Whatever the research problem, once we have carefully analyzed everything we have accumulated and are confident that our starting-point data is sound, we can move forward with the development of a work plan for productive research. Research plans offer prioritized, detailed lists of relevant sources that should provide information to resolve the stated problem. We[…]Read more
(The following essay is excerpted from pp. 39-40 from Mr. Mitchell’s book, New Pocket Guide to Irish Genealogy.) With civil registration of births and deaths commencing in 1864, and with the patchy survival of church records before this time, gravestone inscriptions take on a special significance. Many Church of Ireland burial registers were destroyed by[…]Read more
One of the stellar works in our collection of royal and noble ancestry books is the 1996 publication, Plantagenet Ancestry of Seventeenth-Century Colonists, by David Faris. As the subtitle explains, this work traces the descent from England’s kings Henry III, Edward I, Edward II, and Edward III to British emigrants who arrived in the North[…]Read more
Christina K. Schaefer’s magnificent reference, Guide to Naturalization Records in the United States, is a complete accounting of the location of U.S. naturalization records. Since the vast majority of original records are retained by local courts, the book provides a state-by-state and county-by-county inventory of naturalization records for all 50 states, U.S. territories, and Native[…]Read more
By some estimates, thousands upon thousands of people are descended from the Emperor Charlemagne, but, as the late genealogist Timothy Field Beard has noted, “It is a long way from 20th century Potwin, Kansas, or Pontotoc, Oklahoma, to 9th-century France.” In case you have forgotten your medieval history, Charlemagne was the first leader after the[…]Read more
We recently received three new reviews for David Dobson’s new guidebook, Scottish Genealogy: The Basics and Beyond. The good notices came from the Midwest Book Review, the long-running genealogy column “Kinsearching,” and Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter. We have excerpted the reviews for this issue of “Genealogy Pointers.” “Dobson has compiled an extensive list of the publications and archival records that[…]Read more
Genealogy multimedia conglomerate Family Tree Magazine has awarded Genealogical.com “Best “BIG” Genealogy Websites of 2021“. We’re thrilled and humbled to learn that the editors at Family Tree have named Genealogical.com as one of their 101 Best Websites of 2021. Our site was named in the subcategory of “best big genealogy sites.” Here’s what they had[…]Read more
Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians, edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills and published in 2001, is a manual by professionals for everyone serious about genealogy. This book is sometimes referred to as Progen I, to distinguished it from the 2018 book, Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice & Standards, also edited by Mrs.[…]Read more
Online sources are publications, with the same basic elements as print publications. This core principle applies whether we are using a commercial site, a website created by an individual, or a social-networking site such as Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter. Within this framework, we have just four basic rules to remember: Rule 1: Most websites are[…]Read more
Among the many highlights of Clan Callaghan: The O Callaghan Family of County Cork, by Professor Emeritus Joseph F. O Callaghan are accounts of three of the author’s relatives who served with distinction in World War II. Two of these heroes earned the Congressional Medal of Honor. Their stories follow here. Joseph T. O Callahan,[…]Read more
