We’re proud to share the spotlight with some great fellow genealogy bloggers.  You can check out the full list at Online University.  They break the list up into four key sections:

• General
• Specific Research Projects
• Libraries and Resources
• News

The number one blog for each category included:

• General – DearMYRTLE’s Genealogy Blog: Myrtle helps those looking to piece together their family histories learn about the genealogy process.

• Specific Research Projects – AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors: Follow this blogger’s journey to learn how to go about your own research project.

• Libraries and Resources – Ancestry.com Blog: Ancestry.com keeps readers and site users updated on genealogy and online research.

• News – GenealogyBlog: This is a daily news blog for genealogy enthusiasts, which outlines special events, collections, research tips, and more.

Thanks again to the great people doing good work over at Online University.  We appreciate the mention.

Anyone involved in genealogical research knows about the difficulty in tracking long lost family members, in obtaining and organizing official records and placing them in an easy-to-use family tree for all the family. Although nowadays one can get help online, a good and trustworthy genealogy research tool, specializing in finding ancestors and advancing our family research, is essential.

My Heritage was one of the first sites totally geared towards helping its users easily create and access their family trees online, and even create a community where family members can participate and help out too. Another tool available at My Heritage is a “record family engine” which searches across more than 10 billion records, and so far it is the most extensive genealogy searches available for ancestry research online. And best of all: it is free. Since their release of version 2.0, My Heritage has added hundreds of new genealogy database platforms which have given it a totally new and larger scope to its search capability.

This is how to use it: In the genealogical research form, type in the last name you are researching – if you don’t know the exact spelling or name, enter a combination of a first name and last name. The tool then searches for it in 1,400 genealogy databases and related Websites. This is a much more focused search than the ones carried out by more general search engines like Google and Yahoo. Searches can look for an exact spelling, or multiple spelling variations (called Megadex). Attention that the research tool will look for results in thousands of genealogy database and archives, so it may take several minutes before you can see the results on the screen. This search engine is particularly useful if you are researching a rare last name, or an uncommon combination of a first name and surname.

There are many other sites on the Internet for genealogy, My Heritage is not alone, but on My Heritage users can count on a reliable technical support team and easy availability of information.

Did you know that any United States citizen living in the US on or after 1936 is required by law to have obtained a Social Security Card.

A Social Security Card is obtained by filing a Social Security Application. Social Security Applications are a part of the public record.

The Social Security Application requires the applicant to state their mother’s and father’s full name. Very helpful to someone researching their family tree.

To get access to these public records, you need to visit the Social Security Administration or a site that allows you to search their records.

You can search the records of the US Social Security Office from a number of sources. One popular source is at RootsWeb (which you can visit at the link below).

http://tinyurl.com/2m88q9

Ever thought of throwing a Genealogy Family Reunion?

We talk about how to organize and initiate such a reunion in The Step-by-Step Genealogy Guide. It isn’t that hard when you have a few basic tips:

First of all, plan the “reunion” around a pre-arranged family gathering (weddings are great). This way, you’ll have folks in town anyway. Ask the relative getting married if they’d mind if you had an informal gathering the afternoon after the wedding (maybe at a meeting room in the hotel). I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.

Second, don’t do it all yourself. Get a committee organized to do the work, (we have a suggested agenda for the committee in The Guide).

Third, plan out fun activities that will get people talking and organized around genealogy. For example, ask them to bring old pictures, photo albums, or copies of the three key documents we talked about yesterday.

Family reunions are a great opportunity to complete some solid research. Go with some key questions in mind and you’re bound to make progress.

I wish more people would use the comments form below to share their experience.  Please don’t hesitate to do so yourself.  
Regardless, keep the questions coming.

I wanted to write right away and respond to everyone with the answer to a great question I received.

One beginner genealogist wrote, “All this about government resources and talking to your family is great but it’s still not clear what I’m looking for.”

Has this same question crossed your mind?

Here’s the bottom line.  You want to trace your ancestors back as far as you can.  By that I mean identifying your direct ancestors (your parents, your grandparents, your great-great grandparents, etc.).

Brothers and sisters, Aunts and Uncles, they are all great people to keep notes on but your core family tree is just the parents of the parents of the parents of you (and beyond).

When you find a direct mother or father in your lineage, you need to have documentation that proves that they are a part of your lineage.

You do this with formal documentation.  Namely, birth certificates, marriage certificates, and death certificates.

You’re ultimately searching for these three documents for every person on your family tree.  This is how you do a family tree.

These documents will provide you with the critical information you need to go back to the previous generation.  For example, a birth certificate will tell you who the parents were.

Does that help?  Stick with it… you’re doing great.  Just take it one generation at a time.

Sometimes knowing the list of resources available is half the battle.

How To Do A Family Tree – Four Must Know Resources

• First of all, you need to know that much of the Social Security database can be accessed as a part of public record in the United States. This is a great place to start

• Other Government resources include the Office for Vital Records and the Department of Veteran Affairs

• Don’t overlook your local courthouse or other public records like those kept by the Knights of Columbus

• Finally, local records from the main ports of call in the US are a great source for immigration records

This is just the basics.  What do you think?  Am I missing a fundamental public resource?  Use the comments area below to add your favorite basic public source for genealogy record hunting.

They are critical!

As you get your hands on death certificates or even learn more about where ancestors lived, you’ll be able to consult the local
graveyards to find information on spouses, birth dates, and other family members.

Keep in mind that in many cases, families are buried together (sometimes for several generations).  This was more true for our ancestors than it is for us today.  People didn’t travel as the do today.

Our past generations tended to live in the same area.  This makes graveyards a great resource.

Also remember that many graveyards are denomination specific. Don’t waste time looking for a Catholic ancestor in a Protestant graveyard.

We’ll spread the ideas out over several posts so you can digest things in small chunks (at least my mind works that way).

That said, I’m going to assume …

• You have a family tree template and understand how to fill out a family tree.

• I’m going to assume you’ve got the passion to create a family tree that will make you and your family proud.

• I’m going to assume you’re having a little trouble researching your family history.

• Your biggest challenge…?  I’m going to assume you simply don’t know where to start.

The first step is to organize your paperwork.  Some people like to get a special notebook or pen for notes.  Something to make it special.

With this in place, you need to write down everything you know about your family.  But focus just on you, your parents, and their parents.  This “family brainstorming” will be critical to help guide your initial research.  (More on this later.)

The initial research starts with your living parents and grand-parents.  Getting information from them and, more importantly, getting permission to rummage around their attics.  These will be your first (and best) research resource.

Here is what you’re looking for… the full name, birth date, marriage date, and date of their death.

Check future posts on where to go from here.

The Six Generation Family Tree Template you downloaded has three key areas that you need to understand in order to complete your
family tree:

1. Entry Numbers (representing people)
2. Chart Number (used to sync 7+ generations)
3. Birth, Married, and Death citations (represents your research)

Some folks are writing to say they’re having a hard time with these three areas.  If this is the case for you than go ahead and use the comments area below to ask any specific questions.

Also note that I’ve written a short yet detailed guide that you can use to complete your family tree chart.

It has four main sections:

• Mastering the Six-Generation Family Tree Chart

• Step-by-Step: Generations One Through Three

• Step-by-Step: Generations Four Through Six

• Seven Generations and Beyond

I’m calling it, “How to Complete a Family Tree Chart” and you’ll find it a great resource for getting things done.

It is extremely inexpensive and packed with photos and step-by-step instructions.  I discuss every inch of the 6-generation family tree and promise it’ll answer every question you have about how to complete the chart.

(If there is a question or comment below that you have a good answer for, please don’t hesitate to chime in.)

The idea was to make sure the website was a resource that would help people overcome these initial barriers.

This is what people said was their hassle:

• Trying to figure out how to complete a formal family tree chart (like the one you downloaded)

• There was confusion on whether or not cousins should be on your tree

• Some folks had a terrible time understanding how to obtain birth, marriage, and death certificates (and when or why they were important).

• And surnames (especially when immigrating relatives changed the spelling) were a problem.

We actually received 182 different responses but there were some of the more popular ones.  We built this site around the results of that survey and developed the tools you’ll find on this site around solving these problems.

How are things going with you?  Are you finding that any of these relate to what you’re experiencing?  Use the comments area below to post your biggest genealogy challenge.

I’ll answer what I can.  Others, please feel free to comment as well if you know an answer or resource that might help.