J. Michael Cleverley’s new book, Family Stories . . . and How I Found Mine traces his family history from the present day to the time of William the Conqueror. Mr. Cleverley’s book not only recounts his family’s history but also explains how he discovered and assembled the story. Since the author was determined to[…]Read more
The following excerpt from our new book, Family Stories . . . and How I Found Mine, by J. Michael Cleverley is from the author’s prologue. In these few paragraphs, Mr. Cleverley captures the essence of what it means for someone to undertake a family history. In a word, it’s a transformative experience because of[…]Read more
By Blaine T. Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D. & Judy G. Russell, J.D., CG, CGL Excerpted from Bettinger & Russell, “Genetics for Genealogy,” Elizabeth Shown Mills, ed., Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice & Standards. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2018), 361–90. Millions of people have voluntarily undergone DNA testing. Probably millions more would do so if they were not[…]Read more
In the April 7 and 14 issues of “Genealogy Pointers,” we described two systems by which land was transferred by colonial authorities to individuals: The New England Model and the Colonial Government System of Land Transfer. As Patricia Law Hatcher explains in her definitive study of U.S. land records, first transfer varied both geographically and[…]Read more
The following essay concerning the nature of genealogical proof was excerpted by Elizabeth Shown Mills from her book, Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace. 3rd ed. Rev. (2017), p. 17. In it, Mrs. Mills explains the difference between genealogical proof, theory, and hypothesis and offers a cautionary point lesson that any researcher[…]Read more
Elizabeth Shown Mills, editor of the reference work, Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice & Standards (Progen PPS), recently chose and edited a number of selections from Progen PPS for publication in “Genealogy Pointers.” We hasten to stress that while the author of each selection is a professional genealogist, each selection should interest anyone who is serious[…]Read more
In the April 7 and 14, and May 12 issues of “Genealogy Pointers,” we described three systems by which land was transferred by Colonial and Early National authorities to individuals in America: The New England Model, the Colonial Government System of Land Transfer, and the Large Grant/Proprietor System. As Patricia Law Hatcher explains in her[…]Read more
By Dr. David Dobson The Scottish place-name Strathmore is derived from the Gaelic words An Srath Mor, signifying the broad or big valley. Strathmore lies in eastern Scotland, between the Grampian Mountains and the Sidlaw Hills, and runs in a north-east direction from Perth through eastern Perthshire, toward the Mearns alias Kincardineshire. Strathmore is a[…]Read more
We’ve written on several occasions about Gary Boyd Roberts amazing two volume work, The Royal Descents 900 Immigrants to the American Colonies, Quebec, or the United States (RD 900). This collection of royal lines possessed by North Americans represents Mr. Roberts’ magnum opus, and it is truly the product of a lifetime of study in[…]Read more
Family Stories . . . and How I Found Mine is actually several books rolled into one. At its simplest, it conveys the history of author J. Michael Cleverley’s family from the early Middle Ages, through its establishment in colonial New England, and later in the American Midwest. Unlike many genealogies, however, it examines the author’s[…]Read more
Discovering the maiden name of a female is often the biggest problem we have in genealogy. Whether you are researching your families in person, through the mail, or by Googling the Internet for sources, the basic search is still the same. As in all research tasks, we need to identify the possible places where such[…]Read more
As we have noted previously, the most important development in Irish genealogy since Mr. John Grenham published the fourth edition of his textbook has been the enormous strides in posting Irish family content on the Internet. This fact has guided the author in his preparation of the new 5th edition of Tracing Your Irish Ancestors, now[…]Read more
