Creating a Research Plan to Solve Our Research Problem

By Laura Murphy DeGrazia, CG Excerpted from Laura Murphy DeGrazia, “Problem Analyses & Research Plans,” Elizabeth Shown Mills, ed.,  Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice & Standards (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2018), 295–316. Publisher’s Note: Last week we ran an excerpt from Laura Murphy DeGrazia’s chapter, “Problem Analyses & Research Plans,” published in Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice &[…]Read more

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Genealogy Analysis

“Assessing Genealogical Information,” By Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG

The following article was excerpted by Elizabeth Shown Mills, editor, from Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice & Standards (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2018), pp. 265–92. Genealogists think about the information they find and what it might say or imply about the past. They assess both information and the sources that contain the information. These assessments usually[…]Read more

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civil war soldiers

“Bogus Stories of Military Ancestors Can Confound Family Historians,” by Richard Hite

(The following article was excerpted from Chapter 7 of Sustainable Genealogy, entitled “Military Service of Ancestors.”) “When I hear of some of the wildly exaggerated claims of the military exploits of my own ancestors and anyone else’s, I am reminded of “The Battle of Mayberry” episode of the Andy Griffith Show.  In one episode, Opie’s[…]Read more

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Pension Records

Family Stories . . . and How I Found Mine illustrates the Potential of Pension Records

When last we took up the story of author J. Michael Cleverley’s Greene family ancestors, it was during the reign of England’s Richard II (1377-1399)—just as one of Michael’s forebears was about to lose his head. Today’s excerpt comes from “Chapter Five: Road to Rebellion,”  as Rhode Island ancestor Nathaniel Greene and others attempt to[…]Read more

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DNA Testing: Ethical Considerations

DNA Testing: Ethical Considerations

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

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Progen PPS explains options for family history writing

Another valuable chapter in Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice & Standards, edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills, illustrates the different ways in which genealogists have structured their published work over the years. Chapter 22, “Crafting Family Histories,” which was written by Michael Leclerc, itemizes seven different formats for family history writing that have appeared over many decades.[…]Read more

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The best books on genealogy and family history

Will Your Genealogy Pass the Test of Time? by Richard Hite

[av_image src=’https://genealogical.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2017-11-05-05-34-06.1f57953c24fd8041d68074e472523f5cb3720209-223×300.jpg’ attachment=’5382′ attachment_size=’medium’ align=’right’ styling=” hover=’av-hover-grow’ link=’manually,https://library.genealogical.com/printpurchase/ozld5′ target=’_blank’ caption=’yes’ font_size=” appearance=’on-hover’ overlay_opacity=’0.4′ overlay_color=’#000000′ overlay_text_color=’#ffffff’ animation=’no-animation’ admin_preview_bg=” av_uid=’av-5u4eyp’] View Book Details [/av_image] Sustainable Genealogy: Separating Fact from Fiction in Family Legends, by Richard Hite, is a wonderful collection of cautionary tales for the practicing genealogist. In the following selection from Sustainable Genealogy, Mr. Hite illustrates[…]Read more

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Genealogy Citing Image sources

Citing Derivatives & Imaged Sources: The Basics, by Elizabeth Shown Mills

The following essay was excerpted from Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace, 3rd ed. Rev. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2017), p. 47, by the author, expressly for “Genealogy Pointers.” “The range of materials and media in use today defies standardization. When we examine a publication to define the elements that need recording,[…]Read more

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17th Century Virginia

HOW TO RESEARCH NEW ANCESTORS, By Lyndon Hobbs Hart, III, Jamestowne Society Genealogist

The following article describes the criteria and important sources for obtaining membership in the distinguished Virginia lineage organization, the Jamestowne Society. The article is also valuable for identifying sources related to 17th-century Virginia research in general.  It originally appeared in the Jamestowne Society Magazine, Vol. 44, No. 1. Spring 2020,  p. 13, and is reproduced[…]Read more

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Genealogy Names

“Clues in Names”

(Excerpted from Unpuzzling Your Past. Fourth Edition, Updated, by Emily Anne Croom, pp. 37-39.) Naming practices vary from place to place and generation to generation. However, certain consistencies have existed for nearly four centuries in the area we now call the United States. Children were, and still are, often named for parents, grandparents, and other[…]Read more

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“Research Procedures: Preparing for Research,” by Harold Henderson

“Where do I start?” is a question often asked by inexperienced and more experienced genealogists alike. The problem is that starting off on the wrong foot can often result in time wasted or require re-visiting sources already consulted. [av_image src=’https://genealogical.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018-04-17-04-50-20.68983f8c735befefac2d9e1371afd616db38c7d6-223×300.jpg’ attachment=’4691′ attachment_size=’medium’ align=’right’ styling=” hover=’av-hover-grow’ link=’manually,https://library.genealogical.com/printpurchase/Xeger’ target=’_blank’ caption=’yes’ font_size=” appearance=’on-hover’ overlay_opacity=’0.4′ overlay_color=’#000000′ overlay_text_color=’#ffffff’ animation=’no-animation’ admin_preview_bg=”[…]Read more

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