Did you know that boundaries of the State of Arizona were not finalized until the Gadsden Purchase of 1853? Gold strikes played an important role in enticing Americans to settle in Alaska. Can you name the dates of the strike at Sitka, Sindham Bay, or the Yukon? Following the American Revolution, a number of the[…]Read more
Tag: Genealogy Tips
New Book Identifies 17th-Century Scottish Covenanters Exiled to America
As Dr. David Dobson explains in his new book, The Covenanters of Scotland, 1638-1690, the Wars of the Covenant occurred between 1639 and 1651, when Scotland and England were two independent countries, though both were subject to King Charles I. The cause of the Covenanter movement lay in the attempts of the Stuart kings to[…]Read more
“If Your Ancestor Owned Land, Then There’s a Deed,” by William Dollarhide
Dollarhide’s Genealogy Rule #23: Locating the county where your ancestor lived is the first step in finding records about the time he was hauled into court for shooting his neighbor’s dog, threatening the census taker with a shotgun, or making illegal corn whiskey behind the barn. A 90-Percent Chance Since the first colonists came to[…]Read more
Citing the Source of a Source, by Elizabeth Shown Mills
(Excerpted from Elizabeth Shown Mills, Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace, 3d ed. rev. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2017), pp. 52, 180, §2.21, 4.6.) In the following excerpt from her acclaimed book, Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace. 3rd Edition Revised, Elizabeth Shown Mills explains why researchers should avoid[…]Read more
Handling Secrets & Sensitivities When Writing Family Histories, By Michael J. Leclerc, CG
(Excerpted from Michael J. Leclerc, “Crafting Family Histories,” Elizabeth Shown Mills, ed.,Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice & Standards (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2018), 519–44.) Writing family histories is one of the most meaningful ways we can communicate the results of our research to our family members and even ourselves. Our projects can be large or small.[…]Read more
GENERATION BY GENERATION Teaches Genealogists How to Make Greater Use of Library Resources
As we have noted previously Drew Smith, the author of our how-to book Generation by Generation, is a highly trained librarian as well as an accomplished genealogist. Readers of his book are destined to learn about the wealth of information that could lead them to hard-to-find ancestors by utilizing library and archival sources. To illustrate[…]Read more
Royal News Since the Release of Royal Descents of 900 Immigrants to the American Colonies, Quebec, and the United States. 2nd Edition, by Gary Boyd Roberts. PART TWO
(Part One of this article can be found HERE) In early November 2022, various scholars learned of and purchased Weston Pedigree Reconsidered: A Review of Documentation Provided by the College of Arms (2022) by Shawn Henry Potter and Lois Carol Potter. In a much earlier form, parts of this monograph were submitted to the New[…]Read more
17th-Century Records for Scots-Irish Research
The Introduction to William J. Roulston’s magnificent textbook, Researching Scots-Irish Ancestors: The essential genealogical guide to early modern Ulster, 1600-1800, includes a historical essay that summarizes the events from the Nine Years War (1593-1603) to the Act of Union of 1800 that culminated in the solidification of the Ulster Plantation. Roulston devotes separate chapters to[…]Read more
“Citing Titles: Basic Rules,” by Elizabeth Shown Mills
[Excerpted from Elizabeth Shown Mills, Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace, 3d ed. rev. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2017), pp. 52–53, §2.22–2.23.] “Six basic rules govern our citation of titles, regardless of the type of record or publication we are using: 1) BOOK, CD, DVD, JOURNAL, MAP, WEBSITE, ETC. For published stand-alone[…]Read more
Groundbreaking Book for Genealogists with Hispanic Roots
English-speaking researchers and historians working with a Spanish-language document face two hurdles—understanding the handwriting and vocabulary, and grasping the record’s institutional, historic, social, and cultural context. This book’s unique and detailed content fills both needs. With images, charts, transcribed documents and in-depth commentary, Mastering Spanish Handwriting and Documents: 1520-1820 addresses fundamental handwriting concepts and challenges[…]Read more
Book Lays Out Ground Rules for Determining Native American Ancestry
DNA for Native American Ancestry, by Roberta Estes, begins by discussing fundamental issues involved in establishing Native American heritage. The author first defines the concept of “indigenous people.” She then answers questions like “Can DNA Results Identify a Tribe?” and “Can I Join a Tribe?”. Another section covers the requirements and benefits of tribal membership,[…]Read more
“Understanding A Coat of Arms,” by the late Carolyn L Barkley
As the genealogist of a Scottish clan organization, I have for many years been frustrated by the notion of a “family coat of arms” and even more frustrated by the sale of such contrivances at Scottish and Celtic games and festivals where the organizers should know better. I strongly believe that you should be knowledgeable[…]Read more