The Genealogy Gypsy Blog — the Genealogy Investigator

Let Kelley Amstutz, Professional Genealogis, tell your Ancestors' story!

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3 Tips for Hiring a Professional Genealogist You Can Trust

3 Tips for Hiring a Professional Genealogist You Can Trust

As 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.

Genealogy, Home, Latest, Lifestyle, ResourcesKelleryn AmstutzJune 16, 2022Ancestry.com, applications, American Ancestors, abstracts, business, business builder, bond, build, brick walls, break down brick walls, beneficiary, church records, correspondence, city directories, check out my course, complexion, databases, debts, declarations of intention, enumeration, executor, end of the trail, end of written records, Newsletter, Hello, heir, Results, relative, flow, family history, Family, Family History Library, focus, free, free forms, freebie, fresh perspective, framework, future, further research, FamilySearch, final destination, Family Tree, Information Review, Professional GenealogistHere, Professional Genealogist, Microfilm, certificates of arrival, Certificate Course, certificate course, move forward, work from home, goal, guardianship, Genealogy, Genealogy Journey, genealogy services, guardianship records, organic, History, how, history, historians, health conditions, Historical Society, Charts, the end, important, indexes, identify, immigrants, investigator, discover, journey, work at home, know, moms working from home, land records, land management, list of attached records, land scarcity, place of residence, maiden name, MyHeritage, Mailing List, mom life, immigration, american records, nee, never created, naturalization, national archives, orders, oaths, online records, course, royalty, paper trail, patience, Research, research trail, Resources, records, record search, resource list, records missing, trace your ancestors, solve problems, Secondary Source, summary, State and County Offices, Social Security Index, USB, passenger, custom lists, destroyed records, uncover, Welcome, write as you go, citizenship, DNA, work samples, public reviews, reviews, review, credentials, credComment

9 Research Strategies to Solve Genealogy Mysteries the Old School Way

9 Research Strategies to Solve Genealogy Mysteries the Old School Way

Sometimes the KEY to solving a genealogy mystery is going BACK to the BASICS!

When you run up against a genealogy BRICK WALL - try these nine (9) old-school ways to break that wall DOWN. You'll find that not only can old dogs learn new tricks... but dogs both young and old will benefit from practicing these time-tested strategies!

Genealogy, Home, Latest, Resources, LifestyleKelleryn AmstutzJune 2, 2022Genealogy, goal, guardianship, guardian, guardianship records, Genealogy Journey, high taxes, American Ancestors, adoption, abstracts, antwerp, collections, church records, census records, correspondence, custom lists, Church Records, conclusion, citizenship records, citizenship, complexion, court docket, Coroner Reports, Charts, certificates of arrival, Certificate Course, certificate course, focus, uncover, records, Microfilm, ancestry, Ancestry.com, declarations of intention, Social Security Index, Secondary Source, executor, discover, Welcome, Anecstors Life, trace your ancestors, place of residence, blackfoot indian, Brock Family, place of birth, detective, American Indian, Cherokee, crop failures, Corum Family, applications, transcription, Resources, resource list, land scarcity, death certificates, organic, Research, research trail, beneficiary, land records, native country, health conditions, Historical Society, allegiance, death records, Death Record Map, probate court, FamilySearch, State and County Offices, Funeral Records, online sources, Newspapers.com, Military Records, Native American, Native American Ancestry, Primary Source, list of attached records, hair and eye color, emigration records, further research, naturalization records, passenger list recording forms, work from home, wills, work at home, write as you go, Newsletter, how, newspapers, flow, know, moms working from home, framework, move forward, Information Review, arrival, administrator, arrival lists, paper trail, name of ship, oaths, naturalization petitions, Family, date and port of arrival, Family Tree, famines, naturalization, family history, Mailing List, passenger, passenger lists, passenger name, hamburg, databases, Family History Library, naturalization numbers, DNA, travel abroad, relative, final destination, detainee notations, estate, summary, Vintage Photographs, probate, important, immigrants, immigration, immigration passenger lists, rotterdam, historians, ships master, MyHeritage, investigative tools, investigator, Bigley Family, ellis island, Professional GenealogistHere, Professional Genealogist, port of embarkation, Born in the USA, petitions, Results, Hello, Deeds, heir, belgium, debts, free, question, free forms, identify, bremen, freebie, orders, indexes, foreign governments, Tribe, solve problems, future, journey, business, business builder, mom life, History, history, Old Photos, bond, build, USBComment

10 Brick Walls And How To (Possibly) Break Them Down

10 Brick Walls And How To (Possibly) Break Them Down

As 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.

Genealogy, Home, Latest, ResourcesKelleryn AmstutzMay 26, 2022business, business builder, build, collections, church records, census records, correspondence, custom lists, citizenship records, Church Records, conclusion, citizenship, complexion, court docket, Coroner Reports, Charts, certificates of arrival, Certificate Course, certificate course, focus, uncover, records, Microfilm, ancestry, Ancestry.com, declarations of intention, Social Security Index, Secondary Source, executor, discover, Anecstors Life, trace your ancestors, place of residence, Deeds, date and port of arrival, DNA, detainee notations, debts, databases, detective, death certificates, death records, Death Record Map, identify, adoption, administrator, orders, Old Photos, indexes, land scarcity, land records, guardianship, guardian, guardianship records, final destination, State and County Offices, move forward, ellis island, American Indian, travel abroad, Funeral Records, Military Records, list of attached records, emigration records, passenger list recording forms, naturalization records, goal, Genealogy, Genealogy Journey, organic, high taxes, immigrants, immigration, immigration passenger lists, Vintage Photographs, foreign governments, Mailing List, passenger, passenger lists, passenger name, investigative tools, investigator, MyHeritage, moms working from home, write as you go, Professional GenealogistHere, Professional Genealogist, History, how, history, historians, heir, health conditions, Historical Society, oaths, important, Information Review, wills, Primary Source, ships master, arrival, arrival lists, petitions, native country, online sources, Family, famines, Family Tree, family history, Family History Library, FamilySearch, applications, American Ancestors, Native American Ancestry, Native American, Tribe, question, freebie, beneficiary, mom life, allegiance, Born in the USA, naturalization, transcription, naturalization petitions, naturalization numbers, crop failures, paper trail, relative, resource list, work at home, know, work from home, framework, port of embarkation, flow, solve problems, summary, name of ship, newspapers, Newsletter, Newspapers.com, bond, journey, probate, probate court, Resources, place of birth, USB, estate, Research, Results, research trail, abstracts, free forms, further research, future, brick walls, break down brick walls, record search, online records, no records available, end of the trail, patience, tax list, voting list, city directories, phone books, maiden name, nee, common name, land management, fresh perspective, destroyed records, national archives, enumeration, never created, records missing, american records, scotlandspeople, end of written records, domesday book, nobility, royalty, the begats, the end, course, check out my course, genealogy servicesComment

Genealogy Research Report Writing

Genealogy Research Report Writing

We all love and live for the thrill of the HUNT... the challenge of a mysterious kinship or hidden story. We hone our research skills, learn about records and think over the evidence we uncover. But, there's another part of the detective work that we often overlook... writing reports about our research.

Genealogy, Home, Latest, Lifestyle, ResourcesKelleryn AmstutzMay 12, 2022Research, Resources, relative, Results, records, research trail, freebie, trace your ancestors, Professional GenealogistHere, orders, free, Primary Source, probate, Professional Genealogist, free forms, arrival, travel abroad, applications, American Ancestors, ancestry, business, bond, business builder, beneficiary, collections, custom lists, citizenship, church records, Church Records, court docket, census records, citizenship records, Charts, certificates of arrival, Certificate Course, certificate course, Microfilm, Ancestry.com, declarations of intention, Social Security Index, Secondary Source, Deeds, date and port of arrival, DNA, debts, databases, detective, death certificates, death records, Death Record Map, adoption, estate, executor, ellis island, emigration records, petitions, heir, Newsletter, Genealogy, Genealogy Journey, newspapers, Welcome, Newspapers.com, detainee notations, health conditions, Anecstors Life, foreign governments, name of ship, paper trail, MyHeritage, investigator, allegiance, indexes, Funeral Records, antwerp, passenger, passenger lists, passenger name, Family, family history, Family History Library, famines, FamilySearch, final destination, Family Tree, Information Review, work from home, mom life, guardianship, guardian, high taxes, immigrants, immigration, immigration passenger lists, Mailing List, passenger list recording forms, wills, History, history, historians, Military Records, Historical Society, hair and eye color, ships master, arrival lists, administrator, journey, work at home, moms working from home, land records, land scarcity, place of birth, place of residence, native country, naturalization, naturalization petitions, naturalization records, naturalization numbers, Born in the USA, Coroner Reports, guardianship records, State and County Offices, oaths, probate court, investigative tools, build, discover, uncover, solve problems, focus, summary, conclusion, further research, write as you go, framework, flow, organic, identify, goal, question, know, important, move forward, resource list, correspondence, online sources, transcription, abstracts, how, future, list of attached recordsComment

Researching Passenger Lists

Researching Passenger Lists

When you start looking into family research, nine times out of ten the trail will lead you to start questioning how immigrant ancestors got to America.

Genealogy, Home, Latest, Lifestyle, ResourcesKelleryn AmstutzMay 5, 2022American Ancestors, ancestry, administrator, Ancestry.com, Anecstors Life, applications, FamilySearch, paper trail, land records, collections, census records, church records, Church Records, citizenship, court docket, Coroner Reports, Charts, certificates of arrival, certificate course, records, Microfilm, Social Security Index, declarations of intention, Secondary Source, executor, trace your ancestors, Deeds, DNA, debts, death certificates, estate, petitions, heir, Results, Genealogy, Genealogy Journey, newspapers, Welcome, Resources, Research, research trail, beneficiary, Newspapers.com, death records, MyHeritage, Family, Family History Library, foreign governments, Funeral Records, Family Tree, Information Review, Professional Genealogist, work from home, mom life, moms working from home, State and County Offices, guardianship, guardian, History, Historical Society, Old Photos, work at home, guardianship records, indexes, immigrants, immigration, wills, Military Records, Primary Source, business, business builder, naturalization, naturalization petitions, naturalization records, bond, orders, oaths, passenger lists, passenger, ellis island, arrival, journey, arrival lists, databases, custom lists, immigration passenger lists, name of ship, ships master, port of embarkation, date and port of arrival, passenger name, final destination, travel abroad, relative, place of residence, passenger list recording forms, freebie, free, free forms, place of birth, health conditions, complexion, hair and eye color, native country, historians, history, family history, investigator, detective, high taxes, crop failures, land scarcity, famines, emigration records, bremen, hamburg, rotterdam, antwerp, belgium, citizenship records, naturalization numbers, detainee notations, USB, Born in the USA, Mailing List, Newsletter, Certificate Course, Professional GenealogistHereComment

Death Record Research

Death Record Research

Sitting down to start your genealogy research... it is common practice for many professional genealogists to begin by looking at DEATH RECORDS, first. Death certificates and records give us the most recent evidence of our ancestor's lives.

Genealogy, Home, Latest, ResourcesKelleryn AmstutzApril 28, 2022Genealogy, guardianship, guardianship records, guardian, allegiance, immigrants, ancestry, administrator, paper trail, land records, oaths, naturalization records, death records, death certificates, business, beneficiary, bond, business builder, debts, probate court, probate, collections, citizenship, Charts, certificates of arrival, certificate course, court docket, church records, census records, declarations of intention, records, executor, trace your ancestors, estate, petitions, heir, Results, newspapers, Resources, Family, Family Tree, Information Review, Professional Genealogist, work from home, mom life, immigration, moms working from home, History, Old Photos, Research, research trail, work at home, indexes, wills, Tribe, applications, naturalization, naturalization petitions, DNA, adoption, orders, Deeds, Primary Source, Secondary Source, Anecstors Life, Death Record Map, State and County Offices, Ancestry.com, MyHeritage, Microfilm, Historical Society, Family History Library, FamilySearch, Social Security Index, American Ancestors, Funeral Records, Church Records, Newspapers.com, Coroner Reports, Military Records, Genealogy JourneyComment

Naturalization Records Every Genealogist Should Know About

Naturalization Records Every Genealogist Should Know About

When working with genealogy in the United States, every family tree you encounter will have an immigrant ancestor. The only question is when that migration took place.

Let's Talk About Guardianship Records

Let's Talk About Guardianship Records

As recently as the 20th century in the United States and elsewhere, the death of a father meant that his children were orphans, no matter if the mother survived him or not.

Deeds Have the Dirt on Your Family

Deeds Have the Dirt on Your Family

From relocations to relationships, deeds have the dirt on your family. Discover how to use property records to solve 10 genealogy roadblocks!

Looking Behind the Lens

Looking Behind the Lens

How often do we stop to think about who is behind the camera on those old, vintage photos we have collected from our ancestors?

8 Steps to Verify Your Finds & See Where They Lead

8 Steps to Verify Your Finds & See Where They Lead

Billions of ancestors in family trees online have had Genealogists give them names. But, what now? What do you do with all this new information once it's been uncovered? If you don't take the right steps you could be chasing the wrong ancestors, or miss clues all together... leading to a giant brick-wall.

How You Can Be A Great Ancestor

How You Can Be A Great Ancestor

16 Ways you can leave behind your family’s legacy.

Genealogy, Home, Latest, Resources, LifestyleKelleryn AmstutzMarch 17, 2022Genealogy, History, ancestry, Family Tree, Charts, Resources, Information ReviewComment

5 Clues You May Have Native American Ancestry

5 Clues You May Have Native American Ancestry

5 Clues You May Have Native American Ancestry

Genealogy, Latest, ResourcesKelleryn AmstutzMarch 10, 2022History, ancestry, Genealogy, Professional Genealogist, Brock Family, Tribe, Cherokee, American Indian, Native American, Native American Ancestry, DNA, blackfoot indianComment

Hello & Welcome! (Introductions!)

Hello & Welcome! (Introductions!)

Kel Amstutz, Professional Genealogist, native to Toledo, Ohio, who loves figuring out how everyone in a family tree fits together in the jig-saw puzzle of life.

She began her genealogy journey at a young age, always questioning where her family came from because she always felt like she looked a little different from those around her.

The rabbit hole started by researching her Grandfather's family tree and took her down a path of wanting to learn more about all line of her family and eventually trickling down to her husband's family - finding a delightful mixture of eastern and western European ancestry.

Home, Resources, Genealogy, LatestKelleryn AmstutzFebruary 23, 2021Welcome, Hello, Family Tree, DNA, Charts, Genealogy, Research, Information Review, Professional GenealogistComment

6 Signs It's Time to Get Help from a Professional Genealogist

6 Signs It's Time to Get Help from a Professional Genealogist

Finding out your family lineage is a matter of the heart, but what you uncover can redefine history, for you, your family, and how you look at things going forward.

When we learn about our ancestors, we essentially are learning about ourselves through their paths. We go back to the times before because it’s wildly unfamiliar and return, again and again because it becomes a passion to see what we can uncover.

Genealogy can give us a look back into that restless town where our ancestors once settled, baking foods we might still be familiar with, rearing children with little to nothing, commuting to the store or the glass factory by means that are almost extinct today.

Latest, Genealogy, ResourcesKelleryn AmstutzFebruary 23, 2021Genealogy, Research, Professional Genealogist, DNA, Family Tree, Resources, Information Review, History, Charts, ResultsComment