No Passenger List? No official U.S. government passenger lists exist prior to 1820. What miscellaneous lists that have survived and been transcribed or published cover only a fraction of the immigrants who arrived in the Americas before 1820. If you do not possess a passenger list for your immigrant ancestor, are you at the end[…]Read more
Category: Genealogy Tips
Locating and Visiting Cemeteries
Editor’s note: The following post is by William Dollarhide, who has not only provided excellent tips of both the serious and witty variety, but is an accomplished Genealogical Publishing Company author. As Mr. Dollarhide excels not only an author but also as a gifted speaker and award winning genealogist, we are always delighted to share his[…]Read more
You Have To Get Out of the Genealogy Collection!
By Carolyn L. Barkley I first heard these attention-getting words from frequent national genealogical conference speaker, Paul Milner. As both a librarian and a researcher, I could not agree more. Many customers come into a library and ask “Where is your genealogy collection?” These customers may lack well-developed search strategy skills, may think that all[…]Read more
Fill in the Census Records Research Gaps
Utilizing census records are a fundamental resource for any genealogists. There are two situations discussed here where the federal census records leave information gaps. Namely, when you’re searching for a relative before the federal census of 1790, and when you can’t find someone you know should show up on a federal census. A relative who predates[…]Read more
Canadian Census Tips from Denise Larson
The following post is from author, Denise Larson, who has offered her expertise on other topics such as Maine Genealogy in two parts, as well as the recently posted piece about Canada’s upcoming anniversaries (from 2016). This year, 2016, marks the sesquarcentennial—350th anniversary—of the first official census taken in Canada. Only 163 pages long and enumerated in part by[…]Read more
Death Records: A Checklist of Ten Documents Every Genealogist Should Own, By William Dollarhide
This blog is an adaptation of an article by William Dollarhide that appeared in a Genealogical Pointers in December 2006. Here are ten places to look for a death record. All ten sources should be obtained for every ancestor on your pedigree chart and every member of a family on your family group sheet. 1.[…]Read more
Naturalization and Denization Records in Genealogy Research
As a body of records, naturalization and denization records are of considerable value, but, until recently, were very difficult to access. Comparable in many ways to census records, naturalization records are a mine of priceless information and include such items as place and date of birth, foreign and current places of residence, marital status, names, ages[…]Read more
Look to the Land: Understanding Land Records
By Carolyn L. Barkley When I first began to attend genealogical conferences, I heard a speaker from the North Carolina State Archives say, “When I hear someone ask for marriage records or wills, I know that the individual is a genealogist; when I hear someone ask for land records, I know that the individual is[…]Read more