In previous issues of “Genealogy Pointers,” we have pointed out various features of Roberta Estes’ new book, The Complete Guide to Family TreeDNA. We will continue to do so in the weeks and months to come. The book is currently available in e-Pub format and a black and white print edition. Based on popular demand,[…]Read more
The Complete Guide to FamilyTreeDNA: Y-DNA, Mitochondrial, Autosomal and X-DNA, by Roberta Estes, is now available in print and eBook editions. To say that this new book covers its topic from A to Z would be an understatement. Even the helpful glossary of terms at the back of the book runs to seven pages. To[…]Read more
Before the Internet was generally in use, people seeking their family trees sooner or later went to an archives in search of information. We spoke with relatives to elicit stories and details about the family. Some hung around cemeteries or called in at the local Registry of Deeds or the Probate Court. Pastors and parish[…]Read more
In her August 30, 2023 review of Generation by Generation: A Modern Approach to the Basics of Genealogy, by Drew Smith, organizational expert Janine Adams observed, “Like Drew, I wish a book like this had been around when I started doing genealogy research. It’s so clearly laid out and clearly written, with bits of humor[…]Read more
Historians and genealogists have mostly overlooked the role of women in the American Revolution, even though women’s roles in working their farms, raising their children, and generally supporting the morale of the Patriot side were of great importance. The suffering of the men at Valley Forge, on the British prison ships, and during long marches[…]Read more
Several weeks ago, we published the e-Book version of Roberta Estes’ new work, The Complete Guide to FamilyTreeDNA: Y-DNA, Mitochondrial, Autosomal and X-DNA. (If you missed the announcement, you will find a summary of this important new title below). Today we are happy to report that the print version of Roberta’s book is now available[…]Read more
The following review appears in the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists journal, MASSOG, Volume 48 (2023-2024), No. 2 The Royal Descents of 900 Immigrants to the American Colonies, Quebec, or the United States, Second Edition in Three Volumes, by Gary Boyd Roberts (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2022. cxciii + 1,725 pp. Index. Softcover $190.00). Order[…]Read more
(This article first appeared in the September 4, 2008 posting on our blog) I’m a firm believer that genealogy should be fun. If we lose sight of the enjoyment of solving puzzles and discovering new information, genealogy simply becomes work. To me having fun while researching takes many forms: talking to myself (statements like “well,[…]Read more
Land records–grants, deeds, mortgages, surveys, and more–are among the most valuable resources for genealogists to prove relationships and to point to new relationships. Why? One of the strongest motivators for American immigration was land, and one of the strongest motivators for migration within America was land. Because of this, land records are the most common[…]Read more
The latest issue of the Tennessee Genealogical Society’s Ansearchin’ News features two more reviews of the new edition of Elizabeth Shown Mills’ Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace. Here are the highlights: In the first review, archivist and genealogist Melissa Barker writes, “Mills has done an excellent job in this fourth edition.[…]Read more
Publisher’s Note: Genealogical.com is delighted to announce the publication of the original e-Book, The Complete Guide to FamilyTreeDNA: Y-DNA, Mitochondrial, Autosomal and X-DNA, by Roberta Estes, author of the popular blog www.DNA-eXplained.com. On or about July 1, 2024, we shall also publish the 8-1/2” x 11” paperback version of The Complete Guide to FamilyTreeDNA. All[…]Read more
Let’s say you are looking for the German origin of one of your ancestors, and you’ve exhausted your English-language sources. You are familiar with German genealogical words and phrases because you own a copy of Ernest Thode’s German-English Genealogical Dictionary. You’re reasonably confident that the missing ancestor came to the U.S. from Berlin, so what[…]Read more
