, it's a natural time to reflect on where we came from and how our traditions began. These ten genealogy projects will help you connect with your ancestors in creative ways—from recreating their Thanksgiving tables to...

The fields around Kassel shimmered in the summer light, the scent of rye and damp earth thick in the air. Johann Müller paused his plow horse and wiped his brow. His father's land had been small when he inherited it. Now, after decades of division among brothers and cousins, it was barely large enough to feed his family. "Land doesn't grow, Johann," his wife, Greta, said one night as they sat besi...

The story of German immigration to America is one of the great migrations in modern history. Over five million people left the German-speaking lands between the early 1700s and the early 1900s, crossing oceans in search of freedom, work, and land. Many of their descendants live across the United States today, sometimes aware of those roots, sometimes not. If you have ever wondered whether your own...

The wind had turned sharp over the fields of County Clare. It carried the sour smell of rot—the smell of potatoes dying in the ground. Every family in Kilfenora knew that scent by now. It had haunted them for two years, and it had come back again, crueler than before. Sean O'Callaghan knelt in the furrows, turning one blackened plant after another. The stalks came apart like wet paper. There was n...

Do you have Irish ancestry in your family? You might be surprised how often the answer is yes. Roughly one in ten Americans can trace at least part of their lineage to Ireland, making Irish ancestry one of the most common ethnic roots in the United States. The Irish story in America is one of resilience, hope, and faith, shaped by both hardship and triumph. To understand it fully, you must travel...

Every year on October 31, children walk door to door collecting candy while wearing costumes. The custom feels old and familiar, but it has a real history. Trick or treat did not appear overnight. It grew slowly, shaped by the lives and traditions of many families who came to America from other countries. For genealogists, this story adds helpful background to family history. It helps date family...

Names are among the most personal pieces of information we can record, yet in genealogy they often become our most puzzling clues. They carry history, culture, and family identity. They also shift, disappear, and change shape across generations, sometimes leaving researchers wondering whether they're tracing one person—or several with similar names. In every century and culture, names have done mo...

There's something about the World's Fairs that has always captured my imagination. Whenever I read about them or stumble across old photos or souvenir postcards, I feel like I'm looking into a time when humanity wasn't just dreaming about the future—we were building it in real time. As someone who spends a lot of time researching history and genealogy, I find myself wondering what my ancestors mus...

Some of the most powerful moments in genealogy happen when we uncover something someone tried to hide. It might be a missing record, a false birth date, or a name that suddenly disappears and reappears under a new spelling. Secrets are part of every family story, and when they surface, they can change how we see everything that came before. I've spent many years researching family lines, and I've...

Genealogy provides us with more than just names and dates. It reveals how people lived, what they valued, and how they formed the ties that made them family. Those ties are not always simple. As research deepens, we begin to see that the concept of family has never had a single, unified meaning. It shifts with time, culture, and circumstance. This article looks at what happens when "family" does n...

Columbus Day began as a celebration of exploration and immigrant pride. Over time, it became one of the most debated observances in the United States. This is the story of how a single holiday came to represent two distinctly different perspectives on American history. The idea of honoring Christopher Columbus in the United States dates back to the late 1700s. The earliest known celebration took p...

Every so often, a genealogy book comes along that makes me look at research in a completely new way.  Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland  by Chris Paton did that for me. If you have ever chased Irish ancestors, you already know it is not for the faint of heart. Records vanish. Churches burn. Counties split and rename. Sometimes the trail just goes cold. What this book does so well is explain...

Every postcard has its surprises, and this one from my collection is a little unusual. Instead of showing a scenic view or a tourist attraction, it shows a mural of a man who was both feared and admired:  Jesse James, the famous Missouri outlaw . The mural is located inside the  Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City , and the fact that it ended up on a postcard tells you a lot about how America...

Every postcard in my collection has a story to tell, and this one takes us to Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri. On the front, you see a lively crowd gathered at the  Municipal Opera , better known today as  The Muny . The seats are packed, the stage is bright, and the performance is in full swing. Just looking at the card, you can almost hear the music floating through the summer night air. On t...

Every postcard has a story to tell, and this one from my collection takes us into the world of Utah mining. The front of the card is filled with colorful illustrations of mines, towns, and the people who worked them. At the center is a portrait of an older prospector, George P. Watson, who spent nearly five decades searching for ore in Utah. Around him are views of famous mines: the Alta United Mi...

As October approaches, many of us eagerly anticipate engaging in seasonal activities, from pumpkin carving to family baking. But have you ever considered that this could be the perfect time to dig deeper into your family history as well? This month offers you a golden opportunity to enrich your understanding of your roots through various genealogy projects. Whether you're keen on outdoor explorati...

If you've been researching family history for any length of time, you've probably heard someone say, "Well, the trail stops with the immigrant ancestor. Once you hit the ocean, you can't go any further." This idea is one of the most persistent myths in genealogy. Many people stop at the ancestor who stepped off the ship, resigned to the belief that records from "the old country" are too hard to fi...

In recent years, DNA testing has become one of the hottest tools in genealogy. It promises quick answers to old questions, colorful charts that tell you your ethnic breakdown, and even lists of genetic cousins you never knew you had. For many researchers, DNA has been a game-changer. It has reunited families, broken through long-standing mysteries, and added a powerful new dimension to traditional...

Many of us grow up hearing stories about our family's background. Maybe your grandmother insisted her side of the family was "pure Irish." Or perhaps your grandfather proudly declared that his ancestors were "completely German, no mixture at all." In some households, there is even the belief that one particular ancestor was "full-blooded Cherokee," "100 percent Scottish," or "pure Italian." These...

One of the most tempting shortcuts in genealogy is the idea of the "master family tree." A single, giant, authoritative tree where everyone is already linked, all the names and dates are correct, and all you have to do is plug your family into the right spot. You'll hear this myth from new researchers, see it implied in online ads, and sometimes even find it in casual conversations: "Isn't there o...

The internet has changed genealogy forever. A few clicks can uncover census records, passenger lists, or even digitized newspapers that once took months of travel and library time to access. Companies like Ancestry, FamilySearch, and MyHeritage have built enormous databases. Google can even surface obscure family references. With so much at our fingertips, it's easy to believe the myth:  "All of g...

For genealogists, the census is like a treasure chest. Those big sheets of names, ages, occupations, and birthplaces are often the first stop when we start tracing a family tree. They feel official, stamped with the authority of the government, and that makes them seem ironclad. But here's the myth we need to bust:  the census is not always correct. Yes, census records are invaluable. They offer d...

Have you ever heard a family story that sounds just a little too good to be true? Maybe it's the tale of a "Cherokee princess" somewhere in your tree. Or maybe a great-aunt swore that your family is connected to European royalty. These are two of the most popular legends in genealogy, and they've been told so many times that they start to feel like fact. Here's the truth: Native tribes didn't have...

Family stories have a way of becoming family legends, and one of the most common you'll hear in genealogical circles is this:  "Our ancestor came through Ellis Island, and the clerks changed the family name because they couldn't spell it." It's dramatic, almost cinematic. Imagine the scene—ships crowding New York Harbor, weary travelers clutching suitcases, and an impatient official scribbling dow...