American history was made with our immigrant and ethnic ancestors. Everyone has immigrant ancestors. It doesn't matter if your ancestor came to America in the 1900s, the 1600s, or were here to meet the rest of the settlers, all American ancestry leads somewhere else.
Read MoreUS Federal Census reports are an important part of a Genealogist research. Census were taken every 10 years, providing the opportunity for genealogists to follow families back in time. They would provide locations of ancestors, age information, occupations and geographical data. They also hold clues about an ancestor's educational background, and even military status. So, with Census documents holding so much valuable information... it's so frustrating when you run a name search for an ancestor and you end up with NO RESULTS!
Read MoreIt's summer vacation... and as a Professional Genealogist, running my own business, working for myself... that means I have two eager kids fighting for my time in between projects. We decided to set out and see Ohio this summer, taking in the History, learning about the land through visits to local battlefields, a trip to the public library and a tour of the Genealogy archives, and even some historical home tours that aren't too far from our home.
Read MoreAs you're tracing your family history, you'll at least occasionally find that you need the help of a professional genealogist to make the progress you want. This can be due to time constraints in your own life, a need for verification of your work, dealing with a foreign language, or searching for an ancestor who left little written history behind. Whatever the reason my be, when it's time to hire a professional genealogist, it's important that you find one who is trustworthy and whose work will last for generations to come.
Read MoreAs a Genealogist... you've probably already discovered that the term "Brick Wall" is discussed almost regularly! We love to chat about the brick walls that are blocking our search into families' pasts. Usually, these brick walls are only detours that we can find our way around by stepping back and taking a fresh look at our research.... seeking out different record types... or doing some cluster research to find a clue buried in the overload of information.
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